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1. Administration of bradykinin caused dose-dependent vasoconstriction in rat isolated perfused mesenteric arteries precontracted with noradrenaline. 2. The vasoconstrictor response was not mediated by BK1-bradykinin receptors. 3. Inhibition of cyclo-oxygenase with indomethacin, aspirin or meclofenamate abolished the vasoconstrictor effect of bradykinin, showing that a member of the arachidonic acid cascade may be involved. 4. Inhibitors of thromboxane synthesis (imidazole and UK 38485) did not affect or only reduced the bradykinin-induced vasoconstriction. 5. The endoperoxide H2/thromboxane A2 receptor antagonist SQ 29548 significantly reduced the vasoconstrictor effect of bradykinin, but did not affect the vasoconstrictor response to noradrenaline, adrenaline, vasopressin, 5-hydroxytryptamine or prostaglandins. 6. The eicosanoid(s) that mediate bradykinin-induced vasoconstriction appear to be synthesized outside the arterial endothelium. 7. The data suggest that the vasoconstrictor effect of bradykinin in the rat isolated mesenteric artery is mediated by vasoconstrictor arachidonic acid metabolites including the cyclic endoperoxides and/or the thromboxanes.

The effect of thyroid hormone on renin productiona and release by rat kidney slices was studied. Rat kidney slices were incubated in Warburg flasks containing Krebs-Ringer-Phosphate- Glucose- Dextran solution at 37 C for 5 hours. Renin content, renin released into the incubation media and oxygen consumption were measured. Kidney slices actively secreted renin. Kidney slices of hyperthyroid rats released more renin, and kidney slices of hypothyroid rats released less renin than normal kidneys (p less than 0.001). The addition of 1-thyroxine to the incubation medium increased significantly (p less than 0.001) renin release by kidney slices from normal and hypothyroid rats. Thyroid hormone affects renin release through a mechanism independent of the ouabain-sensitive sodium pump and protein synthesis, since ouabain and cycloheximide did not modify renin release or production. The results of this study suggest that thyroid hormone plays a role in renin release from the juxtaglomerular cells.

Angiotensin tachyphylaxis is rapidly induced in the mesenteric vascular circuit of the rat perfused with a saline solution. there is crossed tachyphylaxis among angiotensins (AI, AII, and AIII). The angiotensin antagonist Sar 1-Ileu 8-AII is ineffective when the vascular preparation is previously rendered tachyphylactic to AII, showing that the AII receptors are not available during tachyphylaxis. This finding supports the theory that angiotensin tachyphylaxis is caused by receptor occupancy by the agonist. By perfusing the vascular preparation with aII solutions that were too diluted to produce vasoconstriction, tachyphylaxis to AII was induced. Therefore, AII receptors can be slowly saturated without producing vasoconstriction. The recoveries of the vasoconstrictor effect of AII and AIII at 30 and 60 minutes after tachyphylaxis are similar; thus, the dissociation constants of the AII- and AIII-receptor complexes should be alike. After three bolus injections of AI, the vascular preparation is completely refractory to AI, AII, and AIII. When the conversion of AI to AII is inhibited with captopril, AI no longer induces tachyphylaxis to AII and AIII. Thus, tachyphylaxis to AII and AIII induced by AI seems to be due not to the occupancy of AII receptors by AI but to the AII formation from AI "in situ."

After perfusing the vascular circuit of the mesenteric artery of the rat with a Ca-free solution for 20 min, extracellular Ca was depleted, and the vasoconstrictor effect of high K solutions was abolished, while the vasopressin response was reduced by 40%, serotonin by 30% and noradrenaline and adrenaline responses by about 20%. When the Ca-free perfusion was prolonged for 2 h or more, the vascular responses to the agonists were further reduced due to depletion of cellular Ca. Successive doses of each agonist injected at 1 min intervals showed a decline of the responses, that recovered when 4 min or more were allowed to pass after the last injection. This reversible desensitization or tachyphylaxis was rapidly abolished by Ca. Noradrenaline and adrenaline showed crossed tachyphylaxis, which depressed the responses to serotonin and vasopressin. Tachyphylaxis to serotonin and vasopressin did not depress the response to the other two agonists. These findings support the conclusion that not only do noradrenaline and adrenaline share a Ca pool, but that so do serotonin and vasopressin. These two agonists each require a separate Ca pool.

The vasoconstrictor responses induced by noradrenaline (NA), adrenaline (AD), serotonin (ST) and vasopressin (VP) on the anterior mesenteric artery of the rat and its branches, were maintained, although somewhat reduced when perfused with a Ca free solution that depletes extracellular Ca. The vasoconstrictor responses were abolished when Lanthanum, EDTA, Verapamil or Nifedipine were added to the Ca free solution. These drugs are known to displace plasmalemmal bound Ca that triggers vasoconstriction when the agonists attach to the receptors thus blocking the vasoconstrictor responses. When the mesenteric arteries were perfused with a Ca containing solution, to block the vasoconstriction induced by the agonists the concentration of La3+, EDTA, Verapamil and Nifedipine must be raised. Thus these drugs appear to compete with extracellular ionic Ca for the membranal sites involved in the activity of the agonists. K induced vasoconstriction was abolished when extracellular Ca was depleted by a Ca free solution and with lower concentrations of the anticalcic drug than those used to cancel the effect of the agonists. Ca appears to be attached to voltage operated channels less firmly than to receptor operated channels. NA, AD, ST and VP showed different sensitivity to the blocking effect of the various anticalcic drugs. This is probably explained by small differences in the structure of the Ca channels operated by the agonists.

The plasma globulins which produce the vasoactive polypeptides, bradykinin, kallidin and angiotensin, have been compared. After incubation of plasma with kallikrein and exhaustion of its kallidinogen, subsequent incubation with trypsin did not result in formation of bradykinin, showing that bradykininogen had also been exhausted and suggesting that kallikrein and trypsin use the same substrate. Kallidin and bradykinin formation was not prevented by acid-treatment of plasma, though heat-denatured substrate produced kallidin less readily. Kallikrein could exhaust plasma bradykininogen without affecting levels of angiotensinogen. Following nephrectomy of dogs, plasma angiotensinogen levels rose whereas bradykininogen levels did not. These results confirm the belief that bradykininogen differs from angiotensinogen but not from kallidinogen.