Monocrotaline, 50 MG

Monocrotaline is a toxic, pyrrolizidine alkaloid. It is used for inducing pulmonary diseases in rats. The alkaloid causes pulmonary artery hypertension, right ventricular hypertrophy, and pathological changes in the pulmonary vasculature. Monocrotaline causes a pulmonary vascular syndrome in rats characterized by proliferative pulmonary vasculitis, pulmonary hypertension (PH), and cor pulmonale.

Among preclinical models of pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH), monocrotaline animal model offers the advantage of mimic several key aspects of human PAH, including vascular remodeling, proliferation of smooth muscle cells, endothelial dysfunction, upregulation of inflammatory cytokines, and right ventricle failure, requiring a single drug injection. Changes in multiple pathways associated with the development of PH, including activated glycolysis, increased markers of proliferation, disruptions in carnitine homeostasis, increased inflammatory and fibrosis biomarkers, and a reduction in glutathione biosynthesis are observed with the injection of monocrotaline.