STUDY OF CARDIAC MORPHOLOGICAL VARIABLES SECONDARY TO PULMONARY EMPHYSEMA INDUCED BY PORCINE PANCREATIC ELASTASE IN DIABETIC RATS

• Grant number: 10/12361-0
• Support Opportunities: Scholarships in Brazil - Scientific Initiation
• Start date: December 01, 2010
• End date: November 30, 2011
• Field of knowledge: Biological Sciences - Immunology - Cellular Immunology
• Principal Investigator: Paulina Sannomiya
• Grantee: Clebson de Lima Ferreira
• Host Institution: Instituto do Coração Professor Euryclides de Jesus Zerbini (INCOR). Hospital das Clínicas da Faculdade de Medicina da USP (HCFMUSP). Secretaria da Saúde (São Paulo - Estado). São Paulo , SP, Brazil

Abstract

Clinical studies in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) showed that structural and functional alterations of the lung microcirculation are major factors for the development of pulmonary hypertension and right ventricular hypertrophy during COPD-associated hypoxemia. In addition, pulmonary microcirculatory dysfunctions associated with diabetes mellitus increase the gravity of the ongoing COPD. The present study aims to investigate cardiac morphological variables secondary to pulmonary emphysema induced by porcine pancreatic elastase in diabetic rats. The study includes: 1) evaluation of body weight/heart weight ratio; 4) heart morphological analysis.