Sodium Pump Activity and Norepinephrine Responsiveness of Femoral Arterial Smooth Muscle from DOCA-Salt Rats

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Abstract
This study investigated the effect of sodium pump activity on vascular smooth muscle responsiveness to norepinephrine (NE) in deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats. Dose-response curves to NE were generated in normal (5.9 mM), high (10 mM) or 0 mM potassium (K) Krebs physiological solution. Inhibition of the sodium pump (0 mM K) in femoral arterial smooth muscle from control rats resulted in an increased response to NE which was similar to the DOCA-salt rat, while increasing sodium pump activity (10 mM K) in femoral arterial smooth muscle from DOCA-salt rats resulted in a decreased response which was similar to controls. These results show that altering sodium pump activity in vitro by changing extracellular K concentration can affect femoral arterial smooth muscle responsiveness to NE in both control and DOCA-salt rats. Alterations in sodium pump activity observed in vascular smooth muscle from DOCA-salt hypertensive rats may contribute to the increased NE responsiveness and increased vascular resistance seen in this model of hypertension.