Carotid Baroreceptor Stimulation Improves Pulmonary Arterial Remodeling and Right Ventricular Dysfunction in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

Jing Wang; Jie Chen; Ling Shu; Ruoliu Zhang; Mingyan Dai; Xuesheng Fang; Zhiling Hu; Lingling Xiao; Zhaoqing Xi; Junxia Zhang; Mingwei Bao

doi:10.1016/j.jacbts.2024.01.012

Carotid Baroreceptor Stimulation Improves Pulmonary Arterial Remodeling and Right Ventricular Dysfunction in Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension

JACC Basic Transl Sci. 2024 Apr 22;9(4):475-492. doi: 10.1016/j.jacbts.2024.01.012. eCollection 2024 Apr.

Authors

Jing Wang^{1

2

3

4}, Jie Chen^{1

2

3

5}, Ling Shu^{1

2

3}, Ruoliu Zhang^{1

2

3}, Mingyan Dai^{1

2

3}, Xuesheng Fang^{1

2

3}, Zhiling Hu^{1

2

3}, Lingling Xiao^{1

2

3}, Zhaoqing Xi^{1

2

3}, Junxia Zhang⁶, Mingwei Bao^{1

2

3}

Affiliations

¹ Department of Cardiology, Renmin Hospital of Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
² Cardiovascular Research Institute, Wuhan University, Wuhan, China.
³ Hubei Key Laboratory of Cardiology, Wuhan, China.
⁴ State Key Laboratory of Cardiovascular Disease, Heart Failure Center, National Center for Cardiovascular Diseases, Fuwai Hospital, Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences and Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
⁵ Japan Friendship Hospital (Institute of Clinical Medical Sciences), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing, China.
⁶ Department of Endocrinology, Taikang Tongji (Wuhan) Hospital, Wuhan, China.

Abstract

Autonomic nervous system imbalance is intricately associated with the severity and prognosis of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Carotid baroreceptor stimulation (CBS) is a nonpharmaceutical intervention for autonomic neuromodulation. The effects of CBS on monocrotaline-induced PAH were investigated in this study, and its underlying mechanisms were elucidated. The results indicated that CBS improved pulmonary hemodynamic status and alleviated right ventricular dysfunction, improving pulmonary arterial remodeling and right ventricular remodeling, thus enhancing the survival rate of monocrotaline-induced PAH rats. The beneficial effects of CBS treatment on PAH might be mediated through the inhibition of sympathetic overactivation and inflammatory immune signaling pathways.

Keywords: carotid baroreceptor stimulation; pulmonary arterial hypertension; pulmonary arterial remodeling; right ventricular dysfunction; sympathetic nervous system.