Effect of endothelin receptor antagonist bosentan on plasma leptin concentration in acute myocardial infarction in rats.

The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of endothelin receptor antagonism on plasma leptin level after myocardial infarction (MI). In Wistar rats under chloral hydrate anesthesia, MI was performed by ligation of the left coronary artery. The animals were divided into the following groups: control-sham (thoracotomy only), and two MI groups with or without bosentan treatment. Bosentan was given daily by gavage at the dose of 100 mg/kg. Treatment of animals started 2 days before MI and continued up to the fifth day. Concentration of leptin was measured by radioimmunoassay by means of 125I labeled antigen in the following time intervals: before MI or sham operation, 4, 24 and 48 h after surgery. Electrocardiogram (ECG), blood pressure, heart rate, arterial pO(2), pCO(2) and pH were periodically monitored. Two days after the MI animals were perfused retrograde into descending aorta with 2% triphenyltetrazolium chloride (TTC) and hearts were fixed by immersion in formalin for microscopic examination. Hearts were sectioned transaxially and size of MI was quantitated with morphometric methods. ECG, TTC staining and microscopic results confirmed development of MI. Morphometric methods did not show significant differences in infarct size between bosentan treated and untreated groups. Concentration of leptin in plasma in untreated group significantly increased already 4 h after MI. In bosentan treated animals this increase appeared only after 24 h. In animals treated with bosentan also a significant diminution of MI mortality was observed. Our results indicate that bosentan has an important effect on leptin concentration in ischemic cardiovascular pathology.