This Article Full Text (PDF) Alert me when this article is cited Alert me if a correction is posted Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Request Permissions Citing Articles Citing Articles via HighWire Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Hano, T. Articles by Rho, J. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Hano, T. Articles by Rho, J.

Hypertension, Vol 14, 44-53, Copyright © 1989 by American Heart Association

ARTICLES

Norepinephrine overflow in perfused mesenteric arteries of spontaneously hypertensive rats

T Hano and J Rho
Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Medicine, University of Southern California, Los Angeles 90033.

We examined the overflow of endogenous norepinephrine with electrical stimulation, the associated pressor response, and rate of initial neuronal uptake of [3H]norepinephrine in perfused mesenteric arteries of 7- and 13-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar- Kyoto (WKY) rats. The tissues of two rats, a spontaneously hypertensive and a WKY control rat, were simultaneously processed and subjected to the same electrical stimulation. Both absolute and fractional overflow of endogenous norepinephrine during periarterial nerve stimulation (5 and 10 Hz for 1 minute) in the tissue of 7-week-old SHR was significantly greater whereas overflow of 13-week-old SHR was equivalent as compared with that of the age-matched WKY rats. The tissue content of norepinephrine was 20-25% higher in SHR of both ages. There was significantly enhanced [3H]norepinephrine uptake in the tissues of young SHR, but no difference was observed in the older SHR. The pressor response to periarterial nerve stimulation was significantly enhanced in 7-week-old SHR and much more so at the older age as compared with the WKY control rats. Exogenous norepinephrine dose-response curves in the tissues of 7-week-old SHR exhibited a parallel leftward shift, characteristic of a change in sensitivity, whereas that of 13-week-old SHR showed a much steeper slope as compared with the respective WKY control rats. This finding suggests that in addition to smooth muscle supersensitivity, structural alterations had occurred in vasculature of 13-week-old SHR. These data indicate that in SHR both the exocytotic release of norepinephrine and the responsiveness of the vascular smooth muscle cells are enhanced in the developmental stage of hypertension whereas smooth muscle supersensitivity to norepinephrine and nonspecific structural alterations primarily contribute to the maintenance of hypertension at 13 weeks of age.

This article has been cited by other articles:

				T. Nagayama, T. Matsumoto, M. Yoshida, M. Suzuki-Kusaba, H. Hisa, T. Kimura, and S. Satoh Role of cholinergic receptors in adrenal catecholamine secretion in spontaneously hypertensive rats Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, October 1, 1999; 277(4): R1057 - R1062. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]

				H. Sasajima, H. Shima, Y. Toyoda, K. Kimura, A. Yoshikawa, T. Hano, and I. Nishio Increased Ca2+ sensitivity of contractile elements via protein kinase C in {alpha}-toxin permeabilized SMA from young spontaneously hypertensive rats Cardiovasc Res, October 1, 1997; 36(1): 86 - 91. [Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]