Reduced contractile sensitivity and vasopressin receptor affinity in DOCA-salt hypertension

The affinity of vascular vasopressin receptors was studied to determine its role in altered vascular contractile sensitivity in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertension. Ring segments of rat mesenteric arteries were used to study vascular vasopressin receptors. Male Wistar rats were given subcutaneous injections of DOCA and 1% NaCl in the drinking water. Mesenteric arteries from hypertensive rats had a reduced contractile sensitivity to arginine vasopressin (AVP) and lysine vasopressin (LVP). The order of potency of vasopressin receptor agonists (AVP greater than LVP greater than oxytocin) was the same in arteries from hypertensive compared with normotensive animals. The affinity of the vasopressin receptor antagonist [deamino-Pen1,O-Me-Tyr2,Arg8] vasopressin, and the affinities of the vasopressin receptor agonists AVP and LVP were not altered during developing DOCA-salt hypertension. There was no change in contractile sensitivity to norepinephrine and KCl in arteries from hypertensive rats. The reduced vasopressin contractile sensitivity is not due to a change in vasopressin receptor affinity but may be a compensatory response to elevated blood pressure. These data suggest that increased vascular sensitivity does not contribute to elevated blood pressure during the developing stage of DOCA-salt hypertension.