In order to clarify the roll of intrinsic renin in the development of hypertensive vascular lesions, plasma renin activity (PRA) and pathological findings were studied in two types of renovascular hypertension in rabbits.
I. Short-term experiment.
Hypertension was produced by constriction of left renal artery with an intact right kidney (two-kidney hypertension, Group A, 33 animals), and with right previous nephrectomy (one-kidney hypertension, Group B, 33 animals). Seven days after renal artery clipping, colloidal carbon was injected intravenously, and after one hour animals were sacrificed and examined light microscopically. PRA, serum Na, serum K, urea-N and hematocrit were determined before and after the operation.
Hypertension developed in both A and B groups similarly. Increased PRA, hypokalemia and increased hematocrit value were observed in animals of group A only. PRA was increased in about half of animals of group A, but it remained unchanged or rather reduced in animals of group B. Acute vascular lesions were defined as fibrinoid necrosis of the small arteries and arterioles, insudation of carbon particles into the arterial wall, or lesions resembling periarteritis. The vascular lesions were found in 19 (57.6%) of 33 animals of gloup A and in 17 (51.5%) of 33 animals of group B. There was no difference in incidence and histological features of the vascular lesions between the two groups. The presence or absence of the vascular lesions did not depend upon the level of blood pressure in both groups. Within the group A, there was no significant correlation between PRA and development of the vascular lesions.
II. Long-term experiment.
Twenty animals of two-kidney hypertension (Group A) and twenty-one of one-kidney hypertension (Group B) were observed for twenty weeks after the renal artery costriction. Hypertension developed similarly in both groups. In animals of group A, increased PRA, hypokalemia and increased hematocrit values were seen. But in animals of group B, PRA was not increased.
Eight (38%) out of twenty-one animals of group B died, and all these eight animals had cerebral haemorrhage. None of group A animals died. Histologically fibrinoid necrosis was seen in all animals that died and had cerebral heamorrhage, but in another animals it was seen in only one of group A animals. Another chronic vascular lesions were seen frequently in both groups. There was no significant difference in blood pressure and in another parameters between animals that died and survived.
It is concluded that the vascular lesions and cerebral haemorrhage can develop independently of PRA or level of blood pressure.
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