The changes of intrarenal endothelin system in the course of congestive heart failure induced by rapid right ventricular pacing in dogs

AIM: To investigate the changes of intrarenal endothelin system in the course of congestive heart failure. METHODS: A canine congestive heart failure model induced by rapid right ventricular pacing was used in the present study. Twenty-one mongrel dogs divided randomly into 3 groups: control, congestive heart failure 2 weeks (CHF2) and congestive heart failure 4 weeks (CHF4). The severity of heart failure was evaluated by means of hemodynamic measurement. The concentration of plasma endothelin was detected via RIA, and the expression of endothelin was detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS: The concentration of plasma endothelin in both of CHF2 and CHF4 elevated significantly. In CHF2, the expression of endothelin receptor B(ETB) in renal medulla increased significantly. And in CHF4, the expression of preproendothelin, endothelin receptor A (ETA) and ETB increased both in renal cortex and medulla. Furthermore, in cortex, the expression of ETA increased more significantly than ETB, while in medulla, ETB expressed much more than ETA. CONCLUSION: The changes of renal endothelin system expression plays a role in the regulation of water and electrolyte balance during the progress of congestive heart failure.