1. The sensitivity of the kidney to endothelium-derived-relaxing-factor-mediated vasodilatation has been investigated in the spontaneously hypertensive rat and the Wistar-Kyoto normotensive rat using an isolated perfused rat kidney model.
2. No difference in the slope, ED50 or maximum of the concentration-response curves for the endothelial-dependent vasodilators A23187, a calcium ionophore, and acetylcholine could be demonstrated between kidneys obtained from the spontaneously hypertensive and the Wistar-Kyoto normotensive rats.
3. No difference in the slope or the ED50 of the concentration-response curve for the endothelial-independent vasodilators, atrial natriuretic factor and sodium nitroprusside, could be demonstrated between kidneys obtained from the spontaneously hypertensive and the Wistar-Kyoto normotensive rats. However, in the spontaneously hypertensive rats, the maximum vasodilator response to atrial natriuretic factor, but not to sodium nitroprusside, was increased.
4. The perfused kidney from the spontaneously hypertensive rat also showed an increase in the maximum but not in the slope or ED50 of the concentration-response curve for vasoconstriction induced by the α1-adrenoceptor agonist methoxamine.
5. The involvement of endothelium-derived relaxing factor in mediating the renal vasodilator response to A23187 and acetylcholine was confirmed in experiments performed in perfused kidneys obtained from normotensive Wistar rats.
6. It is concluded that the sensitivity of the kidney to endothelium-derived-relaxing-factor-mediated vasodilatation is not modified in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. This does not, however, exclude a role for the synthesis of endothelium-derived relaxing factor in the maintenance of blood pressure in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.
