Vascular reactivity in the spontaneously hypertensive stroke-prone rat. Effect of antihypertensive treatment

This study investigated vascular responsiveness in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and the effect of antihypertensive treatment on this responsiveness. Weanling (4-week-old) male and female SHRSP and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) received either the antihypertensive combination treatment of hydralazine plus hydrochlorothiazide in drinking water or tap water alone (controls) for 15 weeks. Whereas the antihypertensive combination prevented the development of hypertension in treated SHRSP (SHRSP-T), blood pressure remained unchanged in treated WKY (WKY-T). Femoral arterial smooth muscle responsiveness to KCl, norepinephrine, and calcium (in the presence of either 40 mM KCl or 1 microM norepinephrine) was not altered in SHRSP when compared with WKY. A significant increase in the sensitivity of femoral arteries to KCl and calcium (in the presence of 40 mM KCl) was seen, however, in SHRSP-T and WKY-T. An increased sensitivity to norepinephrine and calcium (in the presence of 1 microM norepinephrine) was seen only in SHRSP-T. Isoproterenol-induced relaxation was significantly attenuated in both SHRSP and SHRSP-T. Relaxation induced by sodium nitroprusside and calcium (membrane stabilization) was not different between the four groups. These results show that femoral arterial smooth muscle responsiveness to vasoconstrictor stimuli is not altered in SHRSP but that beta-adrenergic-mediated relaxation is attenuated. Antihypertensive treatment resulted in an enhanced responsiveness to these vasoconstrictor stimuli but had no effect on the relaxation properties of femoral arterial smooth muscle.