Gene expression in rat right ventricles during chronic pulmonary embolism

Pulmonary vascular occlusions due to thromboemboli can result in pulmonary hypertension and right heart damage. Treatments to clear the vascular obstructions such as i.v. heparain or thrombolytics can resolve the hypertension but right ventricular damage often occurs first. Methods of protecting the right ventricle from hypertensive damage during the course of acute treatment to clear the thromboemboli are needed. Monocyte- and neutrophil-mediated inflammation and fibrosis are associated with chronic right ventricular damage but the pathways involved are not understood. A comprehesive survey of gene expression during chronic pulmonary embolism verses control rats has been conducted in this study.

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Zagorski J, Obraztsova M, Gellar MA, Kline JA, Watts JA