Abstract
Results obtained in (1) and (2) indicated there was a cardiac hyperfunction associated with increased NE metabolism in the incipient stage of hypertension of SHR. However, relative ineffectiveness of β-blocker in arresting the development of hypertension (3) showed that cardiac hyperfunction was not the sole mechanism for the development of hypertension but rather an index of increased outflow of autonomic nervous system to the cardiovascular system as a whole. Enhancement of mesenchymal metabolism of vasculature, probably in response to the increased load to the vascular wall, was detectable even in the incipient stage of hypertension (4), and such a rapid mesenchymal response of vasculature, closely cooperating with the increased autonomic nervous outflow, seems to be important for the development and maintenance of hypertension in SHR.
