Is the balance between nitric oxide and superoxide altered in spontaneously hypertensive rats with endothelial dysfunction?
Background. Increases in oxidant stress, i.e. excessive production of superoxide anion (), have been reported in different models of hypertension. This study was designed to test the hypothesis that increased production, more than diminished nitric oxide (NO) generation, plays a critical role in endothelial dysfunction present in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Methods. The study was performed in 30-week-old normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) and SHR. In addition, 16-week-old SHR were treated with oral irbesartan (average dose 20 mg/kg per day) for 14 weeks (SHR-I). Aortic nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADH/NADPH) oxidase activity was determined by use of chemiluminescence with lucigenin. Aortic constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) activity was determined by measuring the conversion of L-arginine to L-citrulline. Vascular responses to acetylcholine were determined by isometric tension studies. Results. Whereas systolic bloo
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