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Hypothalamic and plasma total nitrate/nitrite concentrations in spontaneously hypertensive rats
Author(s) -
AlaghbandZadeh J,
Das I,
Hanson MR,
MacGregor CA,
de Wardener HE,
Laycock JF
Publication year - 1996
Publication title -
experimental physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.925
H-Index - 101
eISSN - 1469-445X
pISSN - 0958-0670
DOI - 10.1113/expphysiol.1996.sp003984
Subject(s) - nitrite , medicine , endocrinology , nitrate , nitric oxide , chemistry , dietary nitrate , nitric oxide synthase , plasma concentration , plasma levels , hypothalamus , organic chemistry
Stable end‐products of nitric oxide (NO) metabolism, nitrates and nitrites, were measured in hypothalamic extracts and plasma samples of Okamoto spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats. The mean total nitrate/nitrite concentration was significantly lower in the hypothalami of SH rats compared with the normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) control animals (P < 0.01). In contrast, their plasma concentrations were significantly higher (P < 0.05). These results indicate that the hypertensive state in SH rats is associated with a diminished production of hypothalamic NO, while the raised plasma nitrate/nitrite levels could reflect an increased compensatory endothelial NO synthase activity in these animals compared with the WKY controls.