Physiological Impact of a Synthetic Elastic Protein in Arterial Diseases Related to Alterations of Elastic Fibers: Effect on the Aorta of Elastin-Haploinsufficient Male and Female Mice.

Elastic fibers, made of elastin (90%) and fibrillin-rich microfibrils (10%), are the key extracellular components, which endow the arteries with elasticity. The alteration of elastic fibers leads to cardiovascular dysfunctions, as observed in elastin haploinsufficiency in mice (Eln+/-) or humans (supravalvular aortic stenosis or Williams-Beuren syndrome). In Eln+/+ and Eln+/- mice, we evaluated (arteriography, histology, qPCR, Western blots and cell cultures) the beneficial impact of treatment with a synthetic elastic protein (SEP), mimicking several domains of tropoelastin, the precursor of elastin, including hydrophobic elasticity-related domains and binding sites for elastin receptors. In the aorta or cultured aortic smooth muscle cells from these animals, SEP treatment induced a synthesis of elastin and fibrillin-1, a thickening of the aortic elastic lamellae, a decrease in wall stiffness and/or a strong trend toward a reduction in the elastic lamella disruptions in Eln+/- mice. SEP also modified collagen conformation and transcript expressions, enhanced the aorta constrictive response to phenylephrine in several animal groups, and, in female Eln+/- mice, it restored the normal vasodilatory response to acetylcholine. SEP should now be considered as a biomimetic molecule with an interesting potential for future treatments of elastin-deficient patients with altered arterial structure/function.

Altered blood rheology and impaired pressure-induced cutaneous vasodilation in a mouse model of combined type 2 diabetes and sickle cell trait.

OBJECTIVE: Type 2 diabetes (T2D)-related vascular dysfunction and hemorheological abnormalities could possibly be amplified by sickle cell trait (SCT). These alterations could potentially increase the risk of vascular complications in individuals with combined T2D and SCT. Therefore, this study used a mouse model to determine whether vascular function and blood rheology were more severely altered in combined T2D and SCT than in T2D or SCT alone. METHODS: Townes transgenic mice with or without SCT received a 12-week high fat high sucrose or standard diet to create models of combined T2D-SCT, T2D, SCT, and controls. Pressure-induced vasodilation (PIV) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP)-mediated vasodilation in-vivo, and hemorheological parameters were measured. RESULTS: No significant differences in blood viscosity, hematocrit, erythrocyte deformability, or PIV were observed between the control and T2D mice, or the control and SCT mice. However, blood viscosity, erythrocyte deformability, and PIV were significantly altered in the T2D-SCT mice compared to the control mice. There were no differences in SNP response between the groups. CONCLUSIONS: Although neither T2D nor SCT alone had significant effects on blood rheology parameters or vascular function, combined T2D-SCT mice had significantly altered blood rheology and significantly impaired vascular function.

Cutaneous and renal vasodilatory response to local pressure application: A comparative study in mice.

BACKGROUND AND AIM: We have reported a novel relationship involving mechanical stimulation and vasodilation in rodent and human skin, referred to as pressure-induced vasodilation (PIV). It is unknown whether this mechanism exists in kidney and reflects the microcirculation in deep organs. Therefore, we compared the skin and kidney PIV to determine whether their changes were similar. METHODS: In anesthetized mice fed a normal salt-diet, laser Doppler flux (LDF) signals were measured when an increase in local pressure was applied to the surface of the head skin with the rate of 2.2Pa/s (1mmHg/min) and to the left kidney with a rate of 4.4Pa/s (2mmHg/min). The mechanism underlying renal PIV was also investigated. The skin and kidney PIV were also compared during salt load (4% NaCl diet). RESULTS: The kidney had higher baseline LDF and vascular conductance compared to those of the skin. Pressure application increased the LDF in the kidney as well as in the skin with a comparable maximal magnitude (about 25% from baseline value), despite different kinetics of PIV evolution. As we previously reported in the skin, the kidney PIV response was mediated by the activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid type 1 channels, the release of calcitonin gene-related peptide, and the participation of prostaglandins and nitric oxide. In the absence of hypertension, high salt intake abolished the cutaneous PIV response and markedly impaired the renal one. CONCLUSION: PIV response in the mouse kidney results from a neuro-vascular interaction. Despite some differences between the skin and the kidney PIV, the similarities in their response and signaling mechanisms suggest that the cutaneous microcirculation could reflect, in part, the microcirculation of the renal cortex.

Thyroid hormone receptor-α deletion decreases heart function and exercise performance in apolipoprotein E-deficient mice.

The deletion of thyroid hormone receptor-α (TRα) in atherosclerosis-prone apolipoprotein E-deficient (ApoE(-/-)) mice (ApoE(-/-)TRα(0/0)) accelerates the formation of atherosclerotic plaques without aggravation of hypercholesterolemia. To evaluate other predisposition risk factors to atherosclerosis in this model, we studied blood pressure (BP) and cardiac and vascular functions, as well as exercise tolerance in young adult ApoE(-/-)TRα(0/0) mice before the development of atherosclerotic plaques. Telemetric BP recorded for 4 consecutive days showed that the spontaneous systolic BP was slightly decreased in ApoE(-/-)TRα(0/0) compared with ApoE(-/-) mice associated with a reduced locomotor activity. The percentage of animals that completed endurance (57% vs. 89%) and maximal running (0% vs. 89% at 46 cm/s speed in ApoE(-/-)TRα(0/0) and ApoE(-/-) mice, respectively) tests was lower in ApoE(-/-)TRα(0/0) mice. Moreover, during the maximal running test, both maximal running speed and running distance were significantly reduced in ApoE(-/-)TRα(0/0) mice, associated with a blunted BP response to exercise. Transthoracic echocardiography revealed a decreased interventricular septum thickness and an increased end-systolic left ventricular volume in ApoE(-/-)TRα(0/0) mice. Accordingly, left ventricular fractional shortening, ejection fraction, and stroke volume were all significantly decreased in ApoE(-/-)TRα(0/0) mice with a concomitant blunted cardiac output. No interstrain difference was observed in vascular reactivity, except that ApoE(-/-)TRα(0/0) mice exhibited an enhanced acetylcholine-induced relaxation in mesenteric and distal femoral arteries. In conclusion, the deletion of TRα in ApoE(-/-) mice alters cardiac structure and contractility; both could contribute to blunted BP response to physical exercise and impaired exercise performance.

Vascular function of the mesenteric artery isolated from thyroid hormone receptor-α knockout mice.

OBJECTIVE: This study evaluated the consequences of thyroid hormone receptor-α (TRα) disruption on vascular reactivity. METHODS: The activity of superior mesenteric arteries isolated from TRα knockout mice generated in the SV129 background (TRα(0/0)SV) or in a pure C57BL/6 background (TRα(0/0)C57) was compared to that of their corresponding wild-type strains (SV129 or C57BL/6 mice). RESULTS: The wild-type SV129 mice exhibited an impaired acetylcholine (Ach)-induced mesenteric artery relaxation compared to C57BL/6 mice, associated with greater responses to angiotensin II (AII) and phenylephrine (PE). The disruption of TRα decreased the vascular response to sodium nitroprusside and PE in both the SV129 and C57BL/6 genetic backgrounds. Responses to Ach and AII were also blunted, but only in TRα(0/0)C57 mice. The administration of 3,3'5-triiodo-L-thyronine sodium salt (T3) elicited a vasodilatation in C57BL/6 mice even at the lowest concentration (10(-9)M); a maximal relaxation of more than 50% was observed with the concentrations between 10(-9) and 10(-8)M. However, the response to T3 was nearly absent in TRα(0/0)C57 mice. CONCLUSION: TRα is essential for the control of vascular tone, particularly in thyroid hormone-mediated relaxation. The difference in response to Ach observed between the two wild-type mice should be taken into account for interpreting the vascular responses of genetically engineered mice.

Durable improvement of renal function after perindopril withdrawal in Lyon hypertensive rats.

To determine whether the persistent antihypertensive effect observed after withdrawal of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition was specific and whether it was associated with durable improvement of renal function. Lyon hypertensive (LH) rats were treated from 3 and 12 weeks of age with perindopril at the dose of 0.4 (P0.4) or 1.5 (P1.5) mg·kg(-1)·d(-1), with double (hydralazine 75 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1) and hydrochlorothiazide 15 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1)), or triple antihypertensive therapy (reserpine 0.75 mg·kg(-1)·d(-1) was added). Blood pressure (BP) was recorded by telemetry, and renal functions were evaluated in freely moving rats. Despite similar BP reduction after perindopril withdrawal in P0.4 and P1.5 groups, greater decrease in proteinuria was observed in P1.5 group. Double or triple therapy prevented the hypertension of LH rats, but without any persistent antihypertensive or antiproteinuric effect after its withdrawal. Salt load elicited an increase in BP that was similar in untreated LH and both perindopril-pretreated groups (+30 mm Hg), but more pronounced in double therapy­pretreated or triple therapy­pretreated groups (+50 mm Hg). The pressure­natriuresis curve shifted to lower BP levels in P0.4 and P1.5 groups, whereas it was blunted in double and triple therapy groups. Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition has a durable renoprotection after treatment withdrawal that is independent of BP lowing.

Regulation of renal medullary circulation by the renin-angiotensin system in genetically hypertensive rats.

1. Renal medullary blood flow (MBF) is believed today to have a potent role in blood pressure control through its influence on sodium and water excretion. The present article reviews: (i) the study of MBF in two experimental models of heritable hypertension, namely spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Lyon genetically hypertensive (LH) rats selected, respectively, from Wistar and Sprague-Dawley rats; and (ii) the regulation of MBF by the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) in these animals and the interaction between angiotensin (Ang) II and nitric oxide, prostaglandins and reactive oxygen species in the renal medulla. 2. Although numerous renal disorders are observed during or after the development of hypertension, the reduced pressure-natriuresis function is an early apparent and common abnormality found in SHR and LH rats. This abnormality is associated with a blunted increase in MBF in response to elevations in renal perfusion pressure. Moreover, both SHR and LH rats exhibit an exaggerated medullary vasoconstriction and/or a reduced medullary vasodilatation under stimulation with AngII. 3. Chronic RAS blockade prevents the development of hypertension in both SHR and LH rats. This effect involves an improved response of MBF to increasing renal perfusion pressure and to AngII. 4. Medullary blood flow is inappropriately regulated in genetically hypertensive rats; a decreased MBF caused by the disequilibrium of local vasodilator/vasoconstrictor systems may favour the prohypertensive role of the RAS in genetic hypertension.

Effect of perindopril on renal medullary hemodynamics in genetically hypertensive rats.

BACKGROUND: Early and chronic angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition prevents hypertension and improves the pressure natriuresis in Lyon hypertensive (LH) rats. The effect of this treatment on the responses of renal medullary blood flow (MBF) to angiotensin II (Ang II) was studied. METHODS: In chronic experiments, Ang II (7.5 to 480 ng/kg, intravenous) was injected in 15-week-old anesthetized LH and normotensive (LL) control rats treated orally since weaning with perindopril (0.4 or 1.5 mg/kg/day) with or without pretreatment with indomethacin (5 mg/kg intravenous). In acute experiment, Ang II (30 to 480 ng/kg intravenous) was given in LH rats treated acutely with perindopril (1.5 mg/kg, intravenous bolus). RESULTS: Administration of Ang II induced dose-dependent decreases in MBF, which were greater in LH than in LL rats. In LL rats, the initial and short-lasting (<1 min) medullary vasoconstriction evoked by Ang II was followed by a long-lasting (>2 min) and dose-dependent medullary vasodilation, which was blunted in LH rats. Chronic perindopril treatment normalized the blood pressure level in LH rats and corrected their blunted medullary vasodilation, whereas the same treatment had no significant effect in LL rats. In chronically perindopril-treated LH rats, indomethacin decreased by 90% the medullary vasodilation induced by Ang II. Acute perindopril treatment did not modify the medullary responses to Ang II in LH rats. CONCLUSIONS: Chronic ACE inhibition restores the vasodilator response of MBF to Ang II in LH rats. This effect, which is not observed after acute inhibition, is mainly mediated through the release of prostaglandins.

Acute pressure-natriuresis function shows early impairment in Lyon hypertensive rats.

OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to determine whether the alteration of the pressure natriuresis seen in Lyon genetically hypertensive (LH) rats occurs early, and the possible involvement in this alteration of the most important extra-renal factors that influence natriuresis. METHODS: In LH rats and their normotensive (LL) controls, acute pressure natriuresis was studied in denervated kidneys with or without controlling extra-renal influence; that is, adrenalectomy and an intravenous infusion of vasopressin, norepinephrine, hydrocortisone and aldosterone. RESULTS: With controlling the cited extra-renal influence, LH rats already exhibited, at 5 weeks of age, a slightly higher blood pressure (+9%) and a markedly reduced renal blood flow (-33%) compared with LL rats; their pressure-diuresis and pressure-natriuresis curves were significantly blunted. Between 16 and 50 weeks of age, although BP levels did not change, renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate declined in LH rats while their pressure-diuresis and pressure-natriuresis curves continued to shift to higher pressures. When studied without controlling extra-renal influence, the values of pressure diuresis and natriuresis were significantly higher than in controlled conditions both in LH and LL rats. However, in 16-week-old rats, the LH/LL ratios for sodium and water excretion remained close under the two experimental conditions. CONCLUSIONS: The pressure-natriuresis function in LH rat shows early impairment and aggravates with age. This alteration is observed with, as well as without, controlling the influence of the main extra-renal factors that affect natriuresis.

Persistent effects on blood pressure and renal function of perindopril alone or combined with losartan in Lyon hypertensive rats.

BACKGROUND: In Lyon genetically hypertensive (LH) rats, an early and long-term angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition with perindopril prevents their hypertension and renal alterations. The present work aimed to determine whether: 1) these effects persist after treatment withdrawal; 2) a short-term additional angiotensin II type 1 (AT1) receptor blockade with losartan potentiates these effects; and 3) an early combination of low doses of perindopril and losartan produces the same prolonged effects as monotherapy with a higher dose of perindopril. METHODS: Perindopril (0.4 or 3 mg/kg/day orally) was given from 3 to 12 weeks of age to male LH rats. In other perindopril-treated LH rats, losartan (10 mg/kg/day orally) was added 1 week before perindopril withdrawal and during a 3-week period. In another group of LH rats, perindopril (0.1 mg/kg/day) and losartan (2.5 mg/kg/day) were given together from 3 to 12 weeks. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) and diastolic blood pressure (DBP) were monitored using radio-telemetry and renal function studied in anesthetized rats. RESULTS: Eight weeks after perindopril withdrawal, a significant reduction (P < .05) in SBP and DBP was observed with the both doses (SBP: 135 +/- 3, 139 +/- 5 v 157 +/- 4; DBP: 89 +/- 4, 93 +/- 5 v 111 +/- 3 mm Hg for 0.4 and 3 mg/kg/day v untreated LH rats). This was accompanied by a persistent decrease in urinary protein excretion and a long-lasting improvement in pressure natriuresis. The persistent antihypertensive effect was not improved by short-term addition of losartan. Interestingly, the early combination of perindopril with losartan at fourfold lower doses produced similar persistent antihypertensive and renoprotective effects. CONCLUSIONS: The blood pressure reduction produced by an early ACE inhibition in LH rats persists long after treatment withdrawal and is associated with an improvement in renal function. The combination of low doses of perindopril and losartan reveals a long-term effect similar to that of a monotherapy with a higher dose of perindopril.

Chromosome 1 blood pressure QTL region influences renal function curve and salt sensitivity in SHR.

One or more quantitative trait locus (QTL) for blood pressure (BP) exists on rat chromosome 1, in the vicinity of the Sa gene. The present work examined whether this QTL region: 1) alters pressure-natriuresis relationship and 2) affects the BP response to salt load. Male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, and rats from an SHR congenic strain that contains a WKY chromosome 1 segment spanning the BP QTL region (SHR. WKY-Sa) were used. In an acute study in anesthetized animals, renal function was measured at several levels of renal perfusion pressure. In a chronic study, BP was measured in freely moving rats using telemetry during normal and high sodium intake (2% NaCl as drinking water for 2 wk). WKY rats showed a significantly higher glomerular filtration rate and increased pressure-natriuresis compared with SHR. SHR.WKY-Sa also demonstrated an increased glomerular filtration rate and enhanced pressure-natriuresis, associated with a lower tubular sodium reabsorption, compared with SHR. These modifications were accompanied by a lower basal BP in SHR.WKY-Sa compared with SHR and a markedly reduced BP response to salt load. These findings suggest that the BP QTL(s) present in this region of chromosome 1 influences BP and salt sensitivity, at least partly, by modulating pressure-natriuresis.

Renal medullary blood flow and salt load in Lyon hypertensive rats.

The present work studied renal medullary blood flow (MBF) and its response to salt load in Lyon hypertensive (LH) rats to understand the mechanisms underlying the abnormal renal sodium excretion exhibited by LH rats. Experiments were conducted in uninephrectomized, anesthetized, and volume-expanded 15-week-old male LH and their normotensive (LL) controls. Under standard diet, LH rats exhibited a blunted pressure diuresis and natriuresis associated with an absence of pressure-induced increase in MBF compared to LL rats. One week of salt load (2% NaCl as drinking water) induced a significant increase in blood pressure (BP) in LH (+11 mm Hg) than in LL (+6 mm Hg) rats associated with a decrease in MBF in LH rats only (from 182 +/- 25 to 122 +/- 20 perfusion units, P < .001). Finally, despite the salt load-induced increase in pressure natriuresis, it remained significantly lower in LH than in LL rats. The results show an alteration in MBF regulation in LH rats and suggest that this abnormality may be involved in their blunted pressure natriuresis and their enhanced salt sensitivity.

Vascular reactivity to angiotensin II alone or combined with a thromboxane A2 mimetic in the isolated perfused kidney of Lyon hypertensive rats.

The aim of this study was to evaluate whether thromboxane A2-prostaglandin H2 (TP) receptor activation potentiates the renal vasoconstrictor effect of Angiotensin II (Ang II) in genetically hypertensive rats of the Lyon strain (LH). Concentration-response curves (CRCs) to Ang II (5 pM to 10 nM), to the specific TP receptor agonist U46619 (7.5-960 nM) and to a mixture of Ang II + U46619 (fixed molar ratio of 1 : 9) were obtained in single-pass perfused kidneys isolated from 8 week-old LH and low blood pressure (LL) control rats. Baseline vascular resistance was significantly increased in LH compared to LL kidneys. Comparison of the CRCs obtained for Ang II and U46619 showed that, in both strains, Ang II was about 100 times more potent than U46619. For both drugs, the pD2 or slope values did not differ among the two strains. Co-activation of TP receptors, analyzed with the method of Pöch and Holzmann, tended to potentiate the effects of Ang II in LH but not in LL kidneys. In conclusion, isolated perfused kidneys of LH rat did not exhibit an increased vascular sensitivity to acute infusion of Ang II or U46619 compared to control LL ones. In addition, the results suggest that the interactions between Ang II and TP receptor agonist may differ among the two strains.

Effect of perindopril on renal medullary blood flow: comparison with other antihypertensive treatments.

Early and chronic angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibition in Lyfon hypertensive (LH) rats improves their blunted vasodilator response of renal medullary blood flow (MBF) to angiotensin II (AngII). This study examined the specificity of this effect and the possible involvement of nitric oxide (NO). The renal response to AngII (from 7.5 to 480 ng/kg, IV) and acetylcholine (Ach, from 3 to 192 microg/kg, IV) were examined in 12-week-old anesthetized LH rats treated orally from 3 weeks of age with perindopril (1.5 mg/kg/d), nifedipine (50 mg/kg/d), or a triple therapy with hydralazine, hydrochlorothiazide, and reserpine (75, 15, and 0.75 mg/kg/d, respectively). After 9 weeks of therapy, perindopril lowered systolic blood pressure to 113 +/- 3 mm Hg, nifedipine to 144 +/- 4 mm Hg, and triple therapy to 133 +/- 2 mm Hg compared with 160 +/- 3 mm Hg in untreated LH rats. Despite a significant reduction in blood pressure, only the treatment with perindopril significantly increased the vasodilator response of MBF to AngII. However, the vasodilator response of MBF to Ach was similar among the groups. In conclusion, a renal medullary protection is conferred in LH rats by ACE inhibition, an effect that is not obtained with other antihypertensive treatments and is not explained by Ach-induced NO release.

Angiotensin II and renal medullary blood flow in Lyon rats.

The present study evaluated the acute effects of ANG II (5-480 ng/kg iv) and phenylephrine (PE; 0.2-146 microg/kg iv) on total renal (RBF) and medullary blood flow (MBF) in anesthetized Lyon hypertensive (LH) and low-blood-pressure (LL) rats. ANG II and PE induced dose-dependent decreases in both RBF and MBF, which were greater in LH than in LL rats. Interestingly, after ANG II, but not after PE, the initial medullary vasoconstriction was followed by a long-lasting and dose-dependent vasodilation that was significantly blunted in LH compared with LL rats. The mechanisms of the MBF effects of ANG II were studied in LL rats only. Blockade of AT(1) receptors with losartan (10 mg/kg) abolished all the effects of ANG II, whereas AT(2) receptor blockade with PD-123319 (50 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) iv) did not change these effects. Indomethacin (5 mg/kg) decreased by approximately 90% the medullary vasodilation induced by the lowest doses of ANG II (from 15 ng/kg). In contrast, N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (10 mg/kg and 0.1 mg. kg(-1). min(-1) iv) and the bradykinin B(2)-receptor antagonist HOE-140 (20 microg/kg and 10 microg x kg(-1) x min(-1) iv) markedly lowered the medullary vasodilation at the highest doses of ANG II only. In conclusion, this study shows that LH rats exhibit an altered MBF response to ANG II compared with LL rats and indicates that the AT(1) receptor-mediated medullary vasodilator response to low doses of ANG II is mainly due to the release of PGs, whereas the dilator response to high doses of ANG II has additional nitric oxide- and kinin-dependent components.

Function of renal angiotensin AT2 receptors is not enhanced in Lyon hypertensive rats.

1. Because we previously observed that angiotensin AT2 receptor stimulation decreased pressure-natriuresis, in the present study we examined the possible involvement of these receptors in altered sodium excretion shown by Lyon hypertensive (LH) rats. 2. In 9-week-old male anaesthetized LH rats and normotensive (LL) controls pretreated with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (quinapril; 10 mg/kg) and an AT1 receptor antagonist (losartan; 10 mg/kg), angiotensin (Ang) II was infused (30 ng/kg per min) to stimulate AT2 receptors. In other groups of rats, an AT2 receptor antagonist (PD123319; 50 micro g/kg per min) was added before AngII infusion. 3. During AT2 receptor stimulation, LH differed from LL rats by significantly reduced renal blood flow (RBF), glomerular filtration rate and pressure diuresis and natriuresis. The addition of PD123319 did not change total RBF, whereas it did increase pressure diuresis and natriuresis in both strains. However, the effects of PD123319 were less marked in LH rats than in LL rats. 4. These findings confirm that, under the present experimental conditions, AT2 receptors are antinatriuretic and are not of greater functional importance in hypertensive animals of the Lyon strain.

Lyon genetically hypertensive rats: an animal model of "low renin hypertension".

This paper reviews the data which demonstrate that Lyon genetically hypertensive (LH) rats exhibit a low renin form of hypertension. Since when compared to normotensive controls, LH rats exhibit a low renin release and are salt-sensitive. Despite this, the blockade of the renin-angiotensin system normalizes the blood pressure level and the regional blood flows in LH rats. Such a discrepancy between the compulsory presence of angiotensin II for the hypertension to develop and the low level of renin release seen in LH rats led to two hypotheses: 1) the existence of an early, short lasting increase of renin release which would be sufficient for the occurrence of a stable hypertension; 2) an hypersensitivity to the effects of angiotensin II. The study of the long-term effects of early short lasting blockades of the renin-angiotensin system allowed to exclude the first hypothesis. Concerning a hypersensitivity to the effects of angiotensin II, it was found to exist in the preglomerular vessels of LH rats. This increased response of renal vessels to angiotensin II may well explain the low renin form of hypertension of our model and therefore represents an important field for further research.