title: Calcium handling by vascular myocytes in hypertension.
abstract: Calcium ions (Ca2+) trigger the contraction of vascular myocytes and the level of free intracellular Ca2+ within the myocyte is precisely regulated by sequestration and extrusion mechanisms. Extensive evidence indicates that a defect in the regulation of intracellular Ca2+ plays a role in the augmented vascular reactivity characteristic of clinical and experimental hypertension. For example, arteries from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) have an increased contractile sensitivity to extracellular Ca2+ and intracellular Ca2+ levels are elevated in aortic smooth muscle cells of SHR. We hypothesize that these changes are due to an increase in membrane Ca2+ channel density and possibly function in vascular myocytes from hypertensive animals. Several observations using various experimental approaches support this hypothesis: 1) the contractile activity in response to depolarizing stimuli is increased in arteries from hypertensive animals demonstrating increased voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel activity in hypertension; 2) Ca2+ channel agonists such as Bay K 8644 produce contractions in isolated arterial segments from hypertensive rats and minimal contraction in those from normotensive rats; 3) intracellular Ca2+ concentration is abnormally increased in vascular myocytes from hypertensive animals following treatment with Ca2+ channel agonists and depolarizing interventions, and 4) using the voltage-clamp technique, the inward Ca2+ current in arterial myocytes from hypertensive rats is nearly twice as large as that from myocytes of normotensive rats. We suggest that an alteration in Ca2+ channel function and/or an increase in Ca2+ channel density, resulting from increased channel synthesis or reduced turnover, underlies the increased vascular reactivity characteristic of hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, University of Michigan, Ann Arbor 48109-0622, USA. rtostes@usp.br
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Tostes
authors.forename: D W
authors.initials: DW
authors.lastname: Wilde
authors.forename: L M
authors.initials: LM
authors.lastname: Bendhack
authors.forename: R C
authors.initials: RC
authors.lastname: Webb
mesh_terms: D001498:3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism*; D002120:Calcium Channel Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D015220:Calcium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014655:Vascular Resistance
chemical_list: D002120:Calcium Channel Agonists; D015220:Calcium Channels; D001498:3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-5-nitro-4-(2-(trifluoromethyl)phenyl)-, Methyl ester; D002118:Calcium