title: Increased barium influx and potassium current in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: Arterial potassium permeability is increased in hypertension. In this study we conducted voltage-clamp experiments to determine whether the whole-cell K+ current is increased in a Ca(2+)-dependent manner in aortic smooth muscle cells from stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). Aortic cells from Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and SHRSP demonstrated an outward rectifying current elicited by depolarization. The current was carried primarily by K+, because intracellular Cs+ replacement eliminated more than 97% of the current. The current density was higher (P < .05) in SHRSP cells at positive potentials. In the presence of LaCl3 (200 mumol/L) or tetraethylammonium (10 mmol/L), the residual current was similar in WKY and SHRSP cells. Also, the current density did not differ between WKY and SHRSP cells in which the intracellular Ca2+ concentration was clamped at zero. Fura 2 ratio measurement showed similar resting myoplasmic Ca2+ concentration (Ca2+m) in WKY and SHRSP cells (100 +/- 10 versus 117 +/- 9 nmol/L, P = .2). Under low extracellular Na+ conditions, which had a minimal effect on Ca2+m, Ba2+ replacement of Ca2+ caused a continuous and approximately linear increase in the fura 2 ratio, which was twofold faster in SHRSP cells. Because Ca2+ pumps do not transport Ba2+ and Na(+)-Ca2+ exchange was inhibited by low extracellular Na+, this increase reflected unidirectional Ba2+ influx.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Vascular Cell Biophysics Laboratory, Dalton Cardiovascular Research Center, School of Medicine, University of Missouri, Columbia.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Liu
authors.forename: A W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Jones
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Sturek
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001464:Barium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics*; D002118:Calcium / Q000493:pharmacokinetics; D004594:Electrophysiology; D008297:Male; D011188:Potassium / Q000502:physiology*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR / Q000235:genetics* / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY
chemical_list: D001464:Barium; D011188:Potassium; D002118:Calcium