[Decreased ATP-synthesis ability of brain mitochondria in spontaneously hypertensive rats]

It has been shown previously that a decrease of ATP amount and changed balance of other macroergic phosphates occurs in different tissues of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) compared with control normotensive rats (WKY).

To assess the ability of SHR brain isolated mitochondria to synthesize ATP and to elucidate its relation to extramitochondrial calcium concentration.

The present work shows for the first time that SHR brain mitochondria initially differ from WKY ones by decreased (by 30%) ATP synthesis rate. When calcium concentration is increased up to 20 or 40 micromole/l ATP synthesis rates in WKY and SHR mitochondria are about one half compared with the condition when the medium does not contain calcium, but the differences between SHR and WKY remain the same.

Decreased ATP synthesis rate in SHR mitochondria may be considered as the main cause of cell energy deficiency observed in experimental variant of primary arterial hypertension.