Altered catecholamine contents in vascular and nonvascular tissues in genetically hypertensive rats.

We have measured the catecholamine (CA) contents in hearts, mesenteric vasculature, abdominal aorta, inferior vena cava, vasa deferentia and salivary glands from genetically hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Kyoto-Wistar rats (WKY). We noted differences between the norepinephrine (NE) contents of individual tissues from SHR and WKY rats and have used two different analytical procedures for the measurement of NE to confirm these differences. Comparisons between tissue contents of NE in SHR and WKY rats indicated a greater content of NE in the following tissues from the SHR: heart, mesenteric artery, abdominal aorta, inferior vena cava and vasa deferentia. A modest elevation of NE [but not epinephrine (E)] was observed in adrenal glands from SHR rats. The NE contents of salivary glands from SHR and WKY rats were indistinguishable from each other. The results suggest that there may exist a generalized increase in NE contents in the peripheral vasculature of SHR rats. Furthermore, this increase is also present in the vasa deferentia, but not the salivary gland. The results draw attention to altered concentrations of NE in vascular and selected nonvascular tissues in the SHR.