| Title | Electrical Vagal Nerve Stimulation Ameliorates Pulmonary Vascular Remodeling and Improves Survival in Rats With Severe Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension. | ||
| Author | Yoshida, Keimei; Saku, Keita; Kamada, Kazuhiro; Abe, Kohtaro; Tanaka-Ishikawa, Mariko; Tohyama, Takeshi; Nishikawa, Takuya; Kishi, Takuya; Sunagawa, Kenji; Tsutsui, Hiroyuki | ||
| Journal | JACC Basic Transl Sci | Publication Year/Month | 2018-Oct |
| PMID | 30456337 | PMCID | PMC6234524 |
| Affiliation + expend | 1.Department of Cardiovascular Medicine, Kyushu University Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Fukuoka, Japan. | ||
This study aimed to elucidate the therapeutic effects of electrical vagal nerve stimulation (VNS) on severe pulmonary arterial hypertension in a rat model. In a pathophysiological study, VNS significantly restored autonomic balance, decreased mean pulmonary arterial pressure, attenuated pulmonary vascular remodeling, and preserved right ventricular function. In a survival study, VNS significantly improved the survival rate in both the prevention (VNS from 0 to 5 weeks after a SU5416 injection) and treatment (VNS from 5 to 10 weeks) protocols. Thus, VNS may serve as a novel therapeutic strategy for pulmonary arterial hypertension.