bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Increased norepinephrine spillover into the jugular veins in essential hypertension.
Authors: Ferrier C , Esler M D , Eisenhofer G , Wallin B G , Horne M , Cox H S , Lambert G , Jennings G L
Published: June 2012

In essential hypertension sympathetic nerve firing is commonly increased. A central nervous system origin has been presumed but not tested directly. To estimate cerebral norepinephrine release in essential hypertension, spillover of norepinephrine into the cerebrovascular circulation was measured by isotope dilution, with high internal jugular venous sampling. Norepinephrine was released into the cerebrovascular circulation in both hypertensive patients and healthy volunteers and was present after administration of the ganglion blocker trimethaphan and in patients with sympathetic nervous failure, indicating that brain neurons and not cerebrovascular sympathetic nerves were the probable source. Although differing among hypertensive patients, norepinephrine spillover on average was higher in the hypertensive patients (153 +/- 41 pmol/min) than in healthy subjects (59 +/- 12 pmol/min; p less than 0.05), and was elevated in six of 17 patients, in whom the accompanying whole body norepinephrine spillover rate was higher than in the remaining 11 patients (p less than 0.01). To test for a possible link between brain norepinephrine release and human sympathetic nervous function, the effect of the tricyclic antidepressant desipramine (0.3 mg/kg i.v.) on both brain and whole body norepinephrine spillover was measured in healthy volunteers. Desipramine lowered the cerebrovascular spillover of norepinephrine, its precursor dihydroxyphenylalanine, and its metabolite dihydroxyphenylglycol by 50-80% and produced a mean fall of 35% in whole body norepinephrine spillover. One interpretation of these results is that human sympathetic nerve firing is dependent on norepinephrine release within the brain and that increased cerebral norepinephrine release may possibly be present in some patients with essential hypertension, underlying their higher sympathetic nerve firing rates.
High calcium diet augments vascular potassium relaxation in hypertensive rats.
Authors: Pörsti I , Arvola P , Wuorela H , Vapaatalo H
Published: June 2012

The effects of increased dietary calcium on the development of hypertension and vascular smooth muscle responses were studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. Both hypertensive and normotensive animals were divided into two groups; the calcium content of the normal diet was 1.1% and that of the high calcium diet 3.1%. During the 12-week study, calcium supplementation significantly attenuated the increase in systolic blood pressure in the hypertensive rats but did not affect blood pressure in the normotensive rats. The contractile responses of endothelium-denuded mesenteric arterial rings to potassium chloride were similar in all study groups. The contractions to norepinephrine were not altered by the high calcium diet either, but smooth muscle sensitivity to this agonist was lower in the normotensive than in the hypertensive rats. Potassium relaxation was used to evaluate the activity of vascular smooth muscle Na+,K(+)-ATPase. The maximal rate of potassium relaxation was fastest in the normotensive groups but was also clearly faster in calcium-treated hypertensive rats when compared with hypertensive rats on a normal diet. Platelets were used as a cell model for the analysis of intracellular free calcium concentration, which was measured by the fluorescent indicator quin-2. Intracellular free calcium was significantly reduced in the hypertensive rats by calcium supplementation and was not affected in the normotensive rats. In conclusion, a reduction of intracellular free calcium concentration indicating improved calcium regulation and a concomitant alteration in vascular relaxation probably reflecting increased activity of smooth muscle Na+,K(+)-ATPase may contribute to the blood pressure-lowering effect of a high calcium diet.
Endothelin stimulated by angiotensin II augments contractility of spontaneously hypertensive rat resistance arteries.
Authors: Dohi Y , Hahn A W , Boulanger C M , Bühler F R , Lüscher T F
Published: June 2012

In cultured endothelial cells, endothelin is produced after stimulation with angiotensin II. The effects of angiotensin II and endothelin-1 on vascular sensitivity to norepinephrine were studied in perfused rat mesenteric resistance arteries. Expression of endothelin messenger RNA (mRNA) was determined in endothelial cells obtained from the mesenteric circulation. Perfusion (5 hours) of the arteries with angiotensin II (10(-7) M) potentiated contractions in arteries with endothelium induced by norepinephrine in spontaneously hypertensive rats but not Wistar-Kyoto rats. The potentiation was inhibited by phosphoramidon and an endothelin antibody. Short-term stimulation (1 hour) with angiotensin II did not cause the potentiation. Stimulation with angiotensin I (10(-7) M; 5 hours) caused a potentiation prevented by captopril. In endothelial cells collected from the mesenteric arterial bed of spontaneously hypertensive rats, endothelin-specific mRNA was constitutively expressed, and the level of endothelin transcripts was increased by angiotensin II (10(-7) M). Threshold concentrations of exogenous endothelin-1 potentiated contractions induced by norepinephrine in arteries with and without endothelium of spontaneously hypertensive rats but not Wistar-Kyoto rats. Thus, angiotensin II stimulates the endothelial production of endothelin in situ and therapy potentiates contractions to norepinephrine in mesenteric resistance arteries of spontaneously hypertensive rats. This suggests that vascular endothelin production acts as an amplifier of the pressor effects of the renin-angiotensin system that may play an important role in hypertension.
Kinins, nitric oxide, and the hypotensive effect of captopril and ramiprilat in hypertension.
Authors: Cachofeiro V , Sakakibara T , Nasjletti A
Published: June 2012

We investigated the role of kinins in the acute depressor effect of captopril and ramiprilat in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Since the vasodepressor action of kinins may be linked to the generation of prostaglandins and endothelium-derived relaxing factors, we also investigated the role of prostaglandins and nitric oxide in the blood pressure reduction caused by angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors. To this end, we contrasted the hypotensive effects of captopril (10 mg/kg i.v.), ramiprilat (2 mg/kg i.v.), and the angiotensin II antagonist DuP 753 (30 mg/kg i.v.) in spontaneously hypertensive rats with and without pretreatment with a kinin antagonist (D-Arg-Arg-Pro-Hyp-Gly-Thi-Ser-D-Phe-Thi-Arg-trifluoroacetic acid) (200 micrograms/kg/min i.v.), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis (NG-monomethyl-L-arginine) (15 mg/kg + 10 mg/kg/hr i.v.), or an inhibitor of prostaglandin synthesis (indomethacin) (10 mg/kg i.v.). The kinin antagonist did not affect blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats but did attenuate the hypotensive effect of captopril and ramiprilat; the kinin antagonist did not minimize the depressor action of DuP 753. The nitric oxide synthesis inhibitor increased blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats and attenuated the hypotensive effect of captopril, ramiprilat, and DuP 753, but it did not impede the hypotensive effect of sodium nitroprusside. Pretreatment of hypertensive rats with indomethacin did not modify the acute hypotensive effect of ramiprilat or captopril. These data suggest a contribution of endogenous kinins and nitric oxide to the acute antihypertensive effect of captopril and ramiprilat in spontaneously hypertensive rats and of nitric oxide to the hypotensive effect of DuP 753.
Aftereffects of exercise on regional and systemic hemodynamics in hypertension.
Authors: Cléroux J , Kouamé N , Nadeau A , Coulombe D , Lacourcière Y
Published: June 2012

Several studies have indicated that a single bout of physical exercise induced a significant antihypertensive effect during the hours after the activity. However, little information is presently available on the underlying hemodynamic changes. We examined 13 essential hypertensive patients and nine normotensive subjects in a randomized, crossover study design during 3 hours after a 30-minute period of upright leg cycling at 50% of peak aerobic capacity and during 3 hours after a 30-minute control period of rest. Blood pressure, heart rate, cardiac output, total peripheral resistance, and regional vascular resistance in the forearm as well as venous plasma catecholamine concentrations were measured repeatedly. After exercise, systolic (-11 +/- 2 mm Hg) and diastolic (-4 +/- 1 mm Hg) blood pressures, total peripheral resistance (-27 +/- 5%), forearm vascular resistance (-25 +/- 6%), and plasma norepinephrine levels (-21 +/- 7%) were significantly (p less than or equal to 0.05) decreased, and cardiac output was increased (+31 +1- 8%) compared with control in hypertensive subjects. In contrast, in normotensive subjects blood pressure, forearm vascular resistance, and plasma norepinephrine were unchanged, and systemic hemodynamics changed to a lesser extent than in hypertensive subjects after exercise. It is concluded that a decrease in regional vascular resistance in skeletal muscles and possibly in the skin in hypertensive patients may contribute importantly to the antihypertensive effect of prior exercise. A decreased sympathetic nervous activity, as seen from lower plasma norepinephrine levels, may be involved in this effect.
Pressor effect of blocking atrial natriuretic peptide in nucleus tractus solitarii.
Authors: Yang R H , Jin H K , Wyss J M , Chen Y F , Oparil S
Published: June 2012

Previous studies have shown that microinjection of atrial natriuretic peptide into the caudal nucleus tractus solitarii produces significant increases in local neuronal firing rate associated with reductions in arterial pressure in anesthetized Wistar rats. Single units excited by microinjection of atrial natriuretic peptide into the caudal nucleus tractus solitarii were also excited by activation of arterial baroreceptors and inhibited by baroreceptor unloading. To test the hypothesis that endogenous atrial natriuretic peptide in caudal nucleus tractus solitarii is involved in the tonic control of blood pressure in the rat, we administered a blocking monoclonal antibody to atrial natriuretic peptide in a volume of 50 nl artificial cerebrospinal fluid via microinjection into the caudal nucleus tractus solitarii of spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats and observed the effects on mean arterial pressure and heart rate. Control injections of monoclonal antibody were administered into the rostral nucleus tractus solitarii, hypoglossal nucleus, spinal trigeminal nucleus, and cuneate nucleus of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Microinjection of monoclonal antibody into the caudal nucleus tractus solitarii caused significant increases in mean arterial pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats but not in Wistar-Kyoto rats. There was no concomitant change in heart rate. Control injections of purified mouse immunoglobulin into the caudal nucleus tractus solitarii and of monoclonal antibody into the control neuronal groups listed above had no effect on mean arterial pressure. These results suggest that endogenous atrial natriuretic peptide in the caudal nucleus tractus solitarii mediates tonic control of blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats but not in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats.
Aldosterone regulation of gene transcription leading to control of ion transport.
Authors: Horisberger J D , Rossier B C
Published: June 2012

Aldosterone, like other steroid hormones, initiates its effects by binding to intracellular receptors; these receptors are then able to control the transcription of several genes. The products of these genes eventually modulate the activity of ionic transport systems located in the apical and the basolateral membrane of specialized epithelial cells, thereby modulating the excretion of Na+ and K+ ions. Considerable progress has been made recently in understanding these mechanisms and the structure of the proteins involved in these processes. A novel principle has been discovered to explain the selective effect of aldosterone on its target epithelia. These tissues exclude competing glucocorticoid hormones by the activity of the 11 beta-hydroxysteroid dehydrogenase to allow aldosterone, an enzyme-resistant steroid, to bind to its receptors. Aldosterone induces numerous changes in the activity of membrane ion transport systems and enzymes and cell morphology. Although the enhancement of Na,K-ATPase synthesis and the increase of the number of active Na+ channels in the apical membrane appear as both direct and primary effects, the mechanisms of the other effects remain to be determined. The knowledge of the primary structure of several elements of the aldosterone response system (e.g., mineralocorticoid receptor and Na,K-ATPase) allows us to understand abnormal regulation of Na+ balance at the molecular level and, potentially, to identify genetic alterations responsible for these defects.
19-Nor-deoxycorticosterone production from aldosterone-producing adenomas.
Authors: Azar S T , Melby J C
Published: June 2012

19-Nor-deoxycorticosterone (19-nor-DOC), a hypertensinogenic mineralocorticoid, equipotent with aldosterone and independent of the renin-angiotensin system, is synthesized in the kidney and excreted in excess in the urine of patients with aldosterone-producing adenomas. This current study evaluated the adrenal and renal venous levels of aldosterone and 19-nor-DOC after adrenal and renal venous catheterization and blood sampling in five patients with aldosterone-producing adenomas. Aldosterone (mean +/- SEM) in the adrenal vein ipsilateral to the tumor (469 +/- 293 ng/dl) was higher than in the contralateral vein (70 +/- 59 ng/dl). 19-Nor-DOC (mean +/- SEM) was also higher in the ipsilateral (548 +/- 286 ng/dl) than in the contralateral (51 +/- 14 ng/dl) adrenal vein. In the renal veins, ipsilateral aldosterone (2.2 +/- 0.8 ng/dl) and 19-nor-DOC (12.2 +/- 2.4 ng/dl) were respectively similar to contralateral aldosterone (1.5 +/- 0.5 ng/dl) and 19-nor-DOC (14.6 +/- 1.3 ng/dl), whereas 19-nor-DOC was higher than aldosterone in each renal vein. The present study demonstrates that 19-nor-DOC is produced, not only from the kidneys, but also from the ipsilateral adrenal of patients with aldosterone-producing adenomas. The ipsilateral adrenal 19-nor-DOC production is comparable to that of aldosterone, suggesting that 19-nor-DOC may be contributing to the hypertension and hypokalemia in this disease. In the contralateral adrenal, aldosterone is suppressed to a greater extent than 19-nor-DOC, suggesting that these two steroids are under the influence of two different regulatory mechanisms.
Effect of antihypertensive therapy on weight loss. The Trial of Antihypertensive Interventions and Management Research Group.
Authors: Davis B R , Oberman A , Blaufox M D , Wassertheil-Smoller S , Hawkins C M , Cutler J A , Zimbaldi N , Langford H G
Published: June 2012

We report the effect of weight changes of the type of antihypertensive medication prescribed in a trial of the relative efficacy of drug and dietary measures in mild hypertension. The Trial of Antihypertensive Interventions and Management studied 878 mildly hypertensive individuals randomly assigned, in a 3 x 3 design, to no diet change, weight loss, or a low sodium-high potassium diet and to placebo, 25 mg chlorthalidone, or 50 mg atenolol. The type of drug prescribed affected weight change with all diets. The drug effect on weight change, present in all groups at 6 months, was most pronounced in those randomly assigned to the weight loss diet, where the placebo group lost 4.4 kg, the atenolol group lost 3.0 kg, and the chlorthalidone group lost 6.9 kg. The group differences were attenuated but persisted at 24 months. We suggest that the antihypertensive drug prescribed affects the success of a conjoint weight loss program and speculate that the difference between the drugs may be due to their intrinsic effects on the sympathetic nervous system and related metabolic changes.
Diabetes mellitus and hypertension.
Authors: Epstein M , Sowers J R
Published: June 2012

Diabetes mellitus and hypertension are common diseases that coexist at a greater frequency than chance alone would predict. Hypertension in the diabetic individual markedly increases the risk and accelerates the course of cardiac disease, peripheral vascular disease, stroke, retinopathy, and nephropathy. Our understanding of the factors that markedly increase the frequency of hypertension in the diabetic individual remains incomplete. Diabetic nephropathy is an important factor involved in the development of hypertension in diabetics, particularly type I patients. However, the etiology of hypertension in the majority of diabetic patients cannot be explained by underlying renal disease and remains "essential" in nature. The hallmark of hypertension in type I and type II diabetics appears to be increased peripheral vascular resistance. Increased exchangeable sodium may also play a role in the pathogenesis of blood pressure in diabetics. There is increasing evidence that insulin resistance/hyperinsulinemia may play a key role in the pathogenesis of hypertension in both subtle and overt abnormalities of carbohydrate metabolism. Population studies suggest that elevated insulin levels, which often occurs in type II diabetes mellitus, is an independent risk factor for cardiovascular disease. Other cardiovascular risk factors in diabetic individuals include abnormalities of lipid metabolism, platelet function, and clotting factors. The goal of antihypertensive therapy in the patient with coexistent diabetes is to reduce the inordinate cardiovascular risk as well as lowering blood pressure.
Androgen-dependent angiotensinogen and renin messenger RNA expression in hypertensive rats.
Authors: Chen Y F , Naftilan A J , Oparil S
Published: June 2012

Our previous studies demonstrated that the sexually dimorphic pattern of hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rat is androgen dependent. Gonadectomy retards the development of hypertension in young males, but not in females, and administration of testosterone propionate to gonadectomized spontaneously hypertensive rats of both sexes confers a male pattern of blood pressure development. The current study tested the hypothesis that renal and hepatic renin and angiotensinogen gene expression are also androgen dependent in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. Male and female spontaneously hypertensive rats underwent gonadectomy or a sham operation at 4 weeks of age. Subgroups of gonadectomized rats of both sexes were implanted with a 15-mm or 30-mm Silastic capsule filled with testosterone at the same time the gonadectomy was performed; a third group received an empty Silastic capsule. Northern and slot blot analyses were used to characterize and quantitate renin and angiotensinogen messenger RNA (mRNA) in the kidney and liver 18 weeks after the gonadectomy. Blood pressure, plasma renin activity, and hepatic angiotensinogen mRNA levels were higher in intact males than in females. Orchidectomy retarded the development of hypertension and lowered plasma renin and renal and hepatic angiotensinogen mRNA levels, and testosterone replacement restored the male pattern of hypertension and plasma renin and increased renal and hepatic angiotensinogen mRNA. Ovariectomy did not alter blood pressure or plasma renin but did lower renal renin and renal and hepatic angiotensinogen mRNA; testosterone increased blood pressure, plasma renin, renal renin and angiotensinogen mRNA, and hepatic angiotensinogen mRNA levels in ovariectomized females.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Renal injury from angiotensin II-mediated hypertension.
Authors: Johnson R J , Alpers C E , Yoshimura A , Lombardi D , Pritzl P , Floege J , Schwartz S M
Published: June 2012

Angiotensin II (Ang II)-mediated hypertension induces vascular smooth muscle cell hypertrophy and hyperplasia in systemic blood vessels, but the effects of Ang II on the intrinsic cell populations within the kidney have been less well characterized. We infused Ang II for 14 days into rats by minipump at doses (200 ng/min) that resulted in moderate hypertension (mean systolic blood pressure 156-172 mm Hg). Small renal arterial vessels of Ang II-infused rats demonstrated focal injury with fibrinoid necrosis and medial hyperplasia, whereas the glomerular capillaries demonstrated only rare segmental hyalinosis. Proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells was pronounced (fourfold to 20-fold increase in [3H]thymidine incorporation) as opposed to a minimal proliferation of glomerular cells in Ang II-infused rats. In contrast, the principal effect of Ang II in glomeruli was to increase the expression of alpha-smooth muscle actin by mesangial cells and desmin by visceral glomerular epithelial cells. Ang II-infused rats also developed focal tubulointerstitial injury, with tubular atrophy and dilation, cast formation, an interstitial monocytic infiltrate, and mild interstitial fibrosis with increased type IV collagen deposition. The injury was associated with a proliferation of distal tubule, collecting duct, and interstitial cells as determined by immunostaining for proliferating cell nuclear antigen, and was accompanied by an increase in platelet-derived growth factor B-chain messenger RNA in the area of interstitial injury as localized by in situ hybridization. Renal interstitial cells also underwent phenotypic modulation in which they expressed alpha-smooth muscle actin. Vehicle-infused control rats displayed no tubular injury, proliferation, or phenotypic modulation. Thus, Ang II in doses that cause moderate hypertension induces marked vascular, glomerular, and tubulointerstitial injury with cell proliferation, leukocyte recruitment, phenotypic modulation with the upregulation of proteins normally associated with smooth muscle cells, and interstitial fibrosis.
Depressor effect of blocking angiotensin subtype 1 receptors in anterior hypothalamus.
Authors: Yang R H , Jin H , Wyss J M , Oparil S
Published: June 2012

Previous studies have shown that the anterior hypothalamic area participates in the centrally mediated pressor response to exogenous angiotensin II. The current study was designed to test the hypothesis that endogenous anterior hypothalamic angiotensin II plays a significant role in blood pressure control. Type 1 angiotensin II receptors in the anterior hypothalamic area were blocked by local microinjection of DuP 753 (2-n-butyl-4-chloro-5-(hydroxymethyl)-1-[(2'-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl) biphenyl-4-yl)methyl]imidazole, potassium salt), a highly selective nonpeptide antagonist. DuP 753 (20 or 40 micrograms; in 100 nl artificial cerebrospinal fluid) or vehicle alone was microinjected into the anterior hypothalamic area of conscious NaCl-sensitive spontaneously hypertensive rats and Wistar-Kyoto controls. DuP 753 caused significant dose-related decreases in mean arterial pressure (maximal decrease, 22.5 +/- 1.8 mm Hg) with unchanged heart rate in NaCl-sensitive spontaneously hypertensive rats but effected no change in Wistar-Kyoto rats. Injections of equal volumes of artificial cerebrospinal fluid into the anterior hypothalamic area had no effect in either strain. Further, microinjection of DuP 753 into the posterior hypothalamic area produced no significant effect on blood pressure or heart rate in NaCl-sensitive spontaneously hypertensive rats. Microinjection into the anterior hypothalamic area of the selective type 2 angiotensin II receptor antagonist PD 123319 did not affect blood pressure or heart rate in NaCl-sensitive spontaneously hypertensive rats.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Orthostatic hypotension in older adults. The Cardiovascular Health Study. CHS Collaborative Research Group.
Authors: Rutan G H , Hermanson B , Bild D E , Kittner S J , LaBaw F , Tell G S
Published: June 2012

The purpose of the present study was to assess the prevalence of orthostatic hypotension and its associations with demographic characteristics, cardiovascular risk factors and symptomatology, prevalent cardiovascular disease, and selected clinical measurements in the Cardiovascular Health Study, a multicenter, observational, longitudinal study enrolling 5,201 men and women aged 65 years and older at initial examination. Blood pressure measurements were obtained with the subjects in a supine position and after they had been standing for 3 minutes. The prevalence of asymptomatic orthostatic hypotension, defined as 20 mm Hg or greater decrease in systolic or 10 mm Hg or greater decrease in diastolic blood pressure, was 16.2%. This prevalence increased to 18.2% when the definition also included those in whom the procedure was aborted due to dizziness upon standing. The prevalence was higher at successive ages. Orthostatic hypotension was associated significantly with difficulty walking (odds ratio, 1.23; 95% confidence interval, 1.02, 1.46), frequent falls (odds ratio, 1.52; confidence interval, 1.04, 2.22), and histories of myocardial infarction (odds ratio, 1.24; confidence interval, 1.02, 1.50) and transient ischemic attacks (odds ratio, 1.68; confidence interval, 1.12, 2.51). History of stroke, angina pectoris, and diabetes mellitus were not associated significantly with orthostatic hypotension. In addition, orthostatic hypotension was associated with isolated systolic hypertension (odds ratio, 1.35; confidence interval, 1.09, 1.68), major electrocardiographic abnormalities (odds ratio, 1.21; confidence interval, 1.03, 1.42), and the presence of carotid artery stenosis based on ultrasonography (odds ratio, 1.67; confidence interval, 1.23, 2.26). Orthostatic hypotension was negatively associated with weight. We conclude that orthostatic hypotension is common in the elderly and increases with advancing age. It is associated with cardiovascular disease, particularly those manifestations measured objectively, such as carotid stenosis. It is associated also with general neurological symptoms, but this link may not be causal. Differences in prevalence of and associations with orthostatic hypotension in the present study compared with others are largely attributed to differences in population characteristics and methodology.
Forearm resistance vessel abnormalities and insulin resistance in obese adolescents.
Authors: Rocchini A P , Moorehead C , Katch V , Key J , Finta K M
Published: June 2012

To determine if structural changes in forearm resistance vessels are associated with insulin resistance, we evaluated the relation between minimum forearm vascular resistance and insulin resistance in 95 obese adolescents before and after weight loss. Insulin resistance was assessed by fasting insulin levels and sum of insulin values after an oral glucose tolerance test in all 95 subjects and whole body glucose uptake during euglycemic hyperinsulinemia in 35 of 95 subjects. Structural changes in forearm vessels were assessed by measurement of minimum forearm vascular resistance during 10 minutes of ischemic exercise. As compared with our normal values, obese adolescents had a significantly (p less than 0.01) decreased maximal forearm blood flow (41.6 +/- 1.4 versus 67.1 +/- 2.4 ml/min/100 ml) and increased minimum forearm vascular resistance (2.9 +/- 0.4 versus 1.6 +/- 0.7 mm Hg/ml/min/100 ml). There was a significant relation (p less than 0.01) between minimum forearm vascular resistance and fasting insulin, sum of insulins, and whole body glucose uptake. After a 20-week weight-loss program, minimum forearm vascular resistance decreased (3.0 +/- 0.3 versus 2.0 +/- 0.2, p less than 0.01), maximal forearm blood flow increased (41 +/- 2.3 versus 57.4 +/- 3.9, p less than 0.01), and forearm volume remained unchanged. We also observed a significant (p less than 0.01) relation between the decrease in minimum forearm vascular resistance and the decrease in fasting insulin (r = 0.29), decrease in sum of insulins (r = 0.42), and increase in whole body glucose uptake (r = 0.63).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Adenosine activates a vascular renin-angiotensin system in hypertensive subjects.
Authors: Taddei S , Virdis A , Favilla S , Salvetti A
Published: June 2012

In vitro data indicate that the activation of A2 adenosine receptors increases renin release by the accumulation of cyclic AMP. Because in human forearm vessels beta-adrenergic receptor stimulation causes the local release of renin and angiotensin II through the increase of cyclic AMP, we evaluated in six essential hypertensive subjects whether adenosine can release vascular angiotensin II. Adenosine was infused into the brachial artery at cumulatively increasing doses (0.5, 1.5, and 5 micrograms/100 ml forearm tissue per minute for 5 minutes each) during saline infusion and in the presence of the adenosine antagonist theophylline (100 micrograms/100 ml forearm tissue per minute for 15 minutes), while venous (ipsilateral deep forearm vein) and arterial (brachial artery) angiotensin II (picograms per milliliter) were measured at the end of each infusion period, and forearm angiotensin II net balance (picograms per minute) was calculated by venous-arterial differences corrected for forearm blood flow (strain-gauge venous plethysmography) and hematocrit. In control conditions, adenosine, at higher doses, caused a dose-dependent vasodilation and increased venous angiotensin II without affecting arterial values; therefore, the calculated angiotensin II net balance showed an adenosine-mediated dose-dependent release. Theophylline pretreatment blunted adenosine-mediated forearm blood flow increments and angiotensin II release. The local origin of angiotensin II was further confirmed in another group of six hypertensive subjects in whom the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor captopril, locally infused at the rate of 2.5 micrograms/100 ml forearm tissue per minute for 15 minutes, abolished the adenosine-mediated venous angiotensin II increments. Our data indicate that exogenous adenosine can stimulate the production of angiotensin II in the forearm vessels of hypertensive patients.
In vivo metabolism of angiotensin I by neutral endopeptidase (EC 3.4.24.11) in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Authors: Yamamoto K , Chappell M C , Brosnihan K B , Ferrario C M
Published: June 2012

We investigated the processing enzymes involved in the formation of circulating angiotensin-(1-7) after intravenous administration of angiotensin I to conscious spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats. Immunoreactive products, including angiotensin I, angiotensin II, and angiotensin-(1-7), were measured in arterial blood by three specific radioimmunoassays. Angiotensin I infusion (2 nmol) induced a rapid increase in immunoreactive angiotensin II and angiotensin-(1-7). Pretreatment with the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor enalaprilat (2 mg/kg) eliminated angiotensin II formation and augmented circulating levels of angiotensin I and angiotensin-(1-7) in spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats. The elevated levels of angiotensin-(1-7) in enalaprilat-treated rats were blocked by concurrent treatment with the neutral endopeptidase (EC 3.4.24.11) inhibitor SCH 39,370 (15 mg/kg) in both strains. Administration of SCH 39,370 alone decreased angiotensin-(1-7) levels in spontaneously hypertensive rats, whereas angiotensin II levels increased in both strains (p less than 0.01). Comparisons of the metabolism of angiotensin I in the two rat strains showed increased formation of angiotensin-(1-7) in spontaneously hypertensive rats not given any of the enzyme inhibitors. In addition, levels of angiotensin I were higher after administration of SCH 39,370 in hypertensive rats. These novel findings reveal that neutral endopeptidase EC 3.4.24.11 participates in the conversion of angiotensin I to angiotensin-(1-7) and in the metabolism of angiotensin II in the circulation of both spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats. Our results suggest that neutral endopeptidase EC 3.4.24.11 is a major enzymatic constituent of the circulating renin-angiotensin system.
Role of cardiac angiotensin II in isoproterenol-induced left ventricular hypertrophy.
Authors: Nagano M , Higaki J , Nakamura F , Higashimori K , Nagano N , Mikami H , Ogihara T
Published: June 2012

Angiotensin II (Ang II) has been shown to induce proliferation of cardiac myocytes. To examine the role of Ang II in left ventricular (LV) hypertrophy, isoproterenol was infused subcutaneously into 9-week-old male Wistar rats at 4.2 mg/kg/day for 7 days. Infusion of isoproterenol increased LV weight and Ang II concentrations in plasma and in LV tissue. In anephric rats, LV weight and tissue Ang II were increased similarly, but plasma Ang II was not changed by isoproterenol. Concomitant oral administration of trandolapril and isoproterenol prevented increases in both LV Ang II and LV weight. Treatment with hydralazine decreased blood pressure in a similar way as trandolapril but did not affect either LV weight or LV Ang II. Plasma Ang II was not decreased by either trandolapril or hydralazine when administered in combination with isoproterenol. These results suggest that cardiac tissue Ang II regulates myocyte growth in isoproterenol-induced LV hypertrophy, and the reduction of Ang II partly explains the prevention of cardiac hypertrophy by the converting enzyme inhibitor.
Induction of endothelin-1 gene by angiotensin and vasopressin in endothelial cells.
Authors: Imai T , Hirata Y , Emori T , Yanagisawa M , Masaki T , Marumo F
Published: June 2012

To elucidate the cellular mechanism of endothelin-1 biosynthesis induced by angiotensin and vasopressin, we first cloned and sequenced full-length bovine preproendothelin-1 complementary DNA (cDNA) from a cultured bovine carotid artery endothelial cell cDNA library. The predicted bovine preproendothelin-1 consists of 202 amino acid residues and has a high percentage of homology to human, porcine, and rat preproendothelin-1 (70%, 81%, and 77%, respectively). Big endothelin-1, an intermediate form, consists of 39 residues differing only at position Val28 from porcine (Ile28) and His27 from rat (Arg27). The predicted 21-residue mature endothelin-1 is identical to human, porcine, rat, canine, and mouse endothelin-1. Northern blot analysis with the cloned cDNA as a probe demonstrated that a single 2.3-kb preproendothelin-1 messenger RNA (mRNA) is expressed not only in endothelial cells, but also in various bovine tissues, including lung, brain, heart, intestine, kidney, ovary, and urinary bladder. Angiotensin II and arginine vasopressin immediately and dose-dependently induced expression of preproendothelin-1 mRNA, whose effects were abolished by specific receptor antagonists. These findings suggest that stimulation of endothelin-1 secretion from endothelial cells by both agonists may be principally due to induction of preproendothelin-1 mRNA.
Angiotensin II and renal functional reserve in rats with Goldblatt hypertension.
Authors: De Nicola L , Keiser J A , Blantz R C , Gabbai F B
Published: June 2012

We have previously demonstrated that loss of renal functional reserve (renal response to protein loading) in two-kidney, one clip Goldblatt hypertension is characterized by no change in glomerular filtration rate or single nephron glomerular filtration rate and decreased absolute proximal tubular reabsorption during glycine administration. Captopril restores proximal reabsorption and renal functional reserve in this condition. Because captopril suppresses angiotensin II generation and increases bradykinin, prostaglandins, and potentially nitric oxide, we have investigated the role of angiotensin II blockade in restoring proximal reabsorption and renal functional reserve by comparing captopril with DuP 753, an angiotensin II receptor antagonist, in Goldblatt rats. One month after clipping, two period micropuncture studies (control and glycine) were performed on the unclipped kidney. Normal rats and three groups of clipped rats were studied: an untreated group (HYP), a group treated with captopril (CEI), and a group treated with DuP 753 (DuP) 5 days before micropuncture. Glycine increased glomerular filtration rate, nephron plasma flow, and single nephron glomerular filtration rate in normal rats. Systemic and glomerular hypertension in HYP rats was associated with loss of renal functional reserve and a decrease in absolute proximal reabsorption during glycine. Captopril and DuP 753 normalized systemic and glomerular capillary pressure and prevented the decrease in proximal reabsorption during glycine; however, only CEI rats increased single nephron glomerular filtration rate and glomerular filtration rate after glycine. In conclusion, abnormal responses of both glomerular and tubular function are responsible for the loss of renal functional reserve in Goldblatt rats. Inhibitory angiotensin II activity is responsible for decreasing proximal reabsorption during glycine; however, factors other than angiotensin II limit the glomerular response to glycine.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Renal vascular reactivity in the young spontaneously hypertensive rat.
Authors: Collis M G , DeMey C , Vanhoutte P M
Published: June 2012

The renal resistance vessels of the mature spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) exhibit increased reactivity to vasoconstrictor agonists. This could be a cause or consequence of hypertension. We have compared vascular reactivity in isolated perfused kidneys from 46-day-old SHR and from normotensive control rats. The amplitude of responses in kidneys from the SHR to angiotensin II, barium chloride, or norepinephrine was not different from the control. Therefore, increased reactivity of the renal vascular smooth muscle cannot be an early pathogenic mechanism in spontaneous hypertension. Responses evoked by 5-hydroxytryptamine (serotonin) were of a greater amplitude in the SHR than in the control kidney. However, this difference was due to an interaction of serotonin with the sympathetic nerves, as it was abolished by treatment of the rats with 6-hydroxydopamine. Responses induced by electrical stimulation of the renal sympathetic nerves were also of greater amplitude in SHR than in control kidneys, both before and after the blockade of norepinephrine disposition mechanisms. Nerve stimulation evoked a greater efflux of endogenous norepinephrine from kidneys of the SHR than from those of control rats. Thus, the increased reactivity of the SHR kidney to renal nerve stimulation is due to an augmented release of endogenous norepinephrine. This could be an important factor in the early development of hypertension.
Chronic propranolol treatment inhibits sympathetic nerve activity and keeps blood pressure from rising in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Authors: Takeda K , Buñag R D
Published: June 2012

When D,L-propranolol, 100 mg/kg/day, was added to the drinking water of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), systolic pressures measured with the tail-cuff method fell significantly within 1 month and were almost the same as those in normotensive controls (KNR) by the end of 3 months. This antihypertensive effect was later confirmed by direct recording of phasic aortic pressures from indwelling catheters. Blood pressure was lowered selectively only in SHR and not in KNR; by contrast, body weight, fluid intake, and heart rate always decreased whether the rats were hypertensive or not. Because pressor responses to hypothalamic stimulation in SHR treated with propranolol were reduced while those to injected norepinephrine were unaltered, a peripheral inhibition of cardiovascular reactivity was considered unlikely. Supporting the interpretation that diminished pressor responsiveness was caused by concurrent reduction of sympathetic vasomotor activity, frequency of spike potentials recorded from abdominal sympathetic nerves was appreciably lessened in propranolol-treated SHR, as was the vasodepression resulting when autonomic ganglia were pharmacologically blocked with pentolinium. These findings are consistent with the conclusion that prolonged oral administration of propranolol prevents development of spontaneous hypertension in rats by reducing sympathetic vasomotor tons.
Effects of long-term blockade of angiotensin converting enzyme with captopril (SQ14,225) on hemodynamics and circulating blood volume in SHR.
Authors: Koike H , Ito K , Miyamoto M , Nishino H
Published: June 2012

Male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), 13 weeks old, received oral administration of captopril (SQ14,225) daily at a dose of 10 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg; or water at 2 ml/kg, for 6 weeks. Captopril suppressed the development of hypertension slightly at the lower dose and completely at the higher dose. At 6 weeks of dosing, hemodynamic parameters were measured by the tracer microsphere method and blood volume by the dilution method using 51Cr erythrocytes. Cardiac output (CO) increased and mean blood pressure decreased in a dose-dependent manner; thus, total peripheral resistance decreased. Cerebral and renal blood flows increased in a dose-dependent manner while blood flow to other organs tended to increase or remained unchanged. There was no significant differences in the circulating blood volume among the three groups. In conclusion, long-term blockade of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) with captopril dilated blood vessels in the whole body, especially in the brain and kidney, and lowered blood pressure without causing plasma expansion or tachycardia.
Blood pressure responses of conscious normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats to intracerebroventricular and peripheral administration of captopril.
Authors: Hutchinson J S , Mendelsohn F A , Doyle A E
Published: June 2012

In conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats, intraxerebroventricular injection of captopril (2 mg/kg) resulted in a rapid hypotensive response that lasted several hours. The same dose given by intracerebroventricular injection had no significant effect on blood pressure (BP) of normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WK) rats over 7 hours. There was no significant change in BP of conscious spontaneously hpertensive rats (SHR) in response to intracerebroventricular injection of vehicle and only a transitory fall in BP in response to intravenous injection of captopril (2 mg/kg). There was no significant differences between plasma renin activity (PRA) of conscious normotensive WKY rats and the PRA of SHR. These results suggest biochemical differences between the brains of SHR and normotensive WKY control rats. These differences could involve the brain renin-angiotensin system or other neuropeptides.
Comparison of sodium and potassium intake with excretion.
Authors: Schachter J , Harper P H , Radin M E , Caggiula A W , McDonald R H , Diven W F
Published: June 2012

Nine well-motivated adults, knowledgeable about nutrition, kept food records, saved food portions equal to what had been eaten, and collected 24-hour urine samples for 3 consecutive days. Estimates of sodium and potassium intake were calculated from food table analyses of written food records and from flame photometric analyses of food portions. For each subject the mean of the estimates for each of the 3 days was compared with the mean of urine analyses for sodium and potassium for each of the 3 days. For the group of nine subjects, the average estimate of sodium intake from analyses of food records was 11% lower than the average estimate of urinary sodium excretion; the average estimate of sodium intake from analysis of food portions was 2% higher than urinary sodium excretion. For individuals, there were large differences between estimates of intake and measurement of sodium excretion. For the group of nine subjects, the average estimate of potassium intake from analysis of food records was less than 1% lower than the average estimate of potassium urinary excretion; the average estimate of potassium intake from analysis of food portions was 13% higher than potassium urinary excretion. For individuals, as with sodium, there were large differences between estimates of intake and measurement of potassium excretion.
The antihypertensive effect of captopril. Evidence for an influence of kinins.
Authors: Mimran A , Targhetta R , Laroche B
Published: June 2012

The acute effect of the orally-active converting enzyme inhibitor, captopril, was compared to that of saralasin in 13 patients with various forms of hypertension on ad libitum sodium intake. A significant difference between the effects of the two drugs on mean arterial pressure (MAP) was found (-11 +/- 3 mm Hg with saralasin, -24 +/- 4.5 mm Hg after captopril). This difference was not correlated with control plasma renin activity (PRA). To determine the influence of the endogenous kallikrein-kinin system in the antihypertensive action of captopril, the effect of aprotinin (Apro), an inhibitor of kinin generation, on the MAP level achieved by captopril was assessed in five normal subjects and 15 patients with hypertension on ad libitum sodium intake. In normal subjects, captopril did not alter MAP, nor did Apro have any effect. In six patients with essential hypertension and normal PRA, MAP decreased by 5.5 +/- 2 mm Hg following captopril, and Apro did not modify this level. In nine patients with renovascular hypertension (RVH), MAP fell by 22 +/ 3 mm Hg after captopril administration, and Apro infusion induced a rise in MAP of 13 +/- 1.7 mm Hg. A positive correlation between log control PRA and the effect of aprotinin was obtained ( r = 0.63, p less than 0.005). Apro had no effect in two patients with RVH who experiences a large drop in MAP during salasin. These results suggest that endogenous kinins as well as other substances, the generation of which is inhibited by aprotinin, may participate to the antihypertensive effect of captopril in patients with angiotensin-dependent hypertension. The lack of an aprotinin effect on the MAP level achieved during saralasin infusion suggests that the influence of the kallikrein-kinin system is related to the effect of captopril rather than the fall in arterial pressure resulting from angiotensin blockade.
Increased systolic pressure in chronic uremia. Role of arterial wave reflections.
Authors: London G , Guerin A , Pannier B , Marchais S , Benetos A , Safar M
Published: June 2012

To assess the role of arterial wave reflections in the mechanism of systolic hypertension and altered pulsatile arterial dynamics in patients with end-stage renal disease (ESRD), 79 ESRD patients were compared with 73 age-matched control subjects with normal renal function and similar mean blood pressure. Wave reflections were investigated from the carotid pulse contour recorded by applanation tonometry using a Millar micromanometer-tipped probe. Wave reflections were quantified as the ratio (augmentation index, %) of the height of the late systolic peak to the total height of carotid pulse wave. Travel time of the reflected wave was timed from the foot of the pressure wave to the foot of the late systolic peak. Systolic and pulse pressure were increased in ESRD patients (p less than 0.001) and was not attributable to differences in left ventricular ejection pattern. The augmentation index was increased in ESRD patients (23.2 +/- 15.0 versus 9.8 +/- 15.6%; p less than 0.001) in association with a shorter travel time of reflected wave (109 +/- 24 versus 131 +/- 30 msec; p less than 0.001). Multiple regression analysis showed two principal factors associated (p less than 0.001) with the increase in augmentation index and shortened travel time of reflected wave: increased aortic pulse wave velocity and smaller stature with shorter body height in ESRD patients. The study points to the role of arterial wave reflections in the mechanisms producing alterations in pulsatile arterial dynamics in ESRD and is the first, through the mechanisms of early wave reflections, to show in humans that the increase in systolic and pulse pressures is associated with lesser body size.