Susceptibility of female rats to cardiac arrhythmias following refeeding after severe food restriction

Abstract

Highlights What are the long-term effects of a 2-week period of severe food restriction (sFR) on cardiac structure and function months after refeeding (sFR-Refed) in male and female rats? This study shows sex differences exist in cardiac pathology months after refeeding. A majority of cardiomyocytes were atrophied in F-sFR-Refed rats, while in M-sFR-Refed rats, the cardiomyocytes predominantly exhibited hypertrophic remodeling. While there were no differences in the frequency of ventricular arrhythmias induced by ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) in the isolated heart between M-CT and M-sFR-Refed rats, I/R induced twice as many arrhythmias in the F-sFR-Refed rats compared to the controls. Our findings have implications for the long-term risk of developing cardiovascular disease in individuals who have voluntarily or involuntarily experienced periods of sFR earlier in their lives, and that woman may be at greater cardiovascular risk than men.

Keywords

• Langendorff
• Vascular reactivity
• Inadequate food intake