Influence of Rat Strain on Pulmonary Vascular Responses to Monocrotaline Feeding

Abstract

Three strains of immature female rats were fed increasing concentrations of monocrotaline in a commercial diet for periods up to 126 days. The majority of Sprague-Dawley and Long-Evans rats died of alveolar hemorrhage or hepatic necrosis within 58 days when fed 25 mg of monocrotaline/kg of diet. Wistar-Furth rats were able to consume greater concentrations of monocrotaline and survive. Ail 3 strains of rats developed pulmonary arteritis following the ingestion of monocrotaline. Epithelialization of the alveoli and pulmonary infarction, however, were prominent only in the Wistar-Furth strain.