Abstract: AIM: To investigate the influence of aspirin on rats with pressure overloaded hypertrophic myocardium and change of inflammation marker. METHODS: 17 male SD rats were randomly assigned to sham operated group (S, n =5), operated group (O, n =7), operated + aspirin group (O-A, n =5). Hypertrophic myocardium was induced by gradually constricting the abdominal aorta in rats. After 16 weeks, O-A group was treated with aspirin(100 mg·kg^-1·d^-1) in drinking water for 4 weeks. All rats were determined the left ventricular (LV) structures and functions by echocardiography at 20 weeks after operation, respectively. Hearts were analyzed for determination the organ weight. Myocardial collagen was stained with Masson and CVF-T and CVF-NV were analyzed using a computer assisted procedure. Then, serum levels of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-10, TGF-β, CRP were measured by ELISA. RESULTS: Operated rats increased LV wall thickness, LV internal diameter, LV mass and had decreased FS %.In comparison to S group, TNF-αin O group increased at 20 weeks after operation, but that decreased in O-A group. Levels of IL-10 in O group were increased at 20 weeks. IL-10 in O-A group reduced compared with S group. CVF-T and CVF-NV was the greatest in O group and there was difference between O-A group and S group. CONCLUSION: Inflammation is involved in the development of myocardial hypertrophy. Aspirin has an influence on inflammation marker and may contribute to myocardial collagen remodeling in pressure overload model.

Key words: chronic pressure-afterload, hypertrophy, left ventricular remodeling, aspirin, cytokine