Brain metabolism following bilateral carotid occlusion in 2 different models of experimental hypertensive rats

Brain metabolites and arterial acid-base measurements were made one hr after bilateral carotid artery occlusion in 2 different models of hypertensive rats. Animals used included renovascular hypertensive rats (RHR) with an altered renin-angiotensin system and desoxycorticosterone hypertensive rats (DHR) with low plasma renin activity (PRA). The mean value for supratentorial lactate of 7.41 mM/kg in RHR was significantly higher than in DHR (3.90 MM/kg) or in control normotensive rats (3.10 - 2.56 mM/kg). Concomitantly, the lactate/pyruvate ratio tended to increase and ATP to decrease in RHR only. In these same rats (RHR) infratentorial lactate was also increased. The results suggest that bilateral carotid occlusion leads to anaerobic metabolism of the brain in RHR but not in DHR, suggesting that the renin-angiotensin system may play some role in the susceptibility to cerebral ischemia following carotid occlusion in the hypertensive rats.