title: Effect of diabetes on aortic nitric oxide synthesis in spontaneously hypertensive rats; does captopril modulate this effect?
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent regulator in the cardiovascular system; it is generated by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) family of proteins. NO produced in endothelial cells plays a crucial role in vascular functions. The aim of this study was to clarify the effect of diabetes on aortic NO synthesis in a model of genetic hypertension and determine whether captopril modulates this effect. Diabetes was induced in ten weeks old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) by streptozotocin injection. The rats were allocated into 3 groups: control group 1, non-diabetic SHR; group 2, diabetic SHR; group 3, diabetic SHR group receiving captopril at 80 mg/kg in drinking water for 4 weeks. Mean blood pressure (MBP) was measured once a week by tail-cuff method. Aortic NO metabolities (nitrite/nitrate) and endothelial NOS (NOS-3) were assayed by Griess reaction and by immunoblotting and immunohistochemistry, respectively. There was a significant decrease in nitrite/nitrate (NOx) in aortas of diabetic SHR compared with controls. The decrease of aortic NOx in diabetic SHR was accompanied by a decrease in NOS-3 expression. Captopril treatment reduced MBP without affecting either NOx level or NOS-3 expression in aortas of diabetic SHR. We conclude that STZ-induced diabetes decreased NO in aortas of SHR that may reflect endothelial cell dysfunction; captopril administration decreased MBP without affecting NO level in aortas of diabetic SHR which suggest that the blood pressure-lowering effects of captopril were independent of NO.
authors.affiliation: Department of Drug Information and Communication, Graduate School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Chiba University, 1-8-1, Inohana, Chiba City, 260-8675, Japan.
authors.forename: Mohamed A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Ibrahim
authors.forename: Tetsuto
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kanzaki
authors.forename: Shin-ichi
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Yamagata
authors.forename: Nobunori
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Satoh
authors.forename: Shiro
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Ueda
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism*; D002216:Captopril / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003921:Diabetes Mellitus, Experimental / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000201:enzymology; D008297:Male; D009566:Nitrates / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D009573:Nitrites / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR
chemical_list: D009566:Nitrates; D009573:Nitrites; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D002216:Captopril; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496316:Nos3 protein, rat