title: Down-regulation of renal glutathione synthesis by systemic nitric oxide synthesis inhibition in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: Nitric oxide stimulates in vitro the synthesis of glutathione, an abundant thiol with a number of functions such as detoxification of xenobiotics and reactive oxygen species. In order to study this relationship in an animal model of hypertension, we treated spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) either with a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or with a nitric oxide donor isosorbide-5-mononitrate (IS-5-MN). Inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis led to malignant hypertension and to a marked decrease in glutathione synthesis through down-regulation of the rate-limiting enzyme gamma-glutamylcysteine synthetase (GCS). The reduction in GCS activity was further augmented in SHR on a high sodium diet. Renal GCS activity in untreated SHR was 234 +/- 14 and 240 +/- 18 nmol/min/mg protein (mean +/- SD) on a low and high sodium diet, respectively. When L-NAME was included in the diet, the activities dropped to 173 +/- 28 and 123 +/- 28 for the low and high sodium diets, respectively. IS-5-MN attenuated the rise in blood pressure induced by sodium chloride, but did not affect the GCS activity. The mechanism of GCS stimulation by nitric oxide is not known, but our results combined with the literature suggest that a relatively high concentration of nitric oxide is needed.
authors.affiliation: Hospital for Children and Adolescents, Helsinki University Central Hospital, Finland. levonen@helsinki.fi
authors.forename: A L
authors.initials: AL
authors.lastname: Levonen
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Laakso
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Vaskonen
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Mervaala
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Karppanen
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Lapatto
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D015536:Down-Regulation; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005978:Glutathione / Q000096:biosynthesis* / Q000378:metabolism; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism*; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D005978:Glutathione; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester