Abstract:Objective To investigate the effect of telmisartan-activated peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor γ (PPARγ) on the inflammatory response of rat pulmonary hypertension. Methods The rat pulmonary hypertension model was constructed by subcutaneous injection of monocrotaline. The rats were divided into pulmonary hypertension model group, telmisartan treatment group, GW9662 intervention group and blank control group. The treatment group was given telmisartan (10 mg/kg) daily, and the model group was not treated. The intervention group was given GW9662 (5 mg/kg) intraperitoneally on the basis of telmisartan (10 mg/kg) per day. After 3 weeks, the right ventricular systolic pressure, the mean pulmonary artery pressure, the right ventricular hypertrophy index, the pulmonary inflammatory response were observed by HE staining, the levels of TNF-α, IL-6 and MCP-1 in lung tissue homogenate were detected by ELISA, and the expression of PPARγ was detected by Western blot. Results There were significant differences in mPAP, RVSP and RVHI levels among the four groups (P < 0.05), higher in the model group than in the control group (P < 0.05), lower in the treatment group and the intervention group than in the model group (P < 0.05), and higher in the intervention group than in the treatment group (P < 0.05). The relative expression of PPAR γ in the model group and the intervention group was lower than that in the control group (P < 0.05), and that in the treatment group was higher than that in the model group (P < 0.05). The levels of MCP-1, IL-6 and TNF - α in the model group, the treatment group and the intervention group were higher than those in the control group (P < 0.05), the treatment group and the intervention group were lower than those in the model group (P < 0.05), and the intervention group were higher than those in the treatment group (P < 0.05). Conclusions The preventive effect of telmisartan on monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension in rats may be related to its inhibition of inflammatory response by activation of PPARγ.