The correlation between the development of sympathetic innervation and the development of medial hypertrophy in jejunal arteries in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The catecholaminergic innervation of jejunal arteries was examined during development in normotensive and hypertensive rats. It was determined that a hyperinnervation of jejunal vessels in the hypertensive rats is present from 2 weeks of age onwards, before significant elevation of blood pressure and medial hypertrophy of jejunal arteries occurs. It is concluded that this hyperinnervation may be causally related to the medial hypertrophy in arteries of hypertensive animals.