Extracellular calcium and altered vascular responsiveness in the deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt rat

This study investigated the effects of altered extracellular Ca2+ on in vitro femoral arterial smooth muscle responsiveness in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats. Compared with controls, femoral arteries from DOCA-salt rats showed a significant increase in sensitivity to KCl and norepinephrine in normal Ca2+ (2.5 mM). Although no difference in maximal contractile response to KCl was observed between groups, there was a significant difference in maximal response to norepinephrine. Dose-response curves in low Ca2+ (0.25 mM) resulted in a significant decrease in the sensitivity of femoral arteries from DOCA-salt rats to KCl and NE so that the responses were similar to those of controls. Relaxation of femoral arteries from DOCA-salt rats after washout of the KCl contraction was significantly slower than that of controls in both low and normal Ca2+. Isoproterenol-induced relaxation of femoral arteries from DOCA-salt rats was significantly attenuated in normal Ca2+. Sensitivity of femoral arteries from DOCA-salt rats to isoproterenol increased in low Ca2+, but maximal relaxation was unaltered. Whereas no difference in maximal relaxation to NaNO2 was seen in femoral arteries from either group in normal Ca2+, a significant decrease in sensitivity to NaNO2 was observed in femoral arteries from DOCA-salt rats. In low Ca2+ the response of femoral arteries from DOCA-salt rats to NaNO2 was similar to that of controls. These results suggest that the increased vascular smooth muscle responsiveness to KCl and norepinephrine seen in DOCA-salt hypertension is due to increased sensitivity of the vascular smooth muscle to Ca2+. Extracellular Ca2+, however, plays only a minor role in the decreased vasodilator responsiveness seen in this form of hypertension.