Alcohol-induced hypertension is a major cardiovascular health problem in the US (including Puerto Rico). The link between alcohol consumption and hypertension is well established. However, the mechanisms and preventive strategies have not been well explored.
PROJECTS
This RCMI-funded project—entitled “Alcohol-induced Hypertension: Mechanism and Prevention”—is being carried out in order to a) establish a better understanding of how alcohol consumption affects the hypertensive response in a rat model (this includes determining response time and specifying related oxidative injury mechanisms to the cardiovascular system); and b) investigate the preventive strategies and treatment modalities that can be used against this disease.
The Specific Aims of this study are:
1) To establish what amount of ingested ethanol constitutes a chronic dose in regards to blood pressure and heart rate in rats; to determine the time response of same.
2) To ascertain both the effects of a chronic, hypertensive dose of ethanol and length of exposure on: a) free radical and nitric oxide generation in the thoracic aorta and cardiac tissues; b) the oxidative stress indices; c) vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), antioxidant enzyme protein expression, and signaling molecules cyclic GMP and guanylate cyclase protein expression in the rat thoracic aorta and cardiac tissues.
3)
To investigate (via the tissue bath technique) the vascular reactivity (contraction/relaxation) of the thoracic aorta in alcohol -fed rats .
4) To delineate to what extent of regular physical activity (treadmill exercise) and biological antioxidant (alpha-lipoic acid) supplementationact as protectivemechanisms in hypertensive rats. The knowledge derived from these findings will be useful in the development of novel strategies that can be implementedin the prevention and treatment of hypertension in alcoholic patients as well as offering to improve the cardiovascular health of these patients.
