Thyroxine-induced left ventricular hypertrophy in the rat. Anatomical and physiological evidence for angiogenesis.

We examined anatomical and physiological responses of the left coronary vascular system to thyroxine-induced myocardial hypertrophy. Wistar-Kyoto rats (1 and 5 months old) were administered thyroxine (0.25 mg/kg per day) or the saline vehicle (sham-treated controls) for 2 months. At the ages of 3 and 7 months, each group of animals was used for one of three experimental protocols: determination of numerical capillary density in perfusion-fixed hearts, measurement of coronary reactive hyperemic responses following a 20-second coronary occlusion (peak-to-resting blood flow velocity) as an index of coronary reserve, and assessment of myocardial perfusion under resting conditions and during maximum coronary dilation (dipyridamole infusion) for the calculation of minimum coronary resistance per unit weight of the left ventricle or minimum coronary resistance of the total left ventricle. In both groups of thyroxine-treated animals, the left ventricular weight-to-body weight ratio increased by 35-40%. Capillary density of the 3- and 7-month-old Wistar Kyoto controls was 4467 +/- 352 (mean +/- SEM) and 4029 +/- 143 capillaries/mm2, respectively, but was increased significantly in the thyroxine-treated animals to 6052 +/- 409 capillaries/mm2 (3-month) and 4654 +/- 201 capillaries/mm2 (7-month). In both age control groups, the peak-to-resting blood flow velocity ratio was about 2.2. This index of coronary reserve was not changed in the thyroxine-treated animals. Myocardial perfusion measurements were limited to the 7-month-old animals.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)