Biomedical subjects

R C Webb

Publications and source records attributed to R C Webb.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

PubMed1993

Ramipril prevents impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation in arteries from rabbits fed an atherogenic diet.

Endothelium-dependent relaxation in arteries is attenuated in clinical and experimental atherosclerosis. This study investigates the endothelial preservation properties of the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, ramipril, by assessing its ability to restore endothelium-dependent responsiveness in blood vessels from rabbits fed an atherogenic diet (0.25% cholesterol; 3% coconut oil; 12 weeks). Seven rabbits fed the atherogenic diet received ramipril (3 mg/kg mixed into their food daily) and 6 rabbits were maintained on the atherogenic diet alone. Control rabbits (n = 6) were fed a standard diet and did not receive ramipril. At the end of the dietary intervention, the rabbits were killed and blood was collected for measurement of the lipid profile. The thoracic aorta was isolated and half was frozen for pathologic review while the other half was cut into rings and placed in a muscle bath for measurement of isometric force development. Dose response curves to phenylephrine (10(-9) to 10(-5) M) and angiotensin II (10(-10) to 3 x 10(-7) M) were completed. There was a minimal decrease in responsiveness to phenylephrine in vessels from rabbits eating the atherogenic diet compared with controls and no significant differences in the response to angiotensin II for any of the vessels. Following contraction by phenylephrine, acetylcholine (10(-9) to 10(-5) M) and nitroglycerin (10(-10) to 10(-5) M) dose response curves were completed. Relaxation to acetylcholine in aortic rings from control rabbits was observed, although in arteries from atherogenic rabbits relaxation was attenuated. This effect was prevented in the atherogenic rabbits fed ramipril. Responsiveness to the endothelium-independent vasodilator, nitroglycerin, was similar in arteries from the three rabbit groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed1993

Potassium channel antagonists and vascular reactivity in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The goal of this study was to characterize differences in contractile responsiveness to several potassium channel antagonists in vascular smooth muscle from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and Wistar-Kyoto normotensive rats (WKY). Helically-cut strips of carotid arteries (endothelium removed) from SHRSP and WKY were mounted in muscle baths for measurement of isometric force generation. Contractile responses to tetraethylammonium (10(-4) to 3 x 10(-2) mol/L) and barium (3 x 10(-5) mol/L), blockers of the voltage-dependent and large conductance, calcium activated potassium channels, were greater in carotid arteries from SHRSP than in those from WKY. In contrast, contractile responses to the voltage-dependent potassium channel blockers 3,4-diamino-pyridine (10(-6) to 3 x 10(-3) mol/L) and sparteine (10(-6) to 3 x 10(-2) mol/L) in arteries from SHRSP did not differ from WKY values. Carotid arteries from SHRSP and WKY did not contract to apamin (10(-9) to 10(-6) mol/L), an antagonist of the small conductance, calcium activated potassium channel. Furthermore, relaxation responses to diazoxide (3 x 10(-4) mol/L), an activator of the ATP-sensitive potassium channel, and subsequent contractions to the ATP-sensitive potassium channel blocker glyburide (10(-8) to 3 x 10(-6) mol/L) in arteries from SHRSP did not differ from WKY values. Carotid artery segments from SHRSP were more sensitive to the contractile effects of elevated potassium than those from WKY. We conclude that altered activity of the large conductance, calcium activated potassium channel may play a role in the increased responsiveness observed in arteries from SHRSP.

4-Aminopyridine↗

PubMed1993

Inhibitory effects of bupivacaine and lidocaine on adrenergic neuroeffector junctions in rat tail artery.

BACKGROUND: Various local anesthetic agents have been shown to cause relaxation of isolated vascular segments contracted by catecholamines and other constrictor drugs. This report describes the actions of the amide-linked local anesthetic, bupivacaine, on adrenergic responsiveness of isolated arterial smooth muscle, and compares bupivacaine effects with those of lidocaine. METHODS: Helical strips of rat tail artery mounted in a muscle bath for measurement of isometric force generation were contracted in response to adrenergic nerve stimulation, increased potassium concentration, tyramine, or exogenous norepinephrine. RESULTS: Treatment with bupivacaine or lidocaine caused depression of contraction to all four stimuli. Contraction to adrenergic nerve stimulation was more sensitive to the inhibitory effects of local anesthetics than was contraction to elevated potassium, tyramine, or exogenous norepinephrine. Furthermore, bupivacaine was more effective in reducing contraction to adrenergic nerve stimulation than was lidocaine (EC50: bupivacaine = 4 x 10(-6) M; lidocaine = 61 x 10(-6) M). In arteries incubated in solutions containing [3H]-norepinephrine and mounted for superfusion and isometric force recording, both bupivacaine and lidocaine (10(-5) M) depressed the contractions and diminished the release of radioactivity evoked by nerve stimulation. At the concentration tested, bupivacaine was more effective than lidocaine in reducing both contraction and the efflux of radioactivity as indicated by the magnitude of depression compared with control activities. CONCLUSIONS: These findings suggest that lidocaine and bupivacaine depress adrenergic neurotransmission and inhibit smooth muscle contraction. Bupivacaine is a more potent inhibitor of adrenergic neurotransmission in the blood vessel wall than is lidocaine.

Animals↗

PubMed1993

Decreased ATP sensitivity of a K+ channel and enhanced vascular smooth muscle relaxation in genetically hypertensive rats.

OBJECTIVE: To characterize an ATP-sensitive K+ channel at the single-channel and tissue level in the vascular smooth muscle of normotensive and genetically hypertensive rats. METHODS: Age- and sex-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) were used. Patch-clamp single-channel recording was used to measure K+ channel activity in dissociated tail artery cells. The effect of the K+ channel-opener diazoxide and the specific ATP-sensitive K+ channel antagonist glyburide on isometric force development in isolated tail artery strips was determined by a standard muscle bath technique. RESULTS: The concentration of ATP that caused half-maximal reduction in channel activity was greater in the SHRSP than in the WKY rats. Tail artery strips and cells from SHRSP were more sensitive to the effect of diazoxide on relaxation and channel activity, and less responsive to the effect of glyburide, than were those from WKY rats. CONCLUSIONS: The decreased ATP sensitivity of this K+ channel may partly compensate for the increased vascular reactivity in hypertension, and the change in this property of the channel may be responsible for the altered sensitivity to diazoxide and glyburide in SHRSP.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

PubMed1993

Contractile responses to Bay K 8644 in rats with coarctation-induced hypertension.

This study examines potential-operated calcium channel function in rats made hypertensive by aortic coarctation. The hypothesis that channel function is influenced by elevated arterial pressure was tested by comparing contractile responses to elevated K+ and to the potential-operated calcium channel agonist, Bay K 8644, in aortic segments above (thoracic) and below (abdominal) the coarctation that are exposed to hypertensive and normotensive pressures, respectively. To control for vessel differences, the effects of Bay K 8644 were also examined in abdominal aortae from two-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rats. Sensitivity to K+ (EC15) was significantly greater in both thoracic and abdominal aortae from coarctation-hypertensive rats than in those from normotensive sham rats. In the thoracic aorta, maximal contractile response to Bay K 8644 (normalized to contraction produced by 100 mM K+) was significantly greater in coarctation-hypertensive rats (124 +/- 9%) than in sham rats (12 +/- 6%). However, Bay K 8644 did not elicit contraction in abdominal aortae from either group. When [K+]o was increased (19.2 mM), thoracic aortae from coarctation-hypertensive rats were more sensitive to Bay K 8644, but there were no differences in maximal responses among thoracic and abdominal aortae. Bay K 8644 evoked dose-dependent contraction in all abdominal aortic strips from two-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rats (maximum = 68 +/- 11%). In summary, vascular responsiveness to Bay K 8644 is increased in the thoracic but not abdominal aorta from coarctation-hypertensive rats, whereas sensitivity to elevated K+ is increased in both vessels. Enhanced K+ sensitivity in the abdominal aorta may be related to general effects of the cation on membrane potential. However, augmented responsiveness to Bay K 8644 suggests a specific alteration in the function of potential-operated calcium channels that is dependent upon elevated blood pressure and is not due to differences in responsiveness between the thoracic and abdominal aortae.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗

PubMed1993

Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition during development alters calcium regulation in adult hypertensive rats.

Studies have shown that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor treatment in young genetically hypertensive rats prevents the full expression of blood pressure and vascular abnormalities in the adult. This model provides unique conditions with which to study the pathogenesis of altered Ca++ regulation. Normotensive (WKY) rats and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) received at 6 to 10 weeks of age either ACE inhibitor (ramipril), hydralazine/hydrochlorothiazide or no treatment. At 17 weeks of age, rats were anesthetized, and vascular tissue was excised. Thoracic aorta challenged with 20 mM caffeine in Ca(++)-free buffer produced a phasic contractile response. The magnitude of this phasic response was used as a measure of Ca++ released from intracellular stores; a direct correlation between this phasic response and systolic blood pressure was observed. A concentration-response curve to Bay K8644 was performed on carotid arteries; a direct correlation of force development to Bay K8644 and systolic blood pressure was observed. All WKY groups showed lower blood pressure and force development in response to Bay K8644 than did SHRSP. Treatment with ramipril reduced blood pressure and force development in response to Bay K8644 in adult SHRSP, although not to levels of WKY rats, whereas WKY rats were unaffected by treatment. These data support the hypothesis that contractile responses to Bay K8644 in carotid arteries and caffeine in aorta parallel changes in systolic blood pressure. We conclude that alteration of Ca++ regulation in hypertension is directly related to elevated blood pressure and mediated by an angiotensin II-sensitive mechanism during development.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗

PubMed1992

Extracellular calcium, contractile activity and membrane potential in tail arteries from genetically hypertensive rats.

OBJECTIVE AND DESIGN: This study compares the effect of extracellular calcium on contractile responsiveness and membrane potential (E(m)) in arteries from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and Wistar-Kyoto normotensive (WKY) rats. METHODS: Isometric force and E(m) were measured in isolated tail artery strips using standard muscle bath and microelectrode techniques, respectively. RESULTS: The resting contractile force in SHRSP and WKY arteries was not influenced by the extracellular calcium concentration. However, the rate of force development in response to norepinephrine (3 x 10(-8) mol/l) was slowed when calcium was elevated and increased when calcium was reduced. Compared with WKY rats, this stabilizing action of calcium on contractions to norepinephrine was reduced in SHRSP. In 1.6 mmol/l calcium, resting E(m) in SHRSP did not differ from that in WKY rats. Calcium-free buffer caused depolarization in SHRSP and WKY rats. Reductions in calcium below physiological levels resulted in depolarization, whereas elevations in calcium caused hyperpolarization. Regardless of the calcium concentration, E(m) values in SHRSP did not differ from those in WKY rats. Norepinephrine (3 x 10(-8) mol/l) caused a depolarization in WKY rat and SHRSP arteries, and the magnitude of this depolarization was not influenced by calcium. Endothelium removal did not alter the stabilizing effects of calcium on the membrane potential or contractile activity in WKY rats or SHRSP. CONCLUSIONS: The reduced stabilizing effect of calcium on the contractile activity in SHRSP arteries is not due to an alteration in the general effect of the cation on the membrane potential.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Oscillatory contractions in vertebral arteries from hypertensive subjects.

In response to several agonists, tail arteries from spontaneously hypertensive stroke prone rats (SHRSP) contract in an oscillatory manner not observed in tail arteries from normotensive rats. This study evaluated whether oscillations in force development characterize the contractile pattern of vertebral arteries from hypertensive humans. Vertebral arteries were isolated and studied within 18-24 h post mortem. Helical strips of the arteries were mounted in a muscle bath for isometric force recording. Contractile responses to serotonin (10(-7)M) and endothelin (10(-8)M) in arteries from hypertensive subjects were characterized by fluctuations in force development whereas those in arteries from normotensive subjects usually remained constant with time. The frequency of the response was approximately 1-2 contraction/relaxation cycles per min. This pattern of oscillatory contractile activity was observed in all but one of the hypertensive arteries (n = 15), and in approximately 40% of the normotensive arteries (n = 12). Oscillatory activity was converted to maintained contraction by nifedipine (10(-7)M) which also caused relaxation of the contractile response. Relaxation to acetylcholine (10(-6)M) and nitroglycerin (10(-6)M) did not alter the oscillatory contractions. Endothelium removal did not influence the oscillatory pattern of contraction. These observations suggest that oscillatory contractile activity in vertebral arteries from hypertensive subjects is related to abnormal calcium entry into the smooth muscle cells. This altered membrane property may contribute to changes in vascular reactivity in hypertension.

Aged↗

PubMed1992

Endothelium-dependent relaxation and L-arginine metabolism in genetic hypertension.

This study characterizes the effects of L-arginine and NG-monomethyl L-arginine on dilator responsiveness of vascular tissue from Wistar-Kyoto rats and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. Rings of abdominal aorta were suspended in tissue baths for measurement of isometric force. After contraction induced by phenylephrine, cumulative addition of acetylcholine, L-arginine, or A23187 to the muscle bath caused a similar relaxation of aortic rings in both animal groups. To test the hypothesis that arginine metabolism is altered in hypertension, aortic rings were incubated with NG-monomethyl L-arginine. NG-monomethyl L-arginine (10-300 microM) did not affect contractile responses to phenylephrine (10(-10) to 10(-4) M) in either animal group (EC50, 10(-7) M). Exposure of aortic rings to NG-monomethyl L-arginine resulted in a greater inhibition of relaxation response to acetylcholine (10(-10) to 10(-6) M) in hypertensive animals. NG-monomethyl L-arginine (300 microM) caused complete inhibition of relaxation to acetylcholine in the hypertension group. Incubation with L-arginine (10-100 microM) overcame the inhibition of acetylcholine-induced relaxation produced by NG-monomethyl L-arginine in both groups. Exposure of aortic ring segments to NG-monomethyl L-arginine attenuated relaxation responses to A23187 (10(-10) to 3 x 10(-6) M) in both groups. L-Arginine-induced reversal of the inhibitory effect of NG-monomethyl L-arginine on the relaxation responses to A23187 was similar between groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Alpha-adrenergic receptors and 45Ca2+ efflux in arteries from deoxycorticosterone acetate hypertensive rats.

Increased vascular sensitivity to catecholamines characterizes mineralocorticoid hypertension. The present study investigated three possible sites that may account for this abnormality: agonist affinity, Ca2+ release from intracellular stores, and Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile proteins. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats underwent uninephrectomy and were implanted subcutaneously with deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA; 200 mg/kg, 1% NaCl:0.2% KCl drinking water, 4-6 weeks). Control rats were sham treated. Helical strips of mesenteric arteries were placed in muscle baths for measurement of isometric force development. Although the ED50 for norepinephrine was significantly lower in arteries from DOCA rats (pD2, 8.21 +/- 0.15) than in those from sham controls (pD2, 7.24 +/- 0.11), agonist affinity, determined by partial blockade with phenoxybenzamine, did not differ between the two groups. In contrast, norepinephrine-stimulated 45Ca2+ efflux in the absence of extracellular Ca2+ was significantly greater in arteries from DOCA rats than in those from sham rats. In the presence of ryanodine to deplete intracellular Ca2+ stores, force development to Ca2+ was not different in saponin-permeabilized vessels from DOCA rats, indicating that the Ca2+ sensitivity of the contractile proteins was not altered in DOCA hypertension. We conclude that increased vascular sensitivity to norepinephrine in mineralocorticoid hypertension is related to increased release of Ca2+ from a subcellular store and not to changes in agonist affinity or to the contractile protein interaction. Based on previous reports, it is likely that this abnormality reflects a postreceptor change in signal transduction, but there is also evidence to suggest that an increase in the number of alpha-adrenergic receptors may be involved.

Animals↗

PubMed1992

Calcium channel activation in arterioles from genetically hypertensive rats.

Enhanced contractile responsiveness to the calcium channel agonist Bay K 8644 has been documented in large conduit arteries and small muscular arteries from hypertensive rats. The present study examined the effects of Bay K 8644 on the intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) in microvessels from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. Using microspectrofluorometry of fura-2, [Ca2+]i was measured in smooth muscle cells localized on arteriolar fragments (15-35 microns external diameter) isolated after collagenase digestion of the pancreas. Resting [Ca2+]i in hypertensive arterioles (94 +/- 6 nM, n = 29) did not differ from that in normotensive vessels (81 +/- 4 nM, n = 40). KCl (50 mM), applied alone and in the presence of Bay K 8644 (30 nM), stimulated increases in [Ca2+]i that were reversed in calcium-free solution and with nifedipine (10 microM), consistent with activation of potential-operated calcium channels. Potassium-induced calcium transients were consistently potentiated by Bay K 8644. The change in [Ca2+]i evoked by KCl alone or in combination with Bay K 8644 did not differ between arterioles from hypertensive and normotensive rats. In 24% of the vessels from hypertensive rats and in 29% of those from normotensive rats, Bay K 8644 evoked an increase in [Ca2+]i that did not differ significantly between the two strains. The findings indicate that, in contrast to observations made in larger arteries, there is no evidence of a functional abnormality in potential-operated calcium channels in very small arterioles from genetically hypertensive rats.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗

PubMed1992

Eicosapentaenoic acid inhibits endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine in guinea pig coronary resistance vessels.

Dietary supplementation with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) alters arachidonate metabolism. This study characterizes the effect of dietary EPA on endothelium-dependent vasodilation to acetylcholine (ACH) and ATP in guinea pig coronary resistance vessels. Guinea pigs were fed standard chow (n = 6), standard chow+sesame seed oil (n = 6), or standard chow+menhaden fish oil (17% EPA; n = 6). Coronary vasodilations were examined in the isolated, potassium-arrested heart utilizing a modified Langendorff preparation. Coronary vessels were constricted with prostaglandin F2 alpha and relaxed with ACH (5.5 x 10(-9)-10(-6) moles) or ATP (10(-10)-10(-7) moles). Endothelium-dependent dilations to ACH, but not ATP, were attenuated by dietary supplementation with EPA. To assess the role of the endothelium in modulating vascular responses to agonists following dietary manipulation, the perfusate was stimulated by electrolysis (9 V, 4 Hz, 2 msec) in order to generate free radicals, which we have shown to preferentially damage the endothelium. After endothelial damage, responses to ACH, ATP, and nitroprusside were similar between the dietary groups. In an additional group of standard diet animals (n = 6) experiments were performed to assess the role of prostanoid metabolism in affecting coronary vascular reactivity. Perfusion of hearts with indomethacin (14 microM) reduced endothelium-dependent vasodilations to ACH (5.5 x 10(-9)-10(-6) moles), but not to ATP (10(-10)-10(-7) moles). After endothelial damage, infusion of ACH resulted in vasoconstriction, whereas vasodilation responses to ATP were absent. We conclude that dietary supplementation with EPA inhibits endothelium-dependent dilations to ACH in guinea pig coronary microvessels. These diet-related differences in vascular reactivity may be related to the fish-oil-induced alteration of vasodilator prostaglandin metabolism. In the coronary bed, different endothelial factors appear to mediate relaxation to ACH and ATP.

Acetylcholine↗

PubMed1991

The anaphylatoxins C3a and C5a are vasodilators in the canine coronary vasculature in vitro and in vivo.

The effect of complement fragments on coronary blood flow in vivo and the contraction of coronary arteries in vitro was determined. In pentobarbital anesthetized dogs, intraarterial bolus injection of C3a and C5a, zymosan-activated serum and methylcholine in the coronary vascular bed caused transient and dose-dependent increases in coronary blood flow. Similar increases were obtained with 25 micrograms of C3a (104 +/- 13%, n = 5) and 0.1 microgram of methylcholine (102 +/- 4%, n = 3). Smaller increases in blood flow were elicited by 25 micrograms of C5a (41 +/- 18%, n = 4) and 0.2 ml of zymosan-activated serum (48 +/- 5%, n = 4). None of these responses were associated with significant changes in left ventricular contractile force measured with a strain gauge, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate. C3a dilated the coronary vascular bed in conscious dogs with an activity equal to or greater than that observed in anesthetized dogs. Isolated canine coronary arteries that were precontracted with serotonin relaxed in response to C3a, whether or not the endothelium was intact. Overall these data suggest that physiologically high doses of anaphylactic complement fragments vasodilate the canine coronary circulation.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Characterization of o,p'-DDT-stimulated contraction frequency in rat uterus in vitro.

Exposure to organochlorine pesticides, including DDT, has previously been associated with premature birth. Using an improved protocol to characterize dose and time dependent responses, the present report extends a preliminary finding by this laboratory that o,p'-DDT directly stimulates uterine contractility. Contraction frequency was determined in longitudinal uterine strips from pregnant rats under isometric force conditions. Following equilibration, the uterine strips were monitored for a 1-hr baseline period, then treated with o,p'-DDT or ethanol (solvent control) for 3 hr, followed by 3 hr without test substance. During exposure to 100 microM o,p'-DDT, the frequency of contraction significantly increased by 66% relative to matched controls. After removal of o,p'-DDT from the medium, the frequency of contraction continued to increase in uterine strips exposed to 50 and 100 microM o,p'-DDT. A dose effect was clearly observed during the post-treatment period, with 50 and 100 microM o,p'-DDT significantly increasing contraction frequency by 39 and 104% relative to controls. No significant differences in contraction frequency were observed with 10 microM o,p'-DDT during any test period. These data show that o,p'-DDT directly stimulated isometric contractions in rat uterine strips.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Intravascular ultrasound imaging of vascular responsiveness in isolated perfused canine arteries.

We investigated the feasibility of using intravascular ultrasound imaging to analyze vascular physiology in various arterial beds. Canine superficial femoral, external iliac, and common carotid arteries were harvested and suspended and perfused in a bath of oxygenated, heated, physiologic salt solution. A 6-Fr, 20-MHz ultrasound imaging catheter was inserted into the lumen of the arteries and serial images were acquired after bolus injections of either serotonin or normal saline into the extravascular bathing medium. Serotonin resulted in a significant time- and dose-dependent decrease in cross-sectional area in muscular femoral arteries (P less than .001): -5.2% with 10(-8) M serotonin, -15% with 10(-7) M, and -28% with 10(-6) M. Histologically transitional iliac arteries demonstrated less marked changes, while elastic carotid arteries demonstrated no significant changes. Our results indicate that intravascular ultrasound may be used to quantify and differentiate responses to vasoconstrictive agents in different vascular beds.

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Vascular responsiveness to protein kinase C activators in mineralocorticoid-hypertensive rats.

This study characterizes vascular reactivity to protein kinase C activators, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA) and mezerein, in normotensive sham and deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats. Mesenteric arteries were excised, cut helically into strips and placed in a muscle bath for measurement of isometric force generation. Cumulative addition of TPA or mezerein to the bath caused an increase in tension in arteries from hypertensive and normotensive rats. Threshold values for TPA and mezerein (dose that produced a 5 mN/mm2 response) were lower in arteries from DOCA-salt rats (TPA, 0.24 x 10(-8) mol/l; mezerein, 0.32 x 10(-8) mol/l) than in control arteries (TPA, 2.82 x 10(-8) mol/l; mezerein, 2.34 x 10(-8) mol/l). Contractions to TPA in arteries from DOCA hypertensive rats were inhibited by the calcium-channel antagonist verapamil (10(-6) mol/l) to a greater degree than normotensive values. Arteries from rats undergoing DOCA-salt treatment for 5-7 days and from DOCA-treated rats drinking tap water for 4-6 weeks were less responsive to TPA than were arteries from the DOCA-salt hypertensive rats after 4-6 weeks of treatment. Furthermore, responsiveness to TPA in arteries from untreated rats was reduced compared with that in arteries from normotensive rats maintained on high-salt drinking water. Threshold responses to TPA did not differ between arteries incubated with 10(-6) mol/l deoxycorticosterone and those incubated with the vehicle (ethanol). This study demonstrates that arteries from DOCA-salt hypertensive rats are more responsive to the contractile effects of TPA and mezerein than those from normotensive rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

PubMed1991

Changes in alpha 2-adrenoceptors on vascular smooth muscle and neural membranes following hypertension induced by renal ischemia.

alpha 2-Adrenoceptors were characterized on neural and vascular membranes from 2-kidney-1-clip renal hypertensive (RHT) and normotensive (NT) rats. Rats were sacrificed 6 weeks after induction of renal ischemia, and the specific binding of 3H-clonidine to smooth muscle membranes form tail arteries and neural membranes from various brain regions was examined. Additionally, isometric contractions of helically cut tail artery strips produced by various alpha-adrenoceptor agonists were measured. Scatchard analysis indicated an increased number of high-affinity binding sites on the smooth muscle membranes from RHT rats (Bmax = 43.5 +/- 1.4 fmol/mg protein) compared to that from the NT rats (25.4 +/- 3.8 fmol/mg protein). An increased contractile sensitivity to clonidine was also observed in tail artery strips from RHT rats (EC50 for RHT = 3.04 x 10(-8) M; NT = 1.52 x 10(-7) M). In neural tissue, the number of alpha 2-adrenoceptor-binding sites was significantly increased in the locus coeruleus from RHT rats, but not in the amygdala, hypothalamus, parietal cortex, hippocampus or lower brain stem. These results demonstrate that renal ischemia produces changes in both peripheral and neural alpha 2-adrenoceptor density. The increase in smooth muscle alpha 2-adrenoceptors might also provide a partial explanation for the supersensitivity to adrenergic agonists in this model of hypertension.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗

PubMed1991

Agonist-sensitive calcium stores in arteries from steroid hypertensive rats.

The present study characterizes cellular calcium stores that are sensitive to norepinephrine and caffeine in arteries from deoxycorticosterone acetate hypertensive rats. Mesenteric arteries from normotensive and hypertensive rats were excised and cut into helical strips for isometric force recording. In calcium-free solution, phasic contractile responses to norepinephrine (5.9 x 10(-9) to 5.9 x 10(-6) M), but not caffeine (0.3-30 mM), were greater in hypertensive arteries. D-600, a calcium channel blocker, or removal of the endothelium did not alter phasic contractions to norepinephrine or caffeine. In contrast, contractions to both norepinephrine and caffeine were inhibited by ryanodine, a drug that depletes calcium from intracellular stores. An inhibitor of phospholipase C (2-nitro-4-carboxyphenyl N,N-diphenylcarbamate) attenuated contractions to norepinephrine but not those to caffeine. The augmented response to norepinephrine in hypertensive rats did not occur early after implantation of the mineralocorticoid, suggesting that this vascular change may not play a role in the development of high blood pressure in this experimental model. The augmented response to norepinephrine was reduced in mineralocorticoid-treated rats maintained on a low sodium diet, and these rats had blood pressures in the normotensive range. Because contractile responses to caffeine were not enhanced in arteries from hypertensive rats, we conclude that the cellular store for calcium is not enlarged compared with that in normotensive arteries. In contrast, the mobilization of calcium from cellular stores by norepinephrine is augmented in mineralocorticoid hypertension. This augmented response may be linked to altered phospholipase C activity and thus to an augmented action of inositol trisphosphate that releases calcium from intracellular sites.

Animals↗