title: Beta-adrenergic receptor alterations in hypertension--physiological and molecular correlates.
abstract: In hypertensive animals, there is physiological and biochemical evidence that beta-adrenergic responsiveness is diminished. In contrast, in man the physiological evidence of reduced beta-adrenergic responsiveness is not completely convincing and few biochemical studies have been reported. The lymphocyte has been widely used as a model for the human beta-adrenergic receptor complex. In studies comparing young normotensive and mild hypertensive subjects we demonstrated a reduction in beta-adrenergic mediated adenylate cyclase activity in lymphocytes from hypertensive subjects. A parallel reduction in beta-adrenergic receptor affinity for agonists was also seen. These changes are consistent with a functional uncoupling of the receptor from the adenylate cyclase complex. To determine the role of dietary sodium intake on beta-adrenergic receptor properties in hypertension we studied lymphocytes from hypertensive and normotensive subjects fed either a low (10 mequiv.) or high (400 mequiv.) NaCl diet. We demonstrated that a low NaCl diet corrected the defect in lymphocyte beta-adrenergic responsiveness in hypertension. These studies emphasize the utility of biochemical approaches to the study of alterations in beta-adrenergic responsiveness in human hypertension and suggest an important role of dietary sodium in the reduction in beta-adrenergic responsiveness in the hypertensive state.
authors.affiliation: Department of Internal Medicine, University of Iowa College of Medicine, Iowa City 52242.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Feldman
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D011943:Receptors, Adrenergic, beta