Inhibition of nitric oxide causes exaggerated natriuresis in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Competitive inhibition of the conversion of L-arginine to nitric oxide by a high dose of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) leads to significant increases in arterial pressure, natriuresis, and diuresis in Sprague-Dawley rats. The purpose of this study was to determine the extent of the natriuretic and diuretic responses and the possible role of arterial pressure and renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure (RIHP) elevations with the infusion of L-NMMA in anesthetized spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Intravenous infusion of L-NMMA (15 mg/kg bolus followed by 500 micrograms.kg-1.min-1 continuous infusion) in WKY rats (n = 8) resulted in a significant increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP, 122 +/- 3 to 152 +/- 2 mmHg), RIHP (4.7 +/- 0.4 to 6.7 +/- 0.5 mmHg), fractional excretion of sodium (FENa, 0.76 +/- 0.21 to 4.74 +/- 0.70%), and urine flow rate (V, 27.7 +/- 5.0 to 161.3 +/- 19.6 microliters/min). Increases in RIHP and sodium and water excretions are abolished when renal perfusion pressure is prevented from increasing with L-NMMA infusion in a group of WKY rats (n = 6). In SHR (n = 6) administration of the same dose of L-NMMA resulted in no significant changes in MAP (172 +/- 3 to 178 +/- 2 mmHg) or RIHP (3.3 +/- 0.4 to 3.5 +/- 0.6 mmHg), but significantly higher increases in FENa (1.19 +/- 0.26 to 7.52 +/- 0.68%) and V (47.1 +/- 10.0 to 248.3 +/- 25.7 microliters/min) compared with WKY rat.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)