TY - JOUR T1 - Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate reduces chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats JF - European Respiratory Journal JO - Eur Respir J SP - 862 LP - 865 DO - 10.1183/09031936.03.00084503 VL - 21 IS - 5 AU - V. Hampl AU - J. Bíbová AU - V. Povýšilová AU - J. Herget Y1 - 2003/05/01 UR - http://erj.ersjournals.com/content/21/5/862.abstract N2 - Pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension includes vascular smooth muscle cell membrane depolarisation and consequent calcium influx. Usually, calcium-gated potassium channels are activated under such conditions and repolarise the membrane. However, in pulmonary hypertension they are downregulated. The authors hypothesised that pharmacological augmentation of these channels would reduce pulmonary hypertension. Dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate (DHEA‐S, 0.1 mg·mL−1), a recently characterised activator of calcium-gated potassium channels, was given to rats in drinking water. Pulmonary arterial blood pressure, increased by 4 weeks of hypoxia (from 15±0.2 to 29.4±2.5 mmHg), was selectively attenuated in rats treated with DHEA‐S for the whole duration of the hypoxic exposure (23.9±0.9 mmHg) and in rats given DHEA‐S only after pulmonary hypertension had fully developed (last 2 weeks of hypoxia; 24.4±1.4 mmHg). Pulmonary vascular remodelling and right ventricular hypertrophy associated with pulmonary hypertension were also reduced by DHEA‐S. Cardiac index and systemic arterial blood pressure did not differ among the groups. The authors conclude that treatment with an activator of calcium-gated potassium channels, dehydroepiandrosterone sulphate, known to be well tolerated by humans, reduces hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in rats. This study was supported by the grant agency of the Czech Republic, grant nos. 306/97/0854, 305/97/S070 and 305/00/1432. ER -