Animais sobreviventes à sepse apresentam hiperreatividade aórtica e prejuízo da função cardíaca

Abstract

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are considered the leading cause of death in the world. Recent studies have shown an increase in the incidence of CVDs in patients with acute infection, such as sepsis. Sepsis survivors show an increase in the development of CVDs between 1 and 5 years after the previous infection. Thus, the aim of this study was to evaluate the cardiovascular parameters in animals surviving sepsis. For that, in male Balb/c mice was performed cecal ligation and a puncture to induce sepsis. After 15 days, electrocardiogram and echocardiogram, Langendorff experiments, cardiomyocytes contraction, and vascular reactivity in thoracic aorta were performed. Our results showed an increase in systolic volume, ejection fraction and cardiac output in the sepsissurvivor group (SSG). Besides that, the electrocardiogram showed an increase in time to initiate ventricular repolarization in SSG. Langendorff’s experiments confirmed the impairment of cardiac function in the SSG group, and this impairment was not reversed in a stressful condition induced by isoprenaline. About vasomotor tonus, the contractile effect induced by phenylephrine in thoracic aortas from SSG was significantly higher when compared to the control group. This effect was associated with the activation ofAT1 receptors, anions superoxide and COX derived prostanoids. Taken together, sepsis-surviving mice showed vascular contractility enhancement and impairment of cardiac function. Propranolol treatment was able to reverse the increased vascular resistance triggered by sepsis and some points of cardiac function.