Role of H(2)O(2) in hypertension, renin-angiotensin system activation and renal medullary disfunction caused by angiotensin II.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Activation of the intrarenal renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and increased renal medullary hydrogen peroxide (H(2) O(2) ) contribute to hypertension. We examined whether H(2) O(2) mediated hypertension and intrarenal RAS activation induced by angiotensin II (Ang II). EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH: Ang II (200 ng·kg(-1) ·min(-1) ) or saline were infused in Sprague Dawley rats from day 0 to day 14. Polyethylene glycol (PEG)-catalase (10 000 U·kg(-1) ·day(-1) ) was given to Ang II-treated rats, from day 7 to day 14. Systolic blood pressure was measured throughout the study. H(2) O(2) , angiotensin AT(1) receptor and Nox4 expression and nuclear factor-κB (NF-κB) activation were evaluated in the kidney. Plasma and urinary H(2) O(2) and angiotensinogen were also measured. KEY RESULTS: Ang II increased H(2) O(2) , AT(1) receptor and Nox4 expression and NF-κB activation in the renal medulla, but not in the cortex. Ang II raised plasma and urinary H(2) O(2) levels, increased urinary angiotensinogen but reduced plasma angiotensinogen. PEG-catalase had a short-term antihypertensive effect and transiently suppressed urinary angiotensinogen. PEG-catalase decreased renal medullary expression of AT(1) receptors and Nox4 in Ang II-infused rats. Renal medullary NF-κB activation was correlated with local H(2) O(2) levels and urinary angiotensinogen excretion. Loss of antihypertensive efficacy was associated with an eightfold increase of plasma angiotensinogen. CONCLUSIONS AND IMPLICATIONS: The renal medulla is a major target for Ang II-induced redox dysfunction. H(2) O(2) appears to be the key mediator enhancing intrarenal RAS activation and decreasing systemic RAS activity. The specific control of renal medullary H(2) O(2) levels may provide future grounds for the treatment of hypertension.

Decrease in the expression of N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors in the nucleus tractus solitarii induces antinociception and increases blood pressure.

N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors (NMDAR) have a role in cardiovascular control at the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS), eliciting increases or decreases in blood pressure (BP), depending on the area injected with the agonists. In spite of the association between cardiovascular control and pain modulation, the effects of manipulating NMDAR in pain responses have never been evaluated. In this study, we decreased the expression of NMDAR in the NTS using gene transfer to target receptor subunits and evaluate long-term effects. Seven days after the injection of lentiviral vectors containing the NR1a subunit cDNA of NMDAR, in antisense orientation, into the intermediate NTS of Wistar rats, BP was measured, and the formalin test of nociception was performed. The antisense vector induced a decrease of NR1 expression in the NTS and elicited BP rises and hypoalgesia. Antisense vectors inhibited formalin-evoked c-Fos expression in the spinal cord, indicating decreased nociceptive activity of spinal neurons. Using a time-course approach, we verified that the onset of both the increases in BP and the hypoalgesia was at 4 days after vector injection into the NTS. The injection of NMDA into the NTS reversed the effects of antisense vectors in pain behavioral responses and spinal neuronal activation and decreased BP and heart rate. The present study shows that the NR1 subunit of the NMDAR at the NTS is critical in the regulation of tonic cardiovascular and nociceptive control and shows an involvement of the nucleus in the modulation of sustained pain.

Microinjection of angiotensin II in the caudal ventrolateral medulla induces hyperalgesia.

Nociceptive transmission from the spinal cord is controlled by supraspinal pain modulating systems that include the caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM). The neuropeptide angiotensin II (Ang II) has multiple effects in the CNS and at the medulla oblongata. Here we evaluated the expression of angiotensin type 1 (AT(1)) receptors in spinally-projecting CVLM neurons, and tested the effect of direct application of exogenous Ang II in the CVLM on nociceptive behaviors. Although AT(1)-immunoreactive neurons occurred in the CVLM, only 3% of AT(1)-positive neurons were found to project to the dorsal horn, using double-immunodetection of the retrograde tracer cholera toxin subunit B. In behavioral studies, administration of Ang II (100 pmol) in the CVLM gave rise to hyperalgesia in both the tail-flick and formalin tests. This hyperalgesia was significantly attenuated by local administration of the AT(1) antagonist losartan. The present study demonstrates that Ang II can act on AT(1) receptors in the CVLM to modulate nociception. The effect on spinal nociceptive processing is likely indirect, since few AT(1)-expressing CVLM neurons were found to project to the spinal cord. The renin-angiotensin system may also play a role in other supraspinal areas implicated in pain modulation.

Adverse non-drug-related complaints by healthy volunteers in Phase I studies compared to the healthy general population.

OBJECTIVE: Some complaints that are reported as adverse drug reactions by healthy subjects during participation in Phase I studies are common complaints in healthy individuals from the normal population. The objective of this study was to compare the incidence of complaints in a group of 192 healthy volunteers in Phase I studies with a control group of 112 healthy subjects who matched the Phase I group participants in terms of demographic and socioeconomic characteristics, and to investigate the relationship between some psychological factors and the incidence of complaints. METHODS: Both groups completed a questionnaire on the incidence of complaints during the previous 2 - 4 weeks. Trait anxiety was assessed by the trait scale of the State-Trait Anxiety Inventory (STAI-T), depressive mood by the Beck's Depression Inventory-II (BDI-II) and perceived self-efficacy by the Self-Efficacy Scale (SES). RESULTS: Compared to the control group, Phase I volunteers presented a significantly lower incidence of stomach pain, back pain, limb or joint pain, headaches, fainting spells, palpitations, shortness of breath, constipation, loose stools or diarrhea, nausea, gas or indigestion, feeling nervous or anxious, feeling restless, getting tired very easily, muscle tension, aches, or soreness, and concentration difficulties. Significant positive correlations were found between the STAI-T and BDI-II scores and the incidence of several complaints; inversely, the SES score correlated negatively with several complaints. CONCLUSION: The incidence of complaints in healthy subjects is not of a random character and depends on psychological characteristics. Volunteers in Phase I studies are a self-selected sample with a lower tendency to report non-drug-related adverse events than their peers from the general population. The impact of this self-selection bias on the assessment of tolerability during Phase I studies deserves further evaluation.

Personality characteristics of volunteers in Phase 1 studies and likelihood of reporting adverse events.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate the personality characteristics of a group of participants in Phase 1 studies and to study the relation between the personality traits and the adverse events during participation. METHODS: Study population consisted of 139 healthy volunteers to Phase 1 studies. Personality was assessed through the Revised NEO Personality Inventory (NEO-PI-R) and adverse events were monitored during participation. RESULTS: Participants showed lower levels of Neuroticism (p < 0.001), and higher levels of Extraversion (p < 0.001) and Openness to Experience (p < 0.001) than the norm. In the Neuroticism domain, participants were lower in anxiety (p < 0.001), angry-hostility (p < 0.001), depression (p < 0.001), self-consciousness (p < 0.001) and vulnerability (p < 0.001), and higher in impulsiveness (p < 0.001). All facets of the Extraversion domain and all facets but "openness to esthetics" of the Openness to Experience domain were higher (p < 0.001) in the participants in relation to the norm. Participants were significantly lower (p < 0.05) on the overall Agreeableness domain, however, they were remarkably higher in altruism (p < 0.001) and trust (p = 0.001). Participants did not differ from the norm in the overall Conscientiousness domain, but they scored higher in competence (p < 0.001), achievement striving (p = 0.001) and self-discipline (p < 0.001). Females showed to report significantly more adverse events than males, and extraverted subjects showed to report less adverse events than introverted subjects. CONCLUSION: Participants who volunteer for Phase 1 studies, differ from the general population in their personality characteristics. Some personality characteristics may have an effect on the probability of reporting adverse events during participation. Therefore, defining a personality of a volunteer may assume significant importance in Phase 1 studies.

Healthy subjects volunteering for Phase I studies: influence of curiosity, exploratory tendencies and perceived self-efficacy.

OBJECTIVE: To test the hypothesis that trait-curiosity and perceived self-efficacy influence the willingness of healthy subjects to volunteer for participation in Phase I studies. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A group of healthy subjects who had never participated in clinical studies ("index group") were invited to participate in a Phase I study. They were assessed with regard to trait curiosity (Curiosity and Exploration Inventory; CEI-T) and perceived self-efficacy (Self-Efficacy Scale; SES) and subjects who accepted the invitation to participate were compared with those who refused and with a group of healthy subjects who had previously participated in clinical studies ("validation group"). RESULTS: A significant positive correlation was found between the willingness to participate and the CEI-T total score (R=0.28; p<0.01), exploratory tendencies (R=0.34; p<0.001), SES total score (R=0.30, p<0.01), initiative and persistence (R=0.29, p<0.01), planning/goal setting (R=0.19, p<0.05) and social self-efficacy (R=0.29; p<0.01). The "index group" subjects who accepted the invitation to participate showed significantly greater CEI-T exploratory tendencies (Z=-3.334, p = 0.001, Mann-Whitney test) and total scores (Z=-2.703, p<0.01) and greater SES total score (Z=-3.131, p<0.01), initiative and persistence (Z=-3.065, p<0.01), planning/goal setting (Z=-2.173, p<0.05) and social self-efficacy (Z=-2.954, p<0.01) than subjects who refused. No differences were found between the subjects in the "index group" who accepted the invitation and subjects in the "validation group". Using a logistic regression model, both CEI-T exploratory tendencies and SES initiative/persistence were significant predictors of participation. CONCLUSION: Subjects higher in curiosity/exploration and in perceived initiative/persistence are more willing to volunteer for Phase I studies. The impact of these self-selection biases on Phase I study results is unknown but deserves further evaluation.

Losartan and atenolol on hypertension induced by adenosine receptor blockade.

1. The prolonged infusion of 1,3-dipropyl-8-sulfophenylxanthine (DPSPX), a non-selective antagonist of adenosine receptors, induces hypertension, an increase in plasma renin activity and morphological cardiovascular changes. 2. The aim of this work was to evaluate the effects of losartan, a selective AT1 receptor antagonist, and atenolol, a beta-adrenoceptor antagonist, on DPSPX-induced hypertension. 3. Male Wistar rats (250-300 g, n = 4-6) were treated for 1 or 4 weeks with: saline i.p.; DPSPX (90 microg kg(-1) h(-1)) i.p.; losartan (15 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) p.o.; atenolol (25 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) p.o.; DPSPX (90 microg kg(-1) h(-1)) i.p. + losartan (15 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) p.o.; DPSPX (90 microg kg(-1) h(-1)) i.p. + atenolol (25 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) p.o. Blood pressure was measured by the 'tail-cuff' method in conscious animals. Fragments of the mesenteric and tail arteries were processed for morphological study and the mean diameter of the vascular smooth muscle cells was determined. 4. DPSPX increased blood pressure. Losartan and atenolol prevented this rise but had no effect on blood pressure of control rats. DPSPX-treated groups showed hypertrophy of the vascular smooth muscle cells and proliferation of subintimal cells. Losartan but not atenolol prevented these changes. Losartan had no effect on the vascular morphology of control rats, while treatment with atenolol for 4 weeks induced hypertrophy of the vascular smooth muscle cells. 5. Both losartan and atenolol counteract the development of DPSPX-induced hypertension but only losartan prevents the alterations in vascular morphology.

A comparison of AT1 angiotensin II antagonists at pre- and postjunctional angiotensin II receptors of the rat tail artery.

A comparison was made of the influence of candesartan, ZD7155, losartan and eprosartan on angiotensin II effects at pre- and postjunctional AT(1) receptors of the rat tail artery. To study the anti-angiotensin II effect at prejunctional receptors, the tissues were preincubated with [(3)H]noradrenaline and then superfused and electrically stimulated (1 Hz, 2 ms, 50 mA, during 5 min); to study the angiotensin II effect at postjunctional receptors, non-cumulative concentration-response curves to angiotensin II were determined in the absence and in the presence of the antagonist. p A(2) values were calculated for competitive antagonists and p D'(2) values for insurmountable antagonists. At the prejunctional level, losartan and eprosartan displayed competitive antagonism with p A(2) values of 6.50 and 8.08, respectively, whereas candesartan and ZD7155 displayed non-competitive antagonism with p D'(2) values of 8.71 and 7.98, respectively. At the postjunctional level, the four antagonists displayed the same kind of antagonism as prejunctionally with p A(2) values for losartan and eprosartan of 8.52 and 8.22, respectively, and p D'(2) values of 10.62 and 9.01, for candesartan and ZD7155, respectively. The ratios between post- and prejunctional potencies were: losartan 101, candesartan 81, ZD7155 11, and eprosartan 1.4. We conclude that, at least functionally, pre- and postjunctional angiotensin II AT(1) receptors are different and propose that the prejunctional receptors in this tissue belong to the AT(1B)-subtype.

Lesions of the caudal ventrolateral medulla block the hypertension-induced inhibition of noxious-evoked c-fos expression in the rat spinal cord.

The effect of lesioning the lateral portion of the caudal ventrolateral medullary reticular formation (VLMIat) on the noxious-evoked expression of the c-fos proto-oncogene in spinal neurons, was studied in short-term hypertensive rats. Occlusion of the renal artery for 96 h in unlesioned animals induced a 52% increase in blood pressure (BP) and a 66% decrease in the number of Fos-immunoreactive (Fos-IR) spinal cells following noxious cutaneous stimulation, as compared to values in normotensive controls. Lesioning the VLMIat in hypertensive rats by unilateral quinolinic acid (QA) injection (0.3 microl of a 180 nmol/microl solution) 24 h before noxious stimulation, prevented the Fos-IR cell decrease. In normotensive rats, lesioning the VLMIat produced no changes in c-fos expression. To investigate the role played by the VLMIat in cardiovascular control, BP and heart rate (HR) were measured during local injections of QA or glutamate (0.5 microl of a 100 nmol/microl solution) to normotensive animals. Injections of QA produced an immediate rise in BP and HR which reached maximal values (18 and 14% increase, respectively) 5 min after the administration onset, then returning gradually to baseline levels. Glutamate injections resulted in an immediate decrease of the same values, which reached 29 and 39%, respectively, 4 min after the beginning of injection, after which they decreased to baseline levels. These results suggest that VLMIat neurons inhibit nociceptive spinal neurons in response to rises in blood pressure, while exerting negative control of cardiovascular parameters. It is suggested that the VLMIat is involved in the genesis of hypoalgesia during hypertension.

Endothelium-dependent vascular responses in 1,3-dipropyl-8-sulphophenylxanthine (DPSPX) hypertensive rats.

The study was undertaken to test the endothelium-mediated vascular responses in rats rendered hypertensive by chronic administration of 1,3-dipropyl-8-sulphophenylxanthine (DPSPX). The relaxant effect of carbachol (an endothelium-dependent relaxing drug) and of sodium nitroprusside (an endothelium-independent relaxing drug) as well as the potentiation of the contractile effect of noradrenaline by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) were compared in aortic rings from normotensive and DPSPX-hypertensive rats. Carbachol and sodium nitroprusside caused concentration-dependent relaxations in aortic rings precontracted by 1 microM noradrenaline. The relaxant effect being of carbachol was significantly reduced in tissues of DPSPX-hypertensive rats: the maximal relaxant effect being 86 +/- 3% and 64 +/- 4% (of the pre-existing tone) in normal and hypertensive rats, respectively, while there were no significant differences in the relaxant effect of sodium nitroprusside. L-NAME (100 microM) significantly reduced the EC50 values of noradrenaline (3.71 +/- 0.28 times, n = 8 and 2.96 +/- 0.27 times, n = 7, in normal and hypertensive rats, respectively) and significantly enhanced the maximal contractile effect of noradrenaline (46 +/- 8%, n = 8 and 35 +/- 6%, n = 7, in normal and hypertensive rats respectively): the factors of reduction of EC50 values and the percentages of enhancement of the maximal contractile effect in the aorta of normal and hypertensive rats were not significantly different. The results obtained provide evidence of functional impairment of the endothelium in DPSPX-hypertensive rats.

Hypertension due to chronic blockade of P1-purinoceptors.

1. Long-term treatment of rats with 1,3-dipropyl-8-sulphophenylxanthine (DPSPX), a non-selective antagonist of adenosine receptors, causes a hypertensive state. 2. In DPSPX-hypertensive rats, prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors become supersensitive to the selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist UK-14,304, while postjunctional adrenoceptor-mediated responses are not changed; furthermore, prejunctional beta-adrenoceptor-mediated facilitation of noradrenaline release is also enhanced. 3. In DPSPX-hypertensive rats, there are important morphological alterations of the small arteries, their lumina appearing strongly reduced and occasionally occluded by proliferation of the intimal cells. 4. In DPSPX-hypertensive rats, there is an increase in plasma renin, and captopril prevents not only the development of the hypertension but also the morphological changes in the arteries. 5. Other important changes occur in DPSPX-hypertensive rats: an alteration of the adrenergic regulation of the cardiac functions and an enhancement of perivascular neurotransmission. 6. These results suggest that adenosine may play an important role in the development of some kinds of human hypertension.

Homogeneous or heterogeneous distribution of systemically administered adrenaline: organ dependence.

In incubation experiments it was shown that exogenous adrenaline or noradrenaline does not distribute homogeneously into the adrenergic varicosities of the rat vas deferens (wall with thick and compact muscle layer) but does distribute homogeneously in the rat spleen capsule (thin and loose muscle layer, containing more extracellular space than the vas deferens). To circumvent any hypothetical role of the muscular layer in the distribution of the amine, 100 micrograms.kg-1.h-1 adrenaline was administered to rats in vivo either i.v. (during 90 min) or i.p. (under pentobarbital anaesthesia, an Alzet minipump was implanted which delivered that dose during 6 days). The rats also received 100 mg.kg-1 pargyline (to inhibit MAO) and 100 mg.kg-1 tropolone (to inhibit COMT). At the end of adrenaline administration, vasa deferentia and spleen capsule were removed, washed and then exposed to 100 mumol.l-1 tyramine for 20 min. At the end of this exposure, the ratio noradrenaline/adrenaline in the tissue and in the medium was compared. In the vas deferens both after i.v. and i.p. administration of adrenaline, the ratio noradrenaline/adrenaline was about 3 times higher in the medium than in the tissue, while in the spleen capsule the ratio noradrenaline/adrenaline was not significantly different in the medium and in the tissue. We conclude that, even when the amine reaches the storage sites from the blood, it distributes homogeneously in the spleen capsule and heterogeneously in the vas deferens, perhaps because there are more than one kind of storage vesicles in the vas deferens.

Hypertension inhibits noxious-evoked c-fos expression in the rat spinal cord.

The effect of hypertension on spinal induction of the c-fos proto-oncogene following noxious mechanical stimulation of the skin was studied in the rat. The occlusion of renal artery raised blood pressure steeply, reaching 52% over initial values. Oral administration of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester provoked a gradual increase in blood pressure which reached up to 62%. The numbers of spinal dorsal horn Fos-immunoreactive nuclei were reduced to 66% and 38% of controls in animals with renal- and pharmacologically-induced hypertension, respectively. These data indicate that hypertension is accompanied by an inhibition of spinal nociceptive neurones which probably accounts for the hypoalgesia observed in hypertensive subjects. They further suggest an influence by the rate of increase of blood pressure on the level of spinal inhibition.

Hypertension and enhanced beta-adrenoceptor-mediated facilitation of noradrenaline release produced by chronic blockade of adenosine receptors.

1. The study was undertaken to compare the beta-adrenoceptor-mediated facilitation of noradrenaline release in the tail artery of vehicle-treated rats and of rats rendered hypertensive by chronic administration of 1,3-dipropyl-8-sulphophenylxanthine (DPSPX). Artery rings were loaded with [3H]-noradrenaline, and five periods of electrical stimulation (1 Hz for 2 min) were applied. To eliminate the influence of prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors, the tissues were pre-exposed to 1 microM phenoxybenzamine. 2. Isoprenaline caused a concentration-dependent increase of tritium overflow elicited by electrical stimulation. It was more effective in arteries from DPSPX-treated than in those from vehicle-treated rats; isoprenaline (27.8 nM) increased by 30% tritium overflow in vessels from vehicle-treated rats whereas isoprenaline (7.0 nM) produced a 30% increase in vessels from DPSPX-treated animals. Furthermore, the maximal effect of isoprenaline was a 32.6% increase in control rats but a 48.6% increase in DPSPX-treated rats. 3. These results show that the sympathetic nerve endings of the rat tail artery are endowed with prejunctional beta-adrenoceptors which mediate facilitation of noradrenaline release elicited by electrical stimulation. They also suggest that adenosine receptors and beta-adrenoceptors interact at the prejunctional level and that impairment of this 'talk' may lead to the development of a hypertensive state.

Assessment of renal dopaminergic system activity in the nitric oxide-deprived hypertensive rat model.

1. The present paper reports changes in the urinary excretion of dopamine, 5-hydroxytryptamine and amine metabolites in nitric oxide deprived hypertensive rats during long-term administration of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Aromatic L-amino acid decarboxylase (AAAD) activity in renal tissues and the ability of newly-formed dopamine to leave the cellular compartment where the synthesis of the amine has occurred were also determined. 2. Twenty four hours after exposure to L-NAME, both systolic (SBP) and diastolic (DBP) blood pressure were increased by 20 mmHg; heart rate was slightly decreased. During the next 13 days both SBP and DBP increased progressively reaching 170 +/- 3 and 116 +/- 3 mmHg, respectively. 3. Baseline urinary excretion of L-DOPA, dopamine, 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid (DOPAC), 3-methoxytyramine (3-MT) and homovanillic acid (HVA) during the 4 day period of stabilization averaged 4.4 +/- 0.5, 13.8 +/- 0.3, 37.4 +/- 0.8, 180.0 +/- 2.7 and 206.1 +/- 6.7 nmol day-1, respectively. The urinary excretion of L-DOPA, dopamine and DOPAC, but not that of 3-MT and HVA, were increased from day 6-8 of L-NAME administration onwards (L-DOPA, up to 13.4 +/- 2.1; dopamine, up to 23.0 +/- 1.6; DOPAC, up to 62.8 +/- 3.7 nmol day-1). Baseline daily urinary excretion of 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-hydroxyindolacetic acid (5-HIAA) averaged 73.5 +/- 1.1 and 241.7 +/- 5.4 nmol day-1, respectively. During the first week of L-NAME administration, the urinary excretion of both 5-hydroxytryptamine and 5-HIAA did not change significantly; however, as was found with dopamine and DOPAC, changes in the urinary excretion of 5-hydroxytryptamine were evident during the second week of L-NAME administration. 4. In experiments performed on homogenates of isolated renal tubules, the decarboxylation of L-DOPA to dopamine was dependent on the concentration of L-DOPA used (10 to 5000 microM) and saturable at 1000 microM. AAAD activity as determined in homogenates (Vmax, in nmol mg-1 protein h-1; Km in microM) was significantly (P < 0.01) higher in rats given L-NAME for 14 days (Vmax = 25 +/- 2; Km = 72 +/- 10) than in control rats (Vmax = 14 +/- 1; Km = 63 +/- 7), rats given L-NAME for 7 days (Vmax = 15 +/- 1; Km = 69 +/- 5) and rats given L-NAME plus L-arginine (Vmax = 13 +/- 1; Km = 60 +/- 3) for 14 days. 5. A considerable amount of the total dopamine formed from added L-DOPA in kidney slices escaped into the incubation medium. The application of the Michaelis-Menten equation to the net transport of newly-formed dopamine allowed the identification of a saturable (carrier-mediated transfer) and a non-saturable component (diffusion). No significant differences in the diffusional rate of transfer(0.14 +/- 0.02 micro mol-1) were observed between the four experimental groups. However, the saturable outward transfer of dopamine (Vmax, in micromol mg-1 protein h-1; Km in microM) was higher in control animals(Vmax= 2.3 +/- 0.2; Km = 568 +/- 67) than that in rats treated with L-NAME for 14 days (Vmax = 0.8 +/- 0.02;Km = 241 +/- 21), but similar to that observed in rats receiving L-NAME plus L-arginine (Vmax= 2.4+/- 0.2; Km= 618 +/- 61); the saturable dopamine outward rate of transfer in rats given L-NAME for 7days (Vmax = 3.9 +/- 0.2; Km = 1006 +/- 32) was higher than in controls.6. In conclusion, the present studies show that the hypertensive response resulting from the long-term administration of L-NAME is accompanied by an increased urinary excretion of dopamine and 5-hydroxytryptamine, which appears to follow an enhanced activity of renal AAAD. The observation that the increased AAAD activity can be reversed by the administration of L-arginine to L-NAME treated rats favours the view that the adaptational response which results in an enhanced AAAD activity probably involves a decrease in the generation of nitric oxide.

Long-term administration of 1,3-dipropyl-8-sulphophenylxanthine (DPSPX) alters alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated effects at the pre- but not at the postjunctional level.

The present investigation was undertaken to see whether a long-term inhibition of adenosine receptors--leading to hypertension--interferes with alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated modulation of noradrenaline release. Rat tail arteries were removed from normal and from hypertensive animals obtained by chronic treatment with intraperitoneally infused DPSPX (1,3-dipropyl-8-sulphophenylxanthine) or orally administered L-NAME (NG-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester). To study prejunctional effects, the influence of UK-14,304 (5-bromo-6(imidazoline-2-ylamino)-quinoxaline) and yohimbine on the overflow of tritium evoked by electrical stimulation (100 V; 1 Hz; 2 ms; 5 min) from tissues preloaded with 3H-noradrenaline was analysed. To study postjunctional effects, concentration-response curves to UK-14,304 were determined. In DPSPX-treated rats there was an enhancement of the prejunctional effects of UK-14,304: its Ec30% was reduced from 381 (250; 579) to 85 (73; 99) nmol.l-1 (n = 5; P < 0.05) and its maximal effect--expressed as percent reduction of tritium overflow-increased from 45 +/- 5% to 61 +/- 5% (n = 6; P < 0.05). In L-NAME-treated rats there was no change in either of these two parameters. At the postjunctional level, there was no change in the sensitivity to UK-14,304 in tissues from either DPSPX- or L-NAME-treated rats. Yohimbine (10-1000 nmol.l-1) caused a concentration-dependent increase of tritium overflow evoked by electrical stimulation in both control and hypertensive animals (either DPSPX- or L-NAME-treated).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Isosorbide 5-mononitrate reverses high blood pressure in NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester treated rats.

1. The present study has evaluated the effect of iosorbide 5-mononitrate (IS-5-MN) and L-arginine on blood pressure profile during chronic administration of the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). 2. After a 7 day period of stabilization, normotensive male Wistar rats (n = 10) were selected and given L-NAME (50 micrograms/ml) in drinking water. Control rats (n = 10) were studied simultaneously for direct comparison of cardiovascular parameters. Blood pressure (systolic, SBP; diastolic, DBP) and heart rate were measured using a photoelectric tail cuff pulse detector; SBP and DBP were, in normotensive rats 106 +/- 2 and 78 +/- 2 mmHg (n = 10), respectively. The average water consumption per animal was about 35 ml/day resulting in a mean intake of L-NAME of about 10 mg/kg/day. 3. Twenty four hours after exposure to L-NAME, both SBP and DBP were found to be increased by 20 mm Hg; heart rate slightly decreased. During the next 13 days both SBP and DBP increased progressively reaching 170 +/- 3 and 116 +/- 3 mm Hg, respectively. 4. On day 14, six animals of either group were sacrificed and the heart, kidneys, liver, spleen, mesenteric and caudal arteries, brain stem, hypothalamus and parietal cortex were taken from determination of noradrenaline and dopamine content; blood from the renal vein was also collected and plasma concentrations of noradrenaline, adrenaline and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylethylglycol (DOPEG) determined.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Brief transient ischemia induces long-term depletion of norepinephrine without affecting the aromatic amino acid decarboxylase and monoamine oxidase activities in the rat kidney.

Renal artery occlusion (RAO) for 30, 60 or 90 sec was found to reduce norepinephrine tissue levels in both the cortex and medulla of the rat, respectively, by 2 to 5%, 56 to 65% and 92 to 97%, but no significant change in dopamine tissue levels was found to occur. Similar effects were obtained with occlusion of the aorta proximally to the renal arteries for 90 sec. Administration of superoxide dismutase (40 mg/kg) immediately before RAO resulted in a marked protection of the norepinephrine depletion effect as caused by transient ischemia. The sodium-dependent formation of dopamine and 3,4-dihydroxyphenylacetic acid, the deaminated metabolite of dopamine, in renal slices loaded with L-3,4-dihydroxyphenylalanine (50 microM) was found to be similar in denervated and control kidneys. Type A and B monoamine oxidase activities were measured with the deamination of two specific substrates, respectively, [3H]-5-hydroxytryptamine and [14C]-beta-phenylethylamine, in homogenates of the renal cortex and renal medulla; neither type of monoamine oxidase, A or B, was found to be affected by denervation. The renal tissues collected for morphological observation were those in which RAO was performed for 90 sec. The general structure of the renal cortex was not affected by RAO, being similar in the control and the denervated kidney. In conclusion, the results presented suggest that the tissue damaging effect produced by RAO appears to be selective for the renal sympathetic innervation and seems to involve the generation of some reactive oxygen species, namely superoxide.