Influence of extracellular pH on intracellular pH in arterioles and skeletal muscle of spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats.

The effect of changing extracellular pH (pHo) on intracellular pH (pHi) in mesenteric arterioles of spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats was investigated using the fluorescent indicator seminaphthorhodafluor c-SNARF-1 to measure pHi. Although the pHi of arterioles from WKY varied directly with pHo, that of SHR arterioles varied inversely. This abnormal pHi regulation in SHR was corrected by 50-microM 5-(N-ethylisopropyl)amiloride (EIPA). Vmax of H+ transport in response to changing extracellular Na+ was higher in SHR than in WKY, but Km did not differ. The Hill coefficient for H+ transport with respect to pH; was 1.69 in prehypertensive and 1.56 in hypertensive SHR. These results indicate that the Na+/H+ exchanger is particularly hyperactive in mesenteric arterioles of SHR.