Increased production of endothelin‐1 in the hypertrophied rat heart due to pressure overload

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Abstract
Endothelin‐1 (ET‐1) has been demonstrated to induce hypertrophy in cultured cardiac myocytes. We investigated the production of ET‐1 in the heart of aorta‐banded rats in vivo. Seven days after the banding of the abdominal aorta, rats developed a significant left ventricular hypertrophy. The tissue content of mature ET‐1 and the level of expression of prepro ET‐1 mRNA were higher in the left ventricle of aorta‐banded rats than in those of sham‐operated rats. The expression of prepro ET‐1 mRNA in the right ventricle was not different between the two groups. These findings indicate that the production of ET‐1 increased in the hypertrophied left ventricle, thereby suggesting the possible involvement of endogenous ET‐1 in the development of cardiac hypertrophy due to pressure overload.