Role of adrenal hormones (adrenaline and DOCA) in experimental hypertension. A histopathological study.

The effect of prolonged treatment with adrenaline and sodium chloride combined with desoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA), on the blood pressure of unilaterally nephrectomized (UN) rats and the histology of circulatory organs was studied. Hypertension developed in this experimental hypertension model in all of the test groups. Adrenaline alone raised the blood pressure as much as the adrenaline + NaCl + DOCA treatment. Organic changes in the renal blood vessels developed only in the Adrenaline + DOCA + NaCl group, where the highest increases in cardiac and renal organ weights were also found. These findings indicate that adrenal stress hormones may play an important sensitizating role in the multifactoral genesis of vascular changes associated with hypertension.