title: Effect of preventive and regressive isosorbide 5-mononitrate treatment on catecholamine levels in plasma, platelets, adrenals, left ventricle and aorta in cyclosporin A-induced hypertensive rats.
abstract: Increased vascular reactivity associated with cyclosporin A (CsA)-induced arterial hypertension might result from increased vasoconstriction and/or decreased vasodilatation. The administration of organic NO donors could have beneficial effects by the NO-cGMP reposition, but there is the risk of sympathetic nervous system worsening by neuro-hormonal counter-regulation. We evaluate the effect of preventive and regressive (curative) isosorbide 5-mononitrate (Is-5-Mn) treatment on blood pressures and on plasma, platelets, adrenals, left ventricle and aorta norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) contents, assessed by HPLC, in CsA-induced hypertensive rats. Five rat groups were tested: control (orange juice), CsA (5 mg/kg/day) and Is-5-Mn (150 mg/kg/day, bid) groups were treated for 7 weeks; preventive group (Is-5-Mn+CsA): Is-5-Mn during 2 weeks plus 7 weeks of Is-5-Mn+CsA; regressive group (CsA+Is-5-Mn): CsA during 7 weeks plus 5 weeks of CsA+Is-5-Mn. The increased BP in the CsA group was prevented, but was not reverted, by concomitant Is-5-Mn treatment. In the CsA-treated rats, there was a noticeable decrease in left ventricle NE and E contents and aorta NE levels and a moderate increase in circulating catecholamines, without significant effect in the adrenals values. When Is-5-Mn was preventively used, the CsA-induced effect on left ventricle and aorta was prevented. Concomitantly, however, the plasma-platelet catecholamine balance was disrupted, accumulating NE in plasma, whereas E increased in aorta, mimic the single Is-5-Mn-treated group. In opposition, in the group used as regressive Is-5-Mn therapy, the adrenals contents were higher compared with the CsA-group and, simultaneously, the CsA-evoked effects on circulating, left ventricle and aorta catecholamines were not reverted. In conclusion, regressive Is-5-Mn therapy was unable to attenuate CsA-induced catecholamine changes and BP values even worsened. On the contrary, preventive Is-5-Mn treatment prevented the catecholamine changes on left ventricle and aorta, but increased plasma NE and aorta E accumulation. Even though with those effects, hypertension development was totally prevented, suggesting that peripheral SNS per se cannot fully explain CsA-induced hypertension. Furthermore, Is-5-Mn might produce beneficial effects only if preventively employed but, considering the changes on peripheral catecholamine contents, a judicious evaluation of the nitrate therapy impact is recommended in order to avoid further deleterious effects.
authors.affiliation: Therapeutics Unit, Institute of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics, Medicine Faculty, Coimbra University, 3004-504 Coimbra, Portugal.
authors.forename: Flávio
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Reis
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Rocha
authors.forename: Luísa
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Ponte
authors.forename: Teresa
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Alcobia
authors.forename: Luís
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Almeida
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Costa-Almeida
authors.forename: Frederico
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Teixeira
mesh_terms: D000311:Adrenal Glands / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001792:Blood Platelets / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002395:Catecholamines / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D018890:Chemoprevention; D016572:Cyclosporine / Q000009:adverse effects*; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D006973:Hypertension / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000378:metabolism / Q000517:prevention & control*; D007548:Isosorbide Dinitrate / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000627:therapeutic use; D008297:Male; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000627:therapeutic use*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D002395:Catecholamines; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D016572:Cyclosporine; D007548:Isosorbide Dinitrate; C030397:isosorbide-5-mononitrate