Endothelial Dysfunction and Role of the Renin-Angiotensin System

We investigated whether endothelial dysfunction might contribute to the exaggerated vasoconstriction that was induced by the administration of norepinephrine at the early stage of one-kidney, one-clip renal hypertension (1K1C) in rats. We also studied the role of the renin-angiotensin system in this phenomenon. Male Wistar rats were killed 48 hours after the induction of renal artery stenosis or sham operation, and ring preparations of the thoracic aorta were obtained. The isometric contraction and relaxation of aortic strips produced by norepinephrine and acetylcholine, respectively, were recorded with a force-displacement transducer. The aorta of 1K1C rats showed a significantly (P<.05) exaggerated contractile response to norepinephrine as compared with that of control rats. Rubbing the endothelium and treatment with methylene blue or N0-monomethyl L-arginine acetate augmented the contractile responses to norepinephrine to a greater extent in