Reduced glandular kallikrein-like activity in the anterior pituitary of the New Zealand genetically hypertensive rat.

Anterior pituitaries of New Zealand genetically hypertensive and normotensive rats were compared for their content of glandular kallikrein-like activity. Anterior pituitary homogenates were assayed for their ability to cleave a chromogenic peptide substrate for glandular kallikrein (H-D-val-leu-arg-p-nitroanilide) at pH 8.0. Anterior pituitaries of both male and female New Zealand genetically hypertensive rats contained significantly less glandular kallikrein-like activity than their normotensive counterparts (-55% for females and -31% for males).