Signal transduction in animal models of normotension and hypertension

Organic anion transporter 3 inhibitors as potential novel antihypertensives

Hypertension is an exceedingly common disease with potentially devastating complications. Unfortunately, existing treatments are often only partially effective, indicating the utility of the development of novel therapeutics. It has recently been discovered that loss of renal organic anion transporter 3 (Oat3) results in decreased blood pressure. This suggests (regardless of the underlying mechanisms, which are, as yet, unclear) that inhibition of Oat3 function might also decrease blood pressure, and, therefore, that inhibitors of Oat3 might serve as novel drugs in the treatment of hypertension. In support of this hypothesis, it has been found that at least some potent Oat3 inhibitors can lower blood pressure. These recent findings are discussed in the context of the alternating access model that has been proposed for organic anion transporter function, with particular attention to the little-appreciated phenomenon of trans-inhibition.

The effect of experimental diabetes on the twenty-four-hour pattern of the vasodilator responses to acetylcholine and isoprenaline in the rat aorta

The aim of this study was to investigate whether time-dependent variations in the relaxant effect of acetylcholine, an endothelium-dependent vasorelaxant via muscarinic receptors, and isoprenaline, a nonselective beta-adrenoceptor agonist in rat aorta, are influenced by streptozotocin (STZ)-induced experimental diabetes. Adult male rats were divided randomly into two groups: control and STZ-induced (STZ, 55 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) diabetes. The animals were synchronized to a 12:12 h light-dark cycle (lights on 08:00 h) and sacrificed at six different times of day (1, 5, 9, 13, 17, and 21 hours after lights on; HALO) eight weeks after STZ injection. The in vitro responsiveness of thoracic aorta rings obtained from control and diabetic rats to acetylcholine (10(-9)-10(-5) M) and isoprenaline (10(-10)-10(-3) M) was determined in six different times. EC(50) (the concentration inducing half of the maximum response) values and maximum responses were calculated from cumulative concentration-response curves of the agonists and were analyzed with respect to time and STZ treatment. Treatment, time, and interactions between treatment and time were tested by two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA). To analyze differences due to biological time, one-way ANOVA was used. STZ treatment did not significantly change EC(50) values or maximum responses for both agonists. There were statistically significant time-dependent variations in the EC(50) values for isoprenaline and maximum responses for both acetylcholine and isoprenaline in control groups by one-way ANOVA, but significant time-dependent variations disappeared in the aortas isolated from STZ-induced diabetic rats. The vasodilator responses to acetylcholine and isoprenaline failed to show any significant interaction (treatmentxtime of study) between STZ treatment and time of sacrifice in both EC(50) values and maximum responses by two-way ANOVA. These results indicate there is a basic temporal pattern in the responses to acetylcholine and isoprenaline in rat aorta which continues in diabetes. It is shown for the first time that experimental diabetes does not change the 24 h pattern of responses to acetylcholine and isoprenaline, and that time-dependent variations in the responses to these agonists disappear in diabetic animals. Although further studies are required to define the underlying mechanism(s) of these findings, results suggest that experimental diabetes can modify the time-dependent vasorelaxant responses of rat aorta. This may help to understand the circadian rhythms in cardiovascular physiology and pathology or in drug effects in diabetes.

L-type Ca(2+) channel regulation by pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide in vascular myocytes from spontaneously hypertensive rats

Pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), a vasoactive peptide, modulates the L-type Ca(2+) channel current (L channel current) in vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) through activation and integration of two intracellular pathways, protein kinase A and protein kinase C (PKC). In the present study we compared the effects of PACAP on the L channel current in VSMC from the spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive controls, Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). We found that compared with WKY, VSMC from SHR had a higher L channel current density. Stimulation by PACAP (10 nM) caused an increase in the amplitude of the whole cell current and prolonged open time in VSMC from SHR and WKY, with the increase greater in SHR. These effects of PACAP on the L channel current was mimicked by an activator of PKC. In contrast, PACAP caused a smaller increase in cAMP accumulation in VSMC from SHR than WKY, and there was no difference in the inhibitory effect of 8-bromo-cAMP on the L channel current from both type of cells. The greater increase in amplitude of the L channel current by PACAP in VSMC from SHR persisted in the presence of adenosine cyclic 3',5'-monophosphothioate, Rp-isomer, a cAMP antagonist, but not calphostin C, a PKC inhibitor. Taken together, our results show an increase in L channel current density and an enhanced PACAP effect on the L channel current in VSMC from SHR compared with WKY. This difference in PACAP response appears to be predominately secondary to an increased PKC sensitivity.

Day-night variation in the in vitro contractility of aorta and mesenteric and renal arteries in transgenic hypertensive rats

TGR(mREN2)27 (TGR) rats develop severe hypertension and an inverted circadian blood pressure profile with peak blood pressure in the day-time rest phase. The present study investigated the in vitro responsiveness of different arteries of TGR rats during day and night. Twelve-week-old TGR rats and normotensive Sprague-Dawley (SPRD) controls, synchronized to 12h light, 12h dark (LD 12:12) (light 07:00-19:00), were killed at 09:00 (during rest) and 21:00 (during activity), and endothelium-dependent relaxation by acetylcholine and vascular contraction by angiotensin II were studied by measuring isometric force in ring segments of abdominal aorta and mesenteric and renal arteries. In SPRD rats, consistent day-night variation was found, with greater responses to angiotensin II during the daytime rest span. In TGR rats, biological time-dependent differences were found in the renal vasculature, but not in the aorta and mesenteric artery. Relaxation of SPRD rat aorta and mesenteric artery by acetylcholine was greater at 09:00, whereas in TGR rats, day-night variation was absent (mesenteric artery) or inverted (aorta). In conclusion, based on the study of two time points, day-night variation in vascular contractility of aorta and mesenteric artery is blunted in TGR rats, whereas renal artery segments showed an unchanged day-night pattern compared to SPRD controls.

Effect of vitamin C on ambulatory blood pressure and plasma lipids in older persons

OBJECTIVES

To determine the effect of oral vitamin C supplements on ambulatory blood pressure and plasma lipids.

DESIGN

A 6-month double-blind randomized placebo-controlled cross-over study with a 1 -week washout between cross-over periods.

METHODS

Vitamin C 500 mg daily or matching placebo was given to 40 men and women aged between 60 and 80 years for 3 months each in a cross-over fashion. Clinic and 24-h ambulatory blood pressure, plasma ascorbate and lipids were measured at baseline and at the end of each cross-over phase.

RESULTS

Clinic blood pressure did not change between placebo and vitamin C phases. Daytime ambulatory blood pressure showed a small but significant fall in systolic blood pressure (2.0 +/- 5.2 mmHg; 95% confidence interval 0-3.9 mmHg) but not in diastolic blood pressure. Regression analysis showed that with increasing baseline daytime blood pressure the fall in blood pressure with vitamin C supplementation increased. Regression analysis of the change in high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol showed a significant effect of sex on the change in HDL cholesterol. In women, but not men, HDL cholesterol increased significantly by 0.08 +/- 0.11 mmol/l, P=0.007. There was no change in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol between treatment periods.

CONCLUSION

In older adults high intakes of ascorbic acid have modest effects on lowering high systolic blood pressure, which could contribute to the reported association between higher vitamin C intake and lower risk of cardiovascular disease and stroke.

Effects of amlodipine once or twice daily on circadian blood pressure profile, myocardial hypertrophy, and beta-adrenergic signaling in transgenic hypertensive TGR(mREN2)27 rats

The effects of amlodipine on blood pressure profiles, cardiac hypertrophy, and beta-adrenergic signal transduction were studied in transgenic hypertensive TGR(mREN2)27 rats (TGRs), which are characterized by an inverse circadian blood pressure rhythm. Cardiovascular parameters were monitored by radiotelemetry; beta-adrenoceptor density and function were measured by radioligand binding and by determination of beta-adrenergic stimulation of adenylyl cyclase. Ventricular weight and the activity of cardiac sarcolemmal 5-nucleotidase were used as measures of hypertrophy. Acute i.p. injection of amlodipine (1, 3, 10 mg/kg body weight) either at 8:00 or at 20:00 h dose-dependently reduced blood pressure irrespective of the dosing time. For long-term treatment, TGRs were divided into three groups: untreated; amlodipine, once-daily, 5 mg/kg; and amlodipine, twice daily, 2.5 mg/kg. Both treatment schedules resulted in decreased 24 h means in systolic and diastolic blood pressure and a reduction in ventricular hypertrophy but had no effects on cardiac beta-adrenergic signaling. Once-daily dose of amlodipine at 8:00 h decreased blood pressure predominantly during the daily resting period of the rats, whereas twice-daily dosing induced a bimodal blood pressure pattern. However, even after 5 weeks of treatment, typical circadian profiles could not be observed with either treatment, indicating a short duration of action of amlodipine in rats. Thus it remains an open question whether pharmacologic normalization of the circadian blood pressure pattern in TGRs will more effectively reduce myocardial hypertrophy and restore beta-adrenergic signaling than a reduction in 24-h blood pressure per se.

Twenty-four-hour variations in the effect of nitrodilators in rat aorta: lack of influence of the endothelium

Time-dependent variations of the vasodilator effects of sodium nitroprusside and glyceryl trinitrate on isolated smooth muscle have been studied on rings of rat thoracic aorta, both endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded. For most of the concentrations of sodium nitroprusside used the induced relaxations were significantly dependent on the time the tissues were obtained. However, significant temporal differences were obtained for glyceryl trinitrate-induced relaxations at lower concentrations only for both endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded preparations. EC50 values of sodium nitroprusside and glyceryl trinitrate (i.e. the concentrations inducing half the maximum response) were also significantly different and they had quite similar rhythmic features both in endothelium-intact and in endothelium-denuded preparations. These results clearly show that the in-vitro sensitivity of rat thoracic aorta to nitrodilator agents varies over a 24-h period and thus depends on when the animals were killed; the presence of endothelium does not change the rhythm of nitrodilator activity. These variations might be a result of circadian rhythm in the guanylate cyclase-cGMP system which mediates responses to nitrodilator agents.