title: Endothelial dysfunction in spontaneously hypertensive rats: focus on methodological aspects.
abstract: Despite the apparent consensus on the existence of endothelial dysfunction in conduit and resistance arteries of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), a commonly employed experimental model of hypertension, there are a number of reports showing that endothelium-dependent vasodilatory responses are similar, or even increased, in SHR compared with their normotensive counterparts. The present paper aims to discuss the rationale for these apparent discrepancies, including the effect of age, type of artery and methodological aspects. Data from the literature indicate that the age of the animal is a contributing factor and that endothelial dysfunction is likely to be a consequence of hypertension. In addition, the use of antioxidant additives, such as ascorbic acid or ethylene diaminetetraacetic acid, and differences in the level of initial arterial stretch, might also be of importance because they may modify the oxidative status of the artery and the levels of vasoactive factors released by the endothelium.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Normal and Pathological Physiology Slovak Academy of Sciences, Centre of Excellence for Cardiovascular Research, Bratislava, Slovak Republic.
authors.forename: Iveta
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Bernatova
authors.forename: M Victoria
authors.initials: MV
authors.lastname: Conde
authors.forename: Jana
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Kopincova
authors.forename: M Carmen
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: González
authors.forename: Angelika
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Puzserova
authors.forename: Silvia M
authors.initials: SM
authors.lastname: Arribas
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000975:Antioxidants / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D001205:Ascorbic Acid / Q000378:metabolism / Q000494:pharmacology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004492:Edetic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000473:pathology*; D006973:Hypertension; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism; D018384:Oxidative Stress; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D013045:Species Specificity
chemical_list: D000975:Antioxidants; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D004492:Edetic Acid; D001205:Ascorbic Acid