Altered Neuropeptide Concentrations in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats: Cause or Consequence?

1985 ◽  
Vol 68 (1) ◽  
pp. 35-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Gaida ◽  
R. E. Lang ◽  
K. Kraft ◽  
Th. Unger ◽  
D. Ganten

1. Changes in brain neuropeptide content in spontaneously hypertensive rats may be primarily related to the development of hypertension or may be secondary consequences of it. 2. We have measured brain concentrations of β-endorphin, Leu-enkephalin, arginine vasopressin (AVP) and oxytocin (OXT) in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and in age-matched normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) controls, as well as in SHRSP with normalized blood pressure by chronic treatment with clonidine. Opioid peptide contents were measured in 12-, 18- and 24-week-old rats. β-Endorphin was measured in the neuro-intermediate and anterior lobes of the pituitary, the hypothalamus, midbrain and brain stem; Leu-enkephalin in the neuro-intermediate lobe of the pituitary, hypothalamus, mid-brain, brain stem, as well as in the spinal cord and adrenal glands. AVP and OXT were measured in the neuro-intermediate lobe of the pituitary, hypothalamus, brain stem and spinal cord. 3. β-Endorphin in the neuro-intermediate lobe of the pituitary was significantly higher in 12- and 18-week-old SHRSP. Adrenal gland Leu-enkephalin was lower in SHRSP as compared with the WKY. 4. OXT and AVP contents were markedly reduced in all brain regions of SHRSP except the neuro-intermediate lobe of the pituitary, where no significant changes were found. 5. In no case did long-term antihypertensive treatment with clonidine reverse the altered peptide content in the SHRSP. 6. We conclude that alterations in brain neuropeptide content in SHRSP are not secondary to hypertension. The blood pressure lowering activity of clonidine appears not to depend on major alterations of peptide concentrations. A genetic defect in the synthesis of adrenal enkephalins and hypothalamic OXT and AVP seems likely from these studies.

1982 ◽  
Vol 242 (4) ◽  
pp. H496-H499 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Rascher ◽  
R. E. Lang ◽  
T. Unger ◽  
D. Ganten ◽  
F. Gross

In stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY), arginine vasopressin (AVP) was measured by means of a radioimmunoassay in the plasma, the pituitary gland, the hypothalamus, and the brain stem. In 6- and 14-wk-old SHRSP, the plasma concentration of AVP was lower than in age-matched WKY (P less than 0.01), whereas it was elevated at 28 wk of age (P less than 0.01). In the pituitary of 6-wk-old SHRSP, AVP was higher than in WKY (P less than 0.05), but no such difference was found in older rats. In the hypothalamus and the brain stem, AVP content was reduced in all age groups of SHRSP. Plasma osmolality was diminished in 28-wk-old SHRSP only (P less than 0.01), whereas hematocrit in all age groups was higher in SHRSP than in WKY. It is concluded that the secretion of AVP and possibly its synthesis in the hypothalamus are reduced in SHRSP. Whether the reduced AVP content in the brain stem is related to the sustained elevation of blood pressure has to be studied further.


1991 ◽  
Vol 81 (1) ◽  
pp. 107-112 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. Fujito ◽  
M. Yokomatsu ◽  
N. Ishiguro ◽  
H. Numahata ◽  
Y. Tomino ◽  
...  

1. The purpose of this study was to determine the effect of dietary Ca2+ intake on blood pressure and erythrocyte Na+ transport in spontaneously hypertensive rats. 2. Spontaneously hypertensive rats and Wistar-Kyoto rats were fed diets with three different Ca2+ contents, 0.1% (low-Ca2+ diet), 0.6% (normal-Ca2+ diet) and 4.0% (high-Ca2+ diet), between 6 and 20 weeks of age. At 20 weeks of age, the levels of erythrocyte Na+ efflux, as well as Na+ and K+ contents in erythrocytes, were measured. 3. On the low-Ca2+ diet, spontaneously hypertensive rats showed an enhancement of hypertension. Conversely, on the high-Ca2+ diet, they showed an attenuation of the increase in blood pressure. Spontaneously hypertensive rats had a lower erythrocyte Na+ content and increased activity of the Na+ pump at higher levels of dietary Ca2+. Passive Na+ permeability and Na+-K+ co-transport were similar in spontaneously hypertensive rats on the low-, normal- and high-Ca2+ diets. There were no significant differences in blood pressure and in Na+ pump activity in WKY on the three different diets. 4. It is concluded that dietary Ca2+ might affect the regulation of blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats by changing the activity of Na+ pump in the cell membrane.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (4) ◽  
pp. H1250-H1253 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Verma ◽  
S. Bhanot ◽  
J. H. McNeill

To determine the relationship between hyperinsulinemia and hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), the antihyperglycemic agent metformin was administered to SHR and their Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) controls, and its effects on plasma insulin levels and blood pressure were examined. Five-week-old rats were started on oral metformin treatment (350 mg.kg-1.day-1, which was gradually increased to 500 mg.kg-1.day-1 over a 2-wk period). Metformin treatment caused sustained decreases in plasma insulin levels in the SHR (27.1 +/- 2.3 vs. untreated SHR 53.5 +/- 2.7 microU/ml, P < 0.001) without having any effect in the WKY (30.7 +/- 2.2 vs. untreated WKY 37.8 +/- 1.6 microU/ml, P > 0.05). The treatment did not affect the plasma glucose levels in any group. Metformin treatment also attenuated the increase in systolic blood pressure in the SHR (157 +/- 6.0 vs. untreated SHR 196 +/- 9.0 mmHg, P < 0.001) but had no effect in the WKY (134 +/- 3 vs. untreated WKY 136 +/- 4 mmHg, P > 0.05). Furthermore, raising plasma insulin levels in the metformin-treated SHR to levels that existed in the untreated SHR reversed the effect of metformin on blood pressure (189 +/- 3 vs. untreated SHR 208 +/- 5.0 mmHg, P > 0.05). These findings suggest that either hyperinsulinemia may contribute toward the increase in blood pressure in the SHR or that the underlying mechanism is closely associated with the expression of both these disorders.


1995 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoyoshi Minami ◽  
Yutaka Imai ◽  
Jun-Ichiro Hashimoto ◽  
Keishi Abe

1. The aim of this study was to clarify the extent to which vascular nitric oxide contributes to basal blood pressure in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats and normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats. 2. The contribution of vascular nitric oxide to maintenance of blood pressure was estimated by measuring the pressor response to an intravenous injection of nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, Nω-l-arginine methyl ester, given after serial injections of captopril, vasopressin V1-receptor antagonist (V1-antagonist) and ganglion blocker (pentolinium) in conscious spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar Kyoto rats aged 20–28 weeks. To estimate the ‘amplifier property’ of hypertrophied vasculature in spontaneously hypertensive rats, which is known to modulate pressor responses, the lower blood pressure plateau after serial injections of captopril, V1-antagonist and pentolinium and the maximum blood pressure elicited by subsequent injection of increasing doses of phenylephrine were also measured. 3. The serial injections of captopril, V1-antagonist and pentolinium decreased mean arterial pressure from 164 ± 9 mmHg to 67 ± 2 mmHg and from 117 ± 2 mmHg to 49 ± 1 mmHg in spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar Kyoto rats respectively. The subsequent injection of Nω-l-arginine methyl ester restored mean arterial pressure almost to its control levels in both spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar Kyoto rats. The absolute changes in mean arterial pressure elicited by Nω-l-arginine methyl ester were significantly greater in spontaneously hypertensive than in Wistar Kyoto rats (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference in the responses to Nω-l-arginine methyl ester when they were expressed as percentages of either the lower blood pressure plateau or maximum blood pressure. 4. These results indicate that basal blood pressure in both spontaneous hypertensive and Wistar Kyoto rats is maintained by a balance between vascular nitric oxide and major pressor systems. They also suggest that the vasodilatory effect of vascular nitric oxide does not differ between spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar Kyoto rats, and that the increased pressor effect of Nω-l-arginine methyl ester in spontaneously hypertensive rats is due to a vascular amplifier mechanism.


2013 ◽  
Vol 31 (10) ◽  
pp. 2025-2035 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michal Behuliak ◽  
Mária Pintérová ◽  
Michal Bencze ◽  
Miriam Petrová ◽  
Silvia Líšková ◽  
...  

1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (2) ◽  
pp. F197-F203 ◽  
Author(s):  
R. Rettig ◽  
H. Stauss ◽  
C. Folberth ◽  
D. Ganten ◽  
B. Waldherr ◽  
...  

We determined whether transplantations of kidneys from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SPSHR) and from normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) alter blood pressure in renal graft recipients. Kidneys taken from seven male SPSHR and seven male WKY rats (blood pressure 186 +/- 4.8 and 111 +/- 3.7 mmHg, respectively) at the age of 20 wk were transplanted, using microsurgical techniques, to bilaterally nephrectomized age-matched male F1 hybrids (blood pressure 136 +/- 2.6 and 138 +/- 6.3 mmHg, respectively) bred from SPSHR and WKY parents. After renal transplantation, blood pressure in recipients of SPSHR kidneys rose to 146 +/- 11.8 (week 2), 163 +/- 16.4 (week 3), 192 +/- 17.1 (week 4), 222 +/- 17.7 (week 5), 221 +/- 12.6 (week 6), 218 +/- 20.3 (week 7), and 239 +/- 9.2 mmHg (week 8). There was no significant change in blood pressure in recipients of WKY kidneys. All rats recovered rapidly from surgery. After renal transplantation, there was a significant increase in daily water intake, a decrease in plasma renin activity, and a slight rise in plasma urea concentration. Our data show that transplantation of kidneys from adult SPSHR causes hypertension in normotensive recipients, indicating a major function for the kidney in SPSHR hypertension.


2014 ◽  
Vol 2014 ◽  
pp. 1-6 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomomi Nagayama ◽  
Yoshitaka Hirooka ◽  
Akiko Chishaki ◽  
Masao Takemoto ◽  
Yasushi Mukai ◽  
...  

Objective.Many previous clinical studies have suggested that atrial fibrillation (AF) is closely associated with hypertension. However, the benefits of antihypertensive therapy on AF are still inconsistent, and it is necessary to explore the factors augmenting AF in hypertensive rats. The aim of the present study was to investigate the correlation between arterial pressure or voltage stimulus and to the duration of electrically induced AF in normotensive or hypertensive rats.Methods.AF was reproducibly induced by transesophageal atrial burst pacing in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). We did the burst pacing at high (20 V) or low (5 V) voltage.Results.Duration of AF did not correlate with systolic blood pressure (SBP) and stimulus voltage in WKY. However, only in SHR, duration of AF with high stimulus voltage significantly correlated with SBP and was significantly longer in high than in low voltage stimulus.Discussion and Conclusion.Duration of AF is augmented by high voltage stimulus with higher blood pressure in SHR.


1985 ◽  
Vol 248 (1) ◽  
pp. H8-H14
Author(s):  
R. P. Crisman ◽  
R. J. Tomanek

We tested the hypothesis that exercise training provides a stimulus that could modify the decrement in mitochondria-to-myofibril volume ratio characteristic of myocardial cells hypertrophied in response to a pressure overload. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were trained 5 days/wk on a treadmill at 70-90% maximal VO2 between the ages of 6 and 16 wk corresponding to the development of hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy. The training program increased maximal VO2 and effected a resting bradycardia but did not alter blood pressure, left ventricular hypertrophy, or peak cardiac output. Our stereological data from electron micrographs shows that the decrement in mitochondrial volume density and the increase in myofibril volume density characteristic of SHR compared with their normotensive controls (WKY, Wistar-Kyoto rats) were reversed. Thus the relative volumes of mitochondria and myofibrils and their ratio in trained SHR were similar to those of the WKY group. The similarity was noted in myocytes from both the subepicardium and subendocardium. These data suggest that exercise training facilitates a proportional growth of energy-producing and energy-consuming organelles in SHR and that this effect is not secondary to modification of blood pressure or left ventricular mass.


1991 ◽  
Vol 260 (1) ◽  
pp. R21-R26 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. Sato ◽  
K. Ando ◽  
E. Ogata ◽  
T. Fujita

We studied the effects of K supplementation (8% KCl) for 4 wk on blood pressure (BP), Na space, and renal hemodynamics in 5-wk-old, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) or age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) eating normal-NaCl (0.66%) or high-NaCl (8%) diet. In WKY, high-Na and/or high-K diets had no effects on BP. In SHR, Na load accelerated the development of hypertension, whereas K supplementation did not affect BP of normal-Na SHR but attenuated the increase in BP with Na load. Correspondingly, Na load in SHR significantly increased renal vascular resistance (RVR), and K supplementation attenuated the increased RVR of Na-loaded SHR. Moreover, Na space of SHR was increased compared with that of WKY, and although Na load did not affect Na space, K supplementation tended to decrease Na space in SHR. These results indicate that 9-wk-old SHR is relatively volume-expanded compared with age-matched WKY, and K supplementation could improve the lowered slope of the pressure-Na excretion relationship in SHR, resulting in maintenance of Na balance. Thus the data suggest that changes in RVR, which might be intimately related to renal function for Na excretion, contribute to both salt sensitivity of SHR and antihypertensive action of K supplementation in Na-loaded SHR.


2003 ◽  
Vol 89 (4) ◽  
pp. 539-548 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sophie Robin ◽  
Véronique Maupoil ◽  
Frédérique Groubatch ◽  
Pascal Laurant ◽  
Alain Jacqueson ◽  
...  

The objectives of the present work were to evaluate the effect of a methionine-supplemented diet as a model of hyperhomocysteinaemia on the systolic blood pressure (BP) and vasomotor functions of aortic rings in Wistar–Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). WKY and SHR rats, randomised into four groups, were fed a normal semisynthetic diet or a methionine (8 g/kg)-supplemented diet for 10 weeks. Systolic BP was measured non-invasively. At the end of the experiment, plasma homocysteine, methionine, cysteine and glutathione levels were determined. Vasoconstriction and vasodilatation of aortic rings were measured. The methionine-supplemented diet induced a significant increase in plasma homocysteine and methionine concentration in both WKY and SHR rats, an increase in plasma cysteine concentrations in WKY rats and an increase in the glutathione concentration in SHR. The systolic BP of WKY rats fed the methionine-supplemented diet increased significantly (P<0·01), whereas systolic BP was reduced in SHR. An enhanced aortic responsiveness to noradrenaline and a decreased relaxation induced by acetylcholine and bradykinin were observed in the WKY rats fed the methionine-enriched diet. In SHR, the bradykinin-induced relaxation was reduced, but the sodium nitroprusside response was increased. In conclusion, a methionine-enriched diet induced a moderate hyperhomocysteinaemia and an elevated systolic BP in WKY rats that was consistent with the observed endothelial dysfunction. In SHR, discrepancies between the decreased systolic BP and the vascular alterations suggest more complex interactions of the methionine-enriched diet on the systolic BP. Further investigations are needed to understand the paradoxical effect of a methionine-rich diet on systolic BP.


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