Sympathetic hyperactivity and relative NO deficiency are characteristic alterations in both genetic and salt hypertension. The contribution of these abnormalities to blood pressure (BP) maintenance can be determined in conscious rats using a consecutive blockade of particular vasoactive systems. Thus, the contribution of pressor effects of angiotensin II to the maintenance of high BP is usually small, but the role of renin-angiotensin system in the development of hypertension mediated by central and peripheral effects of angiotensin II on sympathetic activity is highly important. This is even true in angiotensin-dependent hypertension of heterozygous Ren-2 transgenic rats in which sympathetic hyperactivity is increasing with age. Central sympathoexcitation in this hypertensive model can be inhibited by lower losartan doses than peripheral angiotensin II-dependent vasoconstriction. This experimental model also yielded important knowledge on nephroprotective effects of new therapeutic drugs - endothelin receptor type A blockers. A considerable part of sympathetic vasoconstriction is dependent on the interaction of Ca2+ sensitization (RhoA/Rho kinase pathway) and Ca2+ influx (through L-VDCC). The blockade of these pathways prevents a major part of sympathetic vasoconstriction. Ca2+ sensitization seems to be attenuated in genetic hypertension in order to compensate increased Ca2+ influx. In contrast, enhanced Ca2+ sensitization is a hallmark of salt sensitivity in Dahl rats in which salt hypertension is dependent on increased Ca2+ influx. The attention should also be paid to the impairment of arterial baroreflex sensitivity which permits enhanced BP responses to pressor or depressor stimuli. Some abnormalities can be studied in blood vessels isolated from hypertensive rats but neither conduit arteries nor mesenteric resistance arteries represent the vascular beds decisive for the increased peripheral resistance and high BP. Keywords: Sympathetic vasoconstriction, NO-dependent vasodilatation, Calcium sensitization, Calcium influx, Arterial baroreflex, Spontaneously hypertensive rats, Salt hypertensive Dahl rats, Ren-2 transgenic rats, RAS blockade, SNS blockade, NOS inhibition, Endothelin, Vascular contraction and relaxation, Isolated conduit and resistance arteries, EDCF, PGI2, BKCa channels.

• MeSH
• Hypertension * physiopathology   metabolism   MeSH
• Blood Pressure drug effects   physiology   MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Disease Models, Animal MeSH
• Renin-Angiotensin System drug effects   physiology   MeSH
• Sympathetic Nervous System physiopathology   drug effects   MeSH
• Vasodilation drug effects   physiology   MeSH
• Vasoconstriction * drug effects   MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Humans MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Review MeSH

Salt hypertensive Dahl rats are characterized by sympathoexcitation and relative NO deficiency. We tested the hypothesis that the increased blood pressure (BP) response to fasudil in salt hypertensive Dahl rats is due to augmented calcium sensitization in the salt-sensitive strain and/or due to their decreased baroreflex efficiency. BP reduction after acute administration of nifedipine (an L-type voltage-dependent calcium channel blocker) or fasudil (a Rho kinase inhibitor) was studied in conscious intact rats and in rats subjected to acute NO synthase inhibition or combined blockade of the renin-angiotensin system (captopril), sympathetic nervous system (pentolinium), and NO synthase (L-NAME). Intact salt-sensitive (SS) Dahl rats fed a low-salt diet had greater BP responses to nifedipine (-31 ± 6 mmHg) or fasudil (-34 ± 7 mmHg) than salt-resistant (SR) Dahl rats (-16 ± 4 and -17 ± 2 mmHg, respectively), and a high-salt intake augmented the BP response only in SS rats. These BP responses were doubled after acute NO synthase inhibition, indicating that endogenous NO attenuates both calcium entry and calcium sensitization. Additional pentolinium administration, which minimized sympathetic compensation for the drug-induced BP reduction, magnified the BP responses to nifedipine or fasudil in all groups except for salt hypertensive SS rats due to their lower baroreflex efficiency. The BP response to the calcium channel blocker nifedipine can distinguish SS and SR rats even after calcium sensitization inhibition by fasudil, which was not seen when fasudil was administered to nifedipine-pretreated rats. Thus, enhanced calcium entry (potentiated by sympathoexcitation) in salt hypertensive Dahl rats is the abnormality that is essential for their BP increase, which was further augmented by increased calcium sensitization in salt-sensitive Dahl rats.

• Keywords
• Baroreflex efficiency, Fasudil, Nifedipine, Nitric oxide, Rho kinase, Sympathetic tone, Voltage-dependent calcium channels,
• MeSH
• Hypertension * drug therapy   MeSH
• Blood Pressure MeSH
• Rats MeSH
• Sodium Chloride, Dietary * MeSH
• Rats, Inbred Dahl MeSH
• Calcium MeSH
• Vasoconstriction MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Check Tag
• Rats MeSH
• Animals MeSH
• Publication type
• Journal Article MeSH
• Names of Substances
• Sodium Chloride, Dietary * MeSH
• Calcium MeSH