High dose aspirin and left ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction

Background Proinflammatory proteins like inflammatory cytokines are implicated in myocardial depression and left ventricular remodeling after myocardial infarction. High-dose aspirin inhibits cytokine activation. Therefore, we tested the influence of high-dose aspirin treatment on left ventricular remodeling in mice after myocardial infarction. Methods and results Mice were treated for 4 weeks with placebo or aspirin (120 mg/ kg per day) by Alzet mini-osmotic pumps after ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Serial transthoracic echocardiography was performed at days 1, 7, and 28. Over the 4 weeks, mortality was not different between the groups (placebo 30.8%, aspirin 30.8%). On echocardiography, animals after myocardial infarction exhibited left ventricular dilatation (week 4, end-systolic area, placebo sham 8.9 +/- 1.7 vs. placebo MI 15.9 +/- 2.5 mm(2)), which was not changed by aspirin treatment (week 4, end-systolic area, aspirin MI 14.5 +/- 1.3 mm(2), p= ns vs. placebo MI). The expression of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF and IL-1 beta were markedly upregulated in mice with myocardial infarction on placebo. Cytokine expression was significantly reduced by aspirin treatment while collagen deposition was not influenced. Conclusion Continuous aspirin treatment (120 mg/ kg/ d) reduces the expression of proinflammatory cytokines after myocardial infarction, but does not affect post-infarct cardiac remodeling and cardiac function.