Hypotensive effects of peptide T in conscious rats

1. The present study investigated the effects of peptide T on mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) in conscious normotensive Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and two-kidney one-clip (2K1C) hypertensive rats. 2. Peptide T was infused via the left jugular vein at a rate of 1 mg/kg per h in SD, SHR and 2K1C rats and then at doses of 0.1, 0.25, 0.5, 1 and 5 mg/kg per h in SHR, with 0.9% saline as a sham control in SHR and 2K1C. Mean arterial pressure was measured directly before, during and after infusion. 3. Peptide T (1 mg/kg per h) decreased blood pressure in both SHR (P < 0.01) and 2K1C (P < 0.05). In normotensive SD rats the fall in MAP approached statistical significance (P = 0.06). The effect of peptide T was not significantly different in normotensive compared with hypertensive rats. Saline infusion had no effect. The blood pressure lowering effect of peptide T appeared to be dose-dependent in SHR.