Transcriptomic analysis of the left and right ventricles in a rat model of pulmonary hypertension

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) encompasses a diverse spectrum of disorders characterized by elevated pulmonary arterial pressure presenting substantial morbidity and mortality challenges. Despite significant advancements in understanding its underlying pathophysiology therapeutic options remain limited particularly in cases where patients exhibit elevated pulmonary pressures despite maintaining a preserved left ventricular ejection fraction. The traditional focus on right ventricular (RV) function in PH has led to the underestimation of the impact on the left ventricle (LV) due to the absence of high-resolution modalities capable of monitoring the electromechanical coupling in both ventricles. We present here the results of an integrated histology and transcriptome analysis used to improve our understanding of the pathophysiology of pulmonary hypertension and identify the different molecular responses due to MCT-induced PH. Overall design: Male rats, upon reaching a weight of 250g, were injected with a dose of monocrotaline (MCT) 60 mg/kg or saline (day 0 - 4) and sacrificed upon reaching a discomfort score (DS) greater than or equal to 7. Transcriptome profiling by RNAseq was performed on total RNA extracted from the right and left ventricles.