[Angiotensin-induced hypertension in pigs]

In pigs receiving up to 14 days daily injections of depot angiotensin, repeated daily bloody measurements of the blood pressure at the carotid artery proved unsuitable because of ensueing septic processes, in contrast to the unbloody measurement at the caudal artery. The depot angiotensin, despite the use of preparations with varying content of angiotensin-II and carrier solution, caused immediately after the injections a very strong maximal rise in systolic and diastolic blood pressure that occurred also with longer periods of the experiment; this rise gradually diminished in the course of the day but remained mostly in the hypertonic range and showed daily initial values above normal. The pig proved to be much more sensitive to angiotensin than the rat, for instance. Despite the proved vasoconstricting action of angiotensin, light-microscopic alterations at the vessels, kidneys, and the myocardium could not be observed. Part of the arterioles showed an increased wall thickness in animals killed on the 8th and 15th day of the experiment. The differences in the pathomorphological and blood pressure behaviour from the rat are discussed. The first experimental results qualify the pig as an experimental animal for comparative hypertension studies.