title: [Effect of adrenomedullin on renal arteriole remodeling in spontaneous hypertensive rats].
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To investigate the effect of adrenomedullin (ADM) on renal arteriole remodeling and phosphorylation of extracellular signal-regulated protein kinases 1/2 (p-ERK1/2) in spontaneous hypertensive rats (SHR).
  
  
  METHODS
  Male SHR (4 weeks old) were randomized into hypertensive group (SHR) and ADM-treated group (ADM) to receive subcutaneous saline and ADM injections (daily dose of 1.0 nmol/kg, 5 days a week), respectively, with age-matched Wistar-Kyota (WKY) rats as the blank control. The systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured at the end of each week, and histological changes of the renal arterioles were observed using HE and Weigert staining; the expression of P-ERK1/2 in the arterioles was detected with immunohistochemistry and Western blotting.
  
  
  RESULTS
  At 16 and 24 weeks of age, the rats in both SHR and ADM groups showed significantly higher SBP levels than WKY rats (P<0.05), and at 24 weeks, SBP was significantly lower in ADM group than in SHR group (P<0.05). The intima thickness/lumen diameter (IT/LD) ratio of the renal arterioles increased in both SHR and ADM groups at 16 and 24 weeks as compared with that of WKY rats (P<0.05), and for arterioles with an outer diameter <40 µm, the IT/LD ratio was significantly lower at 24 weeks in ADM group than in SHR group (P<0.05). The renal expression of p-ERK1/2, which increased significantly in SHR and ADM groups at 16 and 24 weeks (P<0.05), was significantly lower in ADM group than in SHR group at 24 weeks (P<0.05).
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Long-term ADM treatment can control SPB elevation in SHR rats and reduce renal arteriole remodeling by inhibiting the phosphorylation of ERK1/2.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pathology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Ningxia Medical University, Yinchuan 750004, China.E-mail: myzz2001@126.com.
authors.forename: Shaomin
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Wei
authors.forename: Jianzhong
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Lingdi
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Yang
authors.forename: Yue
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Chang
authors.forename: Fengying
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Guo
authors.forename: Li
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Jing
mesh_terms: D053607:Adrenomedullin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001160:Arterioles / Q000187:drug effects*; D001794:Blood Pressure; D006973:Hypertension; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply; D008297:Male; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 / Q000378:metabolism; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3 / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D066253:Vascular Remodeling
chemical_list: D053607:Adrenomedullin; D019950:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1; D048052:Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3