Adrenergic activity in arteries of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Abstract
This study compares the uptake and release of [3H]norepinephrine and residual 3H content in the tail artery of 7- to 9-week-old and 16- to 18-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and age matched normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKR). The composition of the 3H overflow from the artery, analyzed with column chromatography, revealed similar proportion of norepinephrine and in metabolites, namely normetanephrine, O-methylated deaminated products, dihydroxy-phenylglycol, and dihydroxymandelic acid in SHR and WKR. [3H]Norepinephrine was retained however in greater proportion in vessels of young and older SHR than in WKR.