The renal antihypertensive effect of angiotensin I converting enzyme inhibitors

Intrarenal administration of angiotensin I converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors carried out in norepinephrine- (NE; 2-4 micrograms/kg per min) or in angiotensin II- (ANG II; 60-90 ng/kg per min) induced acute hypertension in conscious unrestrained rabbits. Intrarenal administration of captopril (5 mg/kg) and MK-422 (1 mg/kg) caused no significant effect when injected intravenously. However, it showed a prompt and marked depressor effect in NE- but not in ANG II-induced hypertension. This effect was not observed after intrarenal infusion of saralasin (2 and 10 micrograms/kg per min) in NE-induced hypertension. While pretreatment with aprotinin or indomethacin failed to inhibit the depressor action, 2-bromoethylamine hydrobromide (BEA), which is known to induce necrosis of the renal papilla, produced complete abolition of the depressor effect of an intrarenal injection of MK-422 in NE-induced hypertension. These results indicate that the kidney plays an important role in the depressor action of ACE inhibitors in NE- but not in ANG II-induced acute hypertension, and that this effect may be related to the potentiation of antihypertensive renomedullary lipids rather than the inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system or the potentiation of bradykinin or prostaglandins.