title: The effect of ozone on blood pressure in DOCA-salt-induced hypertensive rats.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Hypertension is a risk factor for the cardiovascular diseases. Ozone as a therapeutic agent for the treatment of several disorders. We aimed to observe the effects of ozone on the blood pressure in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats.
  
  
  METHODS
  Twenty three young Sprague Dawley male rats were divided into three groups; Control (C), Hypertension (H) and Hypertension + Ozone (HO). Hypertension was induced by injection of DOCA-salt (25 mg/kg, s.c.) twice weekly, 4 weeks, whereas intraperitoneal ozone was administered (1.1 mg/kg) for 10 days. Serum endothelin-1, nitric oxide and renin levels were measured with ELISA. Blood pressures were monitored using a tail cuff system. Endothelin-1, ET receptor A and ET receptor B mRNA expression in heart and vascular tissue were assessed by quantitative reverse transcription polymerase chain reaction.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Blood pressure, serum endothelin-1 and ET receptor A mRNA expression levels were increased in H group, whereas serum renin, nitric oxide and ET receptor B mRNA expression levels in the heart and vascular tissue decreased compared with C and HO groups, which were counteracted by ozone treatment.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Ozone treatment decreases blood pressure and is effective in preventing the progression of hypertensive disease, the mechanisms of which are associated with anti-vasoconstrictor effects through reducing the levels of serum endothelin-1 and ET receptor A mRNA expression in the heart and vascular tissue.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Dumlupınar Kütahya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Raziye
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Akcılar
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy, Faculty of Medicine, University of Dumlupınar Kütahya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Sezer
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Akçer
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Dumlupınar Kütahya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Hasan
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Şimşek
authors.affiliation: Experimental Animal Research Center, Faculty of Medicine, University of Dumlupınar Kütahya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Aydın
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Akcılar
authors.affiliation: Department of Biochemistry, Faculty of Arts and Sciences, University of Dumlupınar Kütahya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Zeynep
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Bayat
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, University of Dumlupınar Kütahya, Turkey.
authors.forename: Osman
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Genç
keywords: DOCA-salt; blood pressure; endothelin-1; hypertension; ozone