Hypothalamic and plasma total nitrate/nitrite concentrations in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Stable end-products of nitric oxide (NO) metabolism, nitrates and nitrites, were measured in hypothalamic extracts and plasma samples of Okamoto spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats. The mean total nitrate/nitrite concentration was significantly lower in the hypothalami of SH rats compared with the normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) control animals (P < 0.01). In contrast, their plasma concentrations were significantly higher (P < 0.05). These results indicate that the hypertensive state in SH rats is associated with a diminished production of hypothalamic NO, while the raised plasma nitrate/nitrite levels could reflect an increased compensatory endothelial NO synthase activity in these animals compared with the WKY controls.
Department of Chemical Pathology, Charing Cross and Westminster Medical School, London, UK.
J
J
Alaghband-Zadeh
I
I
Das
M R
MR
Hanson
C A
CA
MacGregor
H E
HE
de Wardener
J F
JF
Laycock
D000818:Animals; D006973:Hypertension / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D009566:Nitrates / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D009573:Nitrites / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY
D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites