title: Nitric oxide release from kidneys of hypertensive rats treated with imidapril.
abstract: To examine whether endothelial dysfunction in hypertension is reversible or not, we studied the effects of imidapril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, on nitric oxide release in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats. After a 4-week treatment with imidapril (1 or 10 mg/d SC) or vehicle, acetylcholine-induced vasodilation and nitric oxide release in the isolated kidneys were determined. Nitric oxide release was measured by a chemiluminescense assay. Imidapril lowered blood pressure in stroke-prone SHR in a dose-dependent manner. Untreated stroke-prone SHR exhibited significantly attenuated responses to acetylcholine (10(-8) mol/L) of both renal perfusion pressure (stroke-prone SHE 42 +/- 4% versus Wistar-Kyoto rats [WKY] 58 +/- 4% [mean +/- SE], P < .01) and nitric oxide release (stroke-prone SHR +7.6 +/- 2.1 versus WKY +29.7 +/- 9.7 fmol/min per gram of kidney wt, P < .01). Imidapril at 10 mg/d significantly increased acetylcholine-induced renal vasodilation and nitric oxide release in stroke-prone SHR (renal perfusion pressure, 56 +/- 3%; nitric oxide release, +27.1 +/- 6.4 fmol/min per gram of kidney wt; both P < .01 versus stroke-prone SHR treated with vehicle). On the other hand, imidapril neither decreased blood pressure nor changed nitric oxide release induced by acetylcholine in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. Staining for endothelial nitric oxide synthase and brain nitric oxide synthase was clearly detected in the kidneys of both stroke-prone SHR and WKY, whereas staining intensity was weaker in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. Inducible nitric oxide synthase immunoreactivity was barely noticeable in any type of rat. Thus, imidapril restored endothelial damage by pressure-dependent mechanisms. Most of the nitric oxide detected in the perfusate seemed to be derived from constitutive nitric oxide synthase.
authors.affiliation: The Second Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Hirata
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Hayakawa
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Kakoki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Tojo
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Suzuki
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kimura
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Goto
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kikuchi
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Nagano
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Hirobe
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Omata
mesh_terms: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism*; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D048289:Imidazolidines; D015918:Infusion Pumps, Implantable; D007668:Kidney / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR
chemical_list: D000806:Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors; D007093:Imidazoles; D048289:Imidazolidines; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C065166:imidapril