Abolition of long-term vascular influence of renin-angiotensin system

Rabbits were bilaterally nephrectomized for 24 h or received an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor chronically (5 days) before an acute experiment. Conductance responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation (SNS) (0.25, 0.75, and 2.25 Hz) and norepinephrine (NE) administration (0.2, 0.6, and 1.8 micrograms ia) were determined from simultaneous blood pressure and iliac blood flow measurements. Conductance responses to SNS were significantly reduced in nephrectomized (44, 26, and 20%) and chronic ACE inhibition (39, 31, and 24%) groups compared with normal controls, whereas conductance responses to NE were unchanged. Continuous infusion of angiotensin II (ANG II) for 24 h restored the depressed responses to SNS in nephrectomized and chronic ACE inhibition groups compared with normal controls but did not change conductance responses to NE. Acute ACE inhibition did not affect the conductance responses to SNS or NE compared with controls. Vascular tissue ACE activity was inhibited to a similar degree (50%) in both acute and chronic ACE inhibition groups compared with normal rabbits. Sodium depletion increased the conductance responses to SNS (30 and 24% at 0.25 and 0.75 Hz, respectively), but responses to NE were not affected. Chronic ACE inhibition significantly attenuated the conductance responses to SNS and slightly decreased responses to NE in sodium-depleted rabbits. Thus, in the anesthetized rabbit, the renin-angiotensin system potentiates the effect of SNS, presumably by ANG II acting at a prejunctional site, and this effect of ANG II appears to be long term in nature. Therefore, the renin-angiotensin system exerts a physiological role in the control of blood pressure in addition to the ability of this system to support arterial pressure in pathophysiological states.