Arterial hypertension due to occlusion of the adrenal vein in the rat is strain-dependent.

OBJECTIVE

To determine whether the development of arterial hypertension due to occlusion of the central adrenal vein in the rat is strain-dependent

DESIGN AND

METHODS

The experiments were performed on male rats weighing 300-400 g each, of the following strains: Wistar outbred, Wistar Glaxo, Lewis, Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats bred for high blood pressure (138 +/- 13.2 mmHg), WKY rats bred without the control of blood pressure (118 +/- 12.9 mmHg) and borderline hypertensive rats (BHR). BHR were the F1 spontaneously hypertensive rat and WKY rat crossbred rats. In order to increase blood flow through the adrenal-renal portal circulation, both central adrenal veins of rats in the experimental group were occluded. The systolic blood pressure was measured indirectly by a photoelectric method.

RESULTS

By the ninth day after surgery systolic blood pressure had increased significantly only in the WKY rats bred for high blood pressure and BHR, reaching maximal values on 12th day for WKY rats bred for high blood pressure (167 +/- 5 mmHg) and on the 18th day for BHR (170 +/- 14 mmHg).

CONCLUSIONS

These data show that the development of arterial hypertension due to augmentation of adrenal blood flow through adrenal-renal portal circulation occurs in rats of strains with a genetic background of hypertension.