title: Reduced adenosine deaminase activity in the CNS of spontaneously-hypertensive rats.
abstract: The activity of adenosine deaminase (ADA) has been measured in the hypothalamus, pons medulla and cerebral cortex from 30-day-old and 100-day-old spontaneously-hypertensive rats (SHR) and age-matched WKY controls. At 100 days there was a significant reduction in ADA activity in the hypothalamus (18.0%), pons medulla (20.6%) and cerebral cortex (14.7%). In 30-day-old SHR animals (prior to the development of significant hypertension) no significant changes were seen in the cerebral cortex or pons medulla but there was a small but significant reduction in ADA activity in the hypothalamus (9.2%). There was no significant reduction in the ADA activity in heart or kidney. Extracts of 100-day-old pons medulla which had been briefly heated to destroy endogenous ADA activity did not differentially affect the activity of exogenous purified ADA.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Sydney, NSW 2006, Australia.
authors.forename: L P
authors.initials: LP
authors.lastname: Davies
authors.forename: J W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Hambley
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Johnston