Objective: To evaluation the role of prenatal chronic hypoxia on cardiac function in adult rabbits offspring via echocardiography.
Methods: Sixteen New-Zealand rabbits were randomly assigned into 2 groups: prenatal chronic hypoxia group (12%O2,n=8) and normal oxygen control group (21%O2,n=8). After delivery, two male pups per litter were randomly selected and breast-fed for three months. Then they were randomly assigned into high-fat diet and normal diet treatment respectively. Thus four groups (each containing 8 animals) were got as follow: Prenatal Chronic Hypoxia with High Fat Diet, Non-Prenatal Chronic Hypoxia with High Fat Diet, Prenatal Chronic Hypoxia with Normal Diet and Normal Control. Left ventricular(LV) dimensions, shortening fraction, ejection fraction and Tei index were measured by echocardiography and cadiocyte caspase-3 activity was performed in 6-month offspring.
Results: Prenatal chronic hypoxia caused a significant thickening of interventricular septum (P<0.01) with a main effect of 0.66mm, descending of left ventricle ejection fraction (P<0.05) with a main effect of 4.84%, increase of Tei index (P<0.01) with a main effect of 0.08, and augment of caspase-3 activity (P<0.05) with a main effect of 0.47 unit. The above effects were enhanced with hyperlipemia (P<0.05).
Conclusions: Prenatal chronic hypoxia may lead to impaired cardiac function in adult rabbits offspring, which were enhanced with hyperlipemia. Echocardiography is a useful tool to evaluate this effect.