Acid phosphatase activity in the aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rats and the effect of various antihypertensive drugs.

In an attempt to obtain information about the arterial lysosomal enzymes in hypertension, we biochemically investigated acid phosphatase (Ac-Pase) activity in the aorta of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and the effects of various antihypertensive drugs. Ac-Pase activity in SHR was always higher than that in age-matched control rats. The enzyme activity tended to increase progressively with advancing age, a tendency which was more pronounced in SHR than in control rats. The aging process expressed by the Ac-Pase activity seems to be accelerated under hypertensive conditions. Antihypertensive drugs such as reserpine, hydrochlorothiazide, hydralazine and propranolol significantly suppressed the rise of blood pressure and decreased the aortic Ac-Pase activity in SHR. In particular reserpine and propranolol lowered Ac-Pase activity more effectively than it did blood pressure. Hypertension as well as catecholamine seem to be involved in the increase in the aortic lysosomal enzyme activity in SHR.