Introduction: Hypertension (HTN) is a common disease. A close relationship between HTN and high salt diet (HS) is recorded. Reduction of dietary HS in hypertensive patients causes improvements in blood pressure (BP) and cardiac architecture. Sodium–glucose cotransporter-2 inhibitors (SGLT2i) are oral anti diabetic drugs. Empagliflozin (EMPA) is one of these inhibitors. EMPA is an anti-hyperglycemic agent and reduces BP in patients with and without diabetes mellitus.
Aim of the Work: The aim was to assess the EMPA therapy effects on the hypertensive Wister adult male albino rat's myocardium and the regenerative role of telocytes.
Materials and Methods: Fifty adult male albino rats were utilized and divided into 2 main groups: group I (Control): included 20 rats and subdivided into subgroups IA (Standard diet & placebo) and IB (Standard diet& EMPA) and group II (HTN induced): involved 30 rats which took HS diet for eight weeks then subdivided into subgroup IIA (HS diet ), IIB (HS diet & EMPA) and IIC (Low salt diet) for another 8 weeks. Systolic BP was measured at the start, 8 and 16 weeks following the experiment's start. Specimens from the myocardium left ventricle were prepared for Picrosirius Red, CD34 immunostaining and electron microscopic examination. SBP, telocytes number and percentage of collagen fibers were analyzed statistically.
Results: Subgroup IIA showed disrupted histological architecture of the myocardium but it was preserved in subgroups IIB and IIC. Systolic BP and collagen fibers deposition were high in IIA subgroup but showed levels near those of the control group in IIB and IIC subgroups. Area percentage of telocytes was high in IIB and IIC with marked decrease in IIA subgroups.
Conclusion: Relation between hypertension and HS diet intake is proved. HS diet has deleterious effects on the myocardium architecture. This study revealed that EMPA and dietary salt restriction preserve rat's myocardium architecture.