Poster abstracts

Poster number 68 submitted by Ray Devine

Effects of Losartan on Tumor Induced Myocardial Dysfunction

Ray Devine (Nursing), Sarah Stevens (Nationwide Research Institute), Runfeng Jing (Nursing), Donna McCarthy (Nursing), Dane Youtz (Nationwide Research Institute), Markus Velten (Nationwide Research Institute)

Abstract:
In cancer cachexia, a muscle wasting syndrome seen in end-stage cancer, patients suffer from fatigue and weakness coupled with anorexia and weight loss. A previous study by our lab showed that the hearts of c26 adenocarcinoma tumor-bearing mice, a common model of cancer cachexia, exhibit early signs of diastolic dysfunction at the cellular level and systolic dysfunction on echocardiography. Echocardiography of tumor burdened mice showed decreased fractional shortening and posterior wall thickness and increased left ventricular systolic diameter without changes in absolute and normalized heart weight, suggesting early systolic dysfunction. At the mycocyte level, tumor burdened animals showed significant increases in time-to-90% shortening and time-to-90% relengthening, indicating myocyte dysfunction. Here we attempted to ameliorate these effects with losartan, an angiotensin receptor blocker, which prevents the development of cardiac hypertrophy via inhibition of the angiotensin II pathway. Daily treatment of tumor burdened mice with losartan appears to prevent much of the observed cardiovascular remodeling due to the effects of the c26 adenocarcinoma tumor.

Keywords: Cachexia, Myocardial Dysfunction, Losartan