Endothelium-mediated spontaneous response in aortic rings of deoxycorticosterone acetate-hypertensive rats.

Aortic rings isolated from normotensive Sprague-Dawley rats (CONT) exhibited spontaneous tone when the preparations were stretched. After administering deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA), the rats became hypertensive, and this spontaneous tone increased remarkably. The spontaneous tone was dependent on the extracellular calcium concentration. Incubation with the calcium entry blocker D-600 attenuated the spontaneous response to a greater degree in rings from DOCA rats than in rings from CONT rats. Nifedipine relaxed the already developed spontaneous tone. Removal of the endothelium greatly depressed spontaneous tone, but did not diminish the contraction caused by norepinephrine. On the basis of our findings, we conclude that 1) spontaneous tone depends on calcium influx, presumably through specific stretch-operated membrane channels, 2) these stretch-dependent channels are blocked by D-600 and nifedipine, 3) spontaneous tone is enhanced in DOCA hypertension, and 4) the endothelium appears to act as a receptor for stretch, mediating--at least in part--the spontaneous contractile response by releasing a constrictor agent.