ENDOTHELIUM-DERIVED RELAXING FACTORS IN THE KIDNEY OF SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS

Acetylcholine (ACh)-induced vasodilation is mainly due to endothelium-derived nitric oxide (ENDO) and hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). To explore the mechanisms underlying attenuated endothelium-dependent vasodilation in hypertensive arteries, we measured the EDNO released from isolated kidneys of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) using a sensitive chemiluminescence assay system of NO. ACh-induced renal vasodilation was significantly smaller in SHR than in the normotensive control, Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). However, ACh-induced NO release did not differ between SHR and WKY (10(-7) M: SHR +37+/-2 [SE] vs. WKY +32+/-4 fmol/min/g kidney). Perfusion with a 20 mEq/L high-K+ buffer, which is reported to inhibit action of EDHF, significantly reduced ACh-induced vasorelaxation in WKY but not in SHR, resulting in identical renal perfusion pressure in SHR and wKY under these conditions. These results indicate that attenuated ACh-induced vasorelaxation in the SHR kidney may be attributed to a decrease in EDHF rather than that in EDNO.