248 IS DYSTROPHIN ABSENCE IMPLICATED IN THE TRANSITION FROM PHYSIOLOGICAL TO PATHOLOGICAL CARDIAC HYPERTROPHY

Hypertension causes cardiac hypertrophy, cardiac dysfunction, and heart failure (HF). The mechanisms implicated in the transition from physiological to pathological hypertrophy are still unknown. Growing evidence points out to the role of inappropriate mechanical coupling in the pathogenesis of HF and the cytoskeletal proteins as the most obvious candidates for intracellular remodeling. We investigated dystrophin and its potential role in the pathogenesis of HF in rats submitted to chronic abdominal aorta stenosis. Wistar rats were submitted to abdominal aorta stenosis and killed at 30, 60 and 90 days post surgery. The hearts were collected and Western blot (WB) and immunofluorescence (IF) were performed for dystrophin. Blood pressure was evaluated and cardiac function evaluate by echocardiography. Data were considered significant when p