1. Unilateral renal artery constriction in rats maintained on a sodium-deplete, but not sodium-replete, diet induced an augmented acute vasodepressor response to kininase II inhibition produced by an intravenous injection of the dipeptidyl carboxypeptidase inhibitor captopril (250 μg) during continuous saralasin-induced angiotensin II blockade (10 μg/min). Dietary sodium restriction alone in sham-operated rats had no effect.
2. Acute bilateral adrenalectomy (18-24 h) did not preclude the demonstration of an augmented response to kininase II inhibition in sodium-depleted rats with benign two-kidney, one-clip hypertension. Neither did chronic administration of deoxycorticosterone acetate in intact rats elicit an augmented response.
3. The augmented acute vasodepressor response to kininase II inhibition in sodium-depleted rats with benign two-kidney, one-clip hypertension is probably due to bradykinin potentiation and secondary to an increased activity of the kallikrein-kinin system. The mechanism responsible for this apparent increase is not known, but neither hyperangiotensinemia nor hyperaldosteronism seems to play a role.
