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Chronic Endothelium-Dependent Regulation of Arterial Blood Pressure by Atrial Natriuretic Peptide: Role of Nitric Oxide and Endothelin-1

Institute of Physiology (K.S., A.G., M.K.), University of Würzburg, D-97070 Würzburg, Germany; and Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology (K.S., M.-N.K.), University Hospital Münster, D-48129 Münster, Germany

Address all correspondence and requests for reprints to: Michaela Kuhn, Physiologisches Institut der Universität Würzburg, Röntgenring 9, D-97070 Würzburg, Germany. E-mail: michaela.kuhn{at}mail.uni-wuerzburg.de.

Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), via its guanylyl cyclase (GC)-A receptor, plays a key role in the regulation of arterial blood pressure (ABP) and volume. Endothelial-restricted deletion of GC-A in mice [endothelial cell (EC) GC-A knockout (KO)] resulted in hypervolemic hypertension, demonstrating that the endothelium participates in the hypotensive and hypovolemic actions of ANP. Published studies showed that ANP modulates the release of the vasoactive factors nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) from cultured endothelia. Based on these observations, we examined the role of these endothelial factors in ANP-dependent vasodilatation (studied in isolated arteries) and chronic regulation of ABP (measured in awake mice by tail-cuff plethysmography). ANP induced concentration-dependent vasorelaxations of aortic, carotid, and pulmonary arteries. These responses were not different between control and EC GC-A KO mice, and were significantly enhanced after inhibition of NO synthase [by N(G)-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester]. Intravenous administration of N(G)-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester to conscious mice significantly increased ABP. The extent of these hypertensive reactions was similar in EC GC-A KO mice and control littermates (increases in systolic blood pressure by 25 mm Hg). Conversely, antagonism of ET-1/endothelin-A receptors with BQ-123 reduced ABP significantly and comparably in both genotypes (by 11 mm Hg). Finally, the vascular and tissue expression levels of components of the NO system and of immunoreactive ET-1 were not different in control and EC GC-A KO mice. We conclude that the endothelium, but not modulation of endothelial NO or ET-1, participates in the chronic regulation of ABP by ANP.