title: Elastin and elastase-like enzyme change in aorta of rat with malignant hypertension.
abstract: In order to study the role of elastin in arteries with respect to hypertension and hypertensive arterial disease, aortic elastin content and elastase-like enzyme activity were examined and compared in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP), which show malignant hypertension, and Wistar-Kyoto normotensive rats (WKY). The elastin content was lower, whereas the elastase-like activity was higher at 20 weeks of age in SHRSP than in WKY, so that the aortic elastin/enzyme ratio of SHRSP was lower than that in WKY. These differences were not found at 6 weeks of age (prehypertensive stage). For SHRSP anti-hypertensive treatment resulted in lowering the elastase-like activity and in increasing the elastin content in comparison to untreated animals. The subcellular distribution of the elastase-like activity closely correlated with that of 5'-nucleotidase activity, a plasma membrane marker enzyme. The results indicate involvement of a smooth muscle plasmalemmal elastase-like enzyme in vascular connective tissue metabolism in health and possibly also its participation in hypertensive arterial diseases.
mesh_terms: D000375:Aging; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000032:analysis* / Q000201:enzymology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D002462:Cell Membrane / Q000032:analysis / Q000201:enzymology; D004549:Elastin / Q000032:analysis*; D006830:Hydralazine / Q000627:therapeutic use; D006974:Hypertension, Malignant / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D012110:Reserpine / Q000627:therapeutic use
chemical_list: D006830:Hydralazine; D012110:Reserpine; D004549:Elastin; D010196:Pancreatic Elastase