NADPH oxidase inhibition attenuates oxidative stress but not hypertension produced by chronic ET-1

Experiments were conducted to test the hypothesis that hypertension produced by chronic ET-1 infusion is mediated by NADPH oxidase-dependent superoxide production. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was continuously monitored in male Sprague Dawley rats by telemetry. After baseline measurements, rats were placed on a high-salt diet (8% NaCl) and osmotic minipumps were implanted to infuse ET-1 (5 pmol/kg per minute intravenous) for 12 days. Control rats were maintained on the high-salt diet only. Separate groups of rats were also infused with ET-1 and given the superoxide dismutase mimetic, tempol (1 mmol/L), or the NADPH oxidase inhibitor, apocynin (1.5 mmol/L), in the drinking water. Infusion of ET-1 significantly increased MAP when compared with baseline values (132±3 versus 114±2 mm Hg, P<0.05). Neither tempol nor apocynin treatment had any effect on the increase in MAP produced by ET-1 when compared with baseline values (127±5 versus 113±2 and 130±3 versus 115±2 mm Hg, respectively). Plasma 8-isoprostane, an indicator of oxidative stress, was significantly increased in ET-1-infused rats compared with rats on a high-salt diet alone (128±33 versus 51±5 pg/mL; P<0.05). Both tempol and apocynin treatment significantly attenuated the ET-1-induced increase in plasma 8-isoprostane (72±10 and 61±6 pg/mL, respectively). Similarly, ET-1 infusion also significantly increased aortic superoxide production (chemiluminescence and dihydroethidium staining techniques), which was prevented by both tempol and apocynin. These data provide evidence that chronic ET-1 infusion increases vascular NADPH oxidase-dependent superoxide production but does not account for chronic ET-1-induced hypertension.