Abstract
Recent studies indicate that norepinephrine-induced contractile oscillations in the tail artery from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) may be a vascular phenomenon independent of blood pressure level. The objectives of this study were: (1) to characterize pharmacologically the α-adrenoceptor mediating norepinephrine-induced oscillations in tail artery; and (2) to investigate the relationship between blood pressure level, altered by treatments with hydralazine/hydrochlorothiazide or the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor ramipril, and the observation of norepinephrine-induced oscillations in tail artery. The α2-adrenoceptor agonists clonidine and guanabenz potently stimulated oscillatory contractions in the tail artery while the α1-adrenoceptor agonists phenylephrine and methoxamine were considerably less potent. Yohimbine, an α2-adrenoceptor antagonist, but not the α1-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin demonstrated high affinity for the receptor mediating norepinephrine-induced oscillatory contractions. These results support the hypothesis that norepinephrine-induced oscillatory contractions in the tail artery from SHRSP occur primarily through stimulation of α2-adrenoceptors. Ramipril lowered blood pressure in SHRSP after 4 weeks of treatment during 6-10 weeks of life but did not alter the ability of the α2-adrenoceptor agonist clonidine (10-5 M) to induce contractile oscillations in tail arteries from SHRSP, indicating these oscillations are not a secondary effect of high blood pressure. These studies suggest that norepinephrine-induced oscillations in tail artery from SHRSP may be a vascular trait separate and distinct from blood pressure level and angiotensin II expression early in life.
Original language | English (US) |
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Pages (from-to) | 245-253 |
Number of pages | 9 |
Journal | European Journal of Pharmacology |
Volume | 242 |
Issue number | 3 |
DOIs | |
State | Published - Oct 5 1993 |
Externally published | Yes |
Keywords
- Adrenoceptors
- Genetic hypertension
- Oscillation
- Ramipril
ASJC Scopus subject areas
- Pharmacology