AT1 receptor inhibition blunts angiotensin II-stimulated nitric oxide release in renal arteries.

Nitric oxide (NO) is known to modulate the vascular effects of angiotensin II (AngII) in the kidney. To investigate the effect of AngII on NO release, a new technique was used that employs an NO-sensitive microelectrode to measure NO release from the vascular endothelium of perfused renal resistance arteries (tertiary branches of the renal artery or primary arcuate arteries) in vitro. The vessels were microdissected from isolated perfused rat kidneys, cannulated, and perfused at constant flow and pressure with Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate solution. The electrode was placed inside the glass collection cannula to measure vessel effluent NO concentration. Addition of AngII to the perfusate stimulated NO release in a dose-dependent manner; 0.1, 10, and 1000 nM AngII increased NO oxidation current by 85+/-18 pA (n=11), 148+/-22 pA (n=11), and 193+/-29 pA (n=11), respectively. These currents correspond to changes in effluent NO concentration of 3.4+/-0.5, 6.1+/-1.1, and 8.2+/-1.3 nM, respectively. The presence of 0.1 mM N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester in the perfusate significantly reduced the response to 10 nM AngII by 90.5+/-3.4% (n=5). Neither losartan (1 microM) nor candesartan (1 nM) significantly affected basal NO production, but both of these AT1-receptor blockers markedly blunted NO release in response to AngII (10 nM): 77+/-6% inhibition with losartan (n=8) and 63+/-9% with candesartan (n=8). These results demonstrate that AngII stimulates N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester-inhibitable NO release in isolated renal resistance arteries. Because the response was significantly blunted by AT1 receptor blockade, the findings suggest that endothelium-dependent modulation of AngII-induced vasoconstriction in renal resistance arteries is mediated, at least in part, by AT1 receptor-dependent NO release.