Functional and structural changes with hypoxia in pulmonary circulation of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Chronic hypoxic pulmonary hypertension involves both vasoconstriction and vascular remodeling. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) have an increased systemic vascular resistance and a greater responsiveness to constricting stimuli. We hypothesized that, in contrast to age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY), SHR also display spontaneous pulmonary hypertension in normoxia and increased vascular response to acute and chronic hypoxia. Baseline mean pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP) and total pulmonary resistance (TPR) were higher in SHR than in WKY. With acute hypoxia (10% O2 for 15 min), PAP increased to the same extent in SHR and WKY and cardiac output (CO) was unchanged in WKY but increased in SHR. Thus, the rise in PAP in the SHR might be accounted for by the rise in CO, as TPR did not rise, but not that in the WKY, as TPR increased. After 12 days in hypoxia (10% O2), mean arterial pressure was unchanged in WKY but decreased significantly in SHR without a change in CO. PAP increased by 59% in SHR and 54% in WKY when the rats were taken from the hypoxic chamber for 1 h. Acute hypoxic challenge caused a further increase in PAP only in WKY. Medial wall thickness of alveolar duct and terminal bronchial vessels was similar in WKY and SHR after chronic hypoxia. We conclude that SHR exhibit mild baseline pulmonary hypertension in normoxia and that chronic hypoxia does not produce a disproportionate increase in SHR pulmonary vascular remodeling and pulmonary hypertension.