Ethanol-induced lung and cardiac right ventricular inflammation and remodeling underlie progression to pulmonary arterial hypertension.

Background: Current research on ethanol-induced cardiovascular anomalies has focused on left ventricular (LV) function and blood pressure. To extend this area of research, we sought to determine whether ethanol-induced alterations in the structure and function of the right cardiac ventricle (RV) and pulmonary artery (PA) lead to pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH).

Methods: Two groups of male Sprague-Dawley rats received a balanced liquid diet containing 5% ethanol (w/v) or a pair-fed isocaloric liquid diet for 8 weeks.