The effect of telmisartan on the ventricular systolic function in dogs with experimental supraventricular tachyarrhythmia

Abstract

Maintaining a good ventricular systolic function is important in the long-term therapy of dogs with supraventricular tachyarrhythmia (SVTA). The objective of this study was to evaluate the inhibitory effect of telmisartan on myocardial injury and the resulting ventricular systolic dysfunction in a canine model of SVTA. A total of 14 dogs were randomly assigned to a Telmisartan (oral telmisartan, 1.0 mg/kg daily, n=7) or a Control (no drug administration, n=7) group; the duration of rapid atrial pacing (RAP) was 3 weeks for both groups. The cardiac troponin I (cTnI) concentration in the Control group was significantly increased after 3 weeks compared to that before RAP initiation (baseline), but no significant difference was observed in the Telmisartan group. Moreover, the cTnI concentration at 3 weeks was significantly lower in the Telmisartan group than in the Control group. The left ventricular fractional shortening was significantly decreased at 3 weeks compared to that at baseline in both groups. However, fractional shortening at 3 weeks was significantly higher in the Telmisartan group than in the Control group. The cardiac output values in the Control group were significantly decreased at 3 weeks compared with those at baseline, but no significant difference was observed in the Telmisartan group. This study demonstrates that telmisartan inhibits the reduction in ventricular systolic function and prevents myocardial injury in a canine model of SVTA. Therefore, telmisartan is suggested as a novel treatment for canine SVTA.

Countering adipose tissue dysfunction could underlie the superiority of telmisartan in the treatment of obesity-related hypertension

“…Telmisartan has been reported to counter alteration in BP and HR in different experimental and clinical settings [ 20 , 45 , 46 ]. In a recent study, telmisartan decreased cTnI in dogs subjected to experimental supraventricular tachyarrhythmia [ 47 ]. The complexity of obesity-dependent cardiovascular changes raises the possibility that telmisartan could be acting via multiple mechanisms and not only via blocking angiotensin II receptors.…”

One Health: EAACI Position Paper on coronaviruses at the human‐animal interface, with a specific focus on comparative and zoonotic aspects of SARS‐CoV‐2

“…The question whether cats with pre‐existing metabolic, pulmonary, neuronal, or cardiovascular diseases are more prone to infection remains to be studied. Some of the medications described as potential risk factors in humans are also used in veterinary medicine, including ACE inhibitors (ACEI) 93 or angiotensin receptor blockers (ARB), 94 but there are no data so far that these medication would influence the outcome of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection, neither in human nor in feline patients. Concerning the prevalence of SARS‐CoV‐2 infection in the general cat population, a study in USA testing swabs (over 5000 feline, canine, and equine samples) by RT‐PCR for SARS‐CoV‐2 did not detect positive cats 95 .…”

Single‐dose pharmacokinetics of telmisartan oral solution and effect of feeding in dogs

“…Telmisartan is a relatively new angiotensin II receptor blocking drug (ARB) used for the treatment of systemic hypertension (Acierno et al, 2018 ), proteinuria (Bugbee et al, 2014 ), renal disease (Lourenço et al, 2020 ), and cardiovascular disease (Kawaguchi et al, 2019 ) in dogs, cats, and humans (Michel et al, 2016 ). Veterinary interest in telmisartan is growing given the mechanistic benefits of ARBs over the traditional angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEi) when suppression of the renin‐angiotensin‐aldosterone system (RAAS) is clinically indicated.…”