Background: Highly concentrated carbon dioxide (CO2) mist is useful for treating ischemic diseases. Therefore, we investigated whether treatment with CO2mist could attenuate the development of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction in pulmonary hypertension (PH).
Methods and Results: PH was induced by subcutaneous administration of monocrotaline (MCT; 60 mg/kg) to the rats, which were subsequently treated with CO2 mist (CM) or which were untreated (UT). The lower body of each rat was encased in a polyethylene bag, filled with the designated gaseous agent via a gas mist generator, for 30 minutes daily. Rats that received MCT without treatment began to die within 3-4 weeks of the initial administration. However, treatment with CO2 mist extended the survival period of rats in that group. MCT-induced RV weight and RV dysfunction were significantly attenuated by treatment with CO2 mist. Both RV phosphorylated endothelial nitric oxide synthase and heat shock protein 72 levels increased significantly in the CM group, compared to the UT group.
Conclusions: Percutaneous CO2mist therapy may alleviate RV dysfunction in patients with pulmonary hypertension.

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