Upregulation of platelet L-arginine – nitric oxide pathway after exercise training in hypertension

2012 ◽  
Vol 90 (4) ◽  
pp. 501-505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cristiane Matsuura ◽  
Tatiana M.C. Brunini ◽  
Wanda V. Mury ◽  
Angelica B. Garcia-Pinto ◽  
Jorge J. Carvalho ◽  
...  

We investigated whether physical exercise can affect platelet L-arginine – nitric oxide pathway in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Sixteen male SHR and 16 Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) were divided among exercise (EX) and sedentary (SED) groups. After 20 weeks of treadmill training, systolic blood pressure (mm Hg) was significantly lower in exercised spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR/EX; 138 ± 8) than in sedentary spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR/SED; 214 ± 9). Exercise significantly increased platelet L-arginine transport (pmol L-arginine·(109 cells)–1·min–1), assessed by incubation with L-[3H]-arginine, in both WKY (SED, 0.196 ± 0.054 compared with EX, 0.531 ± 0.052) and SHR (SED, 0.346 ± 0.076 compared with EX, 0.600 ± 0.049). Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity (pmol L-citrulline·(108 cells)–1), measured by the conversion of L-[3H]-arginine to L-[3H]-citrulline, was significantly increased in SHR/EX (0.072 ± 0.007) compared with SHR/SED (0.038 ± 0.007), but no changes were observed in WKY. The iNOS and eNOS protein levels assessed by Western blot were not affected by exercise. This upregulation of the platelet L-arginine–NO pathway may attenuate the risk of thromboembolic events, supporting the role of exercise in hypertension management.

1990 ◽  
Vol 259 (5) ◽  
pp. H1455-H1462 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. G. Mayhan

The goal of this study was to determine whether responses of the basilar artery are altered during chronic hypertension. We measured the diameter of the basilar artery using intravital microscopy in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Acetylcholine (10 microM) dilated the basilar artery by 25 +/- 4% (means +/- SE) in WKY but by only 2 +/- 2% in SHR. Bradykinin (1.0 microM) dilated the basilar artery by 12 +/- 1% in WKY, but did not alter diameter in SHR (-0.1 +/- 2%). In contrast, nitroglycerin produced similar vasodilatation in WKY and SHR. Next, we examined the possibility that impaired vasodilatation in SHR may be related to the production of a cyclooxygenase constrictor substance. Indomethacin (10 mg/kg iv) did not restore vasodilatation in response to acetylcholine and bradykinin in SHR. Finally, we examined the role of nitric oxide in dilatation of the basilar artery in response to acetylcholine and bradykinin in WKY. NG-Monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA; 1.0 microM) had little effect on baseline diameter but inhibited vasodilation in response to acetylcholine and bradykinin. Vasodilatation in response to nitroglycerin was not altered by L-NMMA. These findings suggest a profound impairment of endothelium-dependent dilatation of the basilar artery during chronic hypertension. In addition, impaired vasodilatation is not related to the production of a cyclooxygenase constrictor substance. Furthermore, dilatation of the basilar artery in WKY in response to acetylcholine and bradykinin appears to be related to the production of nitric oxide or a substance capable of liberating nitric oxide.


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.


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