title: Nitric oxide donation lowers blood pressure in adrenocorticotrophic hormone-induced hypertensive rats.
abstract: Adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) elevates systolic blood pressure (SBP) and lowers plasma reactive nitrogen intermediates in rats. We assessed the ability of NO donation from isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) to prevent or reverse the hypertension caused by ACTH. In the prevention study, male Sprague Dawley rats were treated with ACTH (0.2 mg/kg/day) or saline control for 8 days, with either concurrent ISDN (100 mg/kg/day) via the drinking water or water alone. Animals receiving ISDN via the drinking water were provided with nitrate-free water for 8 hours every day. In the reversal study ISDN (100 mg/kg) or vehicle was given as a single oral dose on day 8. SBP was measured daily by the indirect tail-cuff method in conscious, restrained rats. ACTH caused a significant increase in SBP compared with saline (P < 0.0015). In the prevention study, chronic administration of ISDN (100 mg/kg/day) did not affect the SBP in either group. In the reversal study, ISDN significantly lowered SBP in ACTH-treated rats at 1 and 2.5 hours (132 +/- 3 mmHg (1 h) and 131 +/- 2 mmHg (2.5 h) versus 143 +/- 3 mmHg (0 h), P < 0.002), but not to control levels. It had no effect in control (saline treated) rats. In conclusion, the lowering of SBP by NO donation is consistent with the notion that ACTH-induced hypertension involves an impaired bioavailability or action of NO in vivo.
authors.affiliation: High Blood Pressure Research Unit, The John Curtin School of Medical Research, The Australian National University, Canberra, Australia.
authors.forename: Miles C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Andrews
authors.forename: Christopher G
authors.initials: CG
authors.lastname: Schyvens
authors.forename: Yi
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Katja U S
authors.initials: KU
authors.lastname: McKenzie
authors.forename: Judith A
authors.initials: JA
authors.lastname: Whitworth
mesh_terms: D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001835:Body Weight / Q000187:drug effects; D006973:Hypertension / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000188:drug therapy*; D007548:Isosorbide Dinitrate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008297:Male; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D012965:Sodium Chloride; D000324:Adrenocorticotropic Hormone; D007548:Isosorbide Dinitrate