Renal Artery Constriction Research Articles

Intrarenal Kallikrein-Kinin Activity in Acute Renovascular Hypertension in Dogs

The intrarenal kallikrein-kinin system was studied during the acute phase of renovascular hypertension induced by renal artery constriction and during teprotide inhibition of kininase II in the dog. Kallikrein-like activity measured by both kininogenase and esterolytic assays, was increased during renal artery constriction (p less than 0.5) and (p less than 0.01). The administration of teprotide resulted in a further increase of renal cortical kallikrein-like activity and inhibited kininase II activity (p less than 0.01). Following the inhibition of kininase II, the plasma concentration of kininogen was also significantly decreased (p less than 0.01). These results suggest that kininase II inhibition may increase levels of intrarenal and plasma kinins and that decreased degradation of kinin peptides may contribute significantly to the acute hypertensive effect of teprotide.

Blood Pressure Response of Two Types of Goldblatt Hypertensive Rats to Enalapril

Enalapril (MK-421), a new angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, reduces the blood pressure in one-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rats at 30 mg/kg p.o. (n = 12). On the fifth day and during the fifth week after renal artery constriction, systolic blood pressure decreased from 196 +/- 4 and 240 +/- 5 mm Hg pretreatment to 159 +/- 8 and 225 +/- 3 mm Hg, respectively (p less than 0.001 and 0.05, respectively) and was maintained at this level for about 8 h. Serum angiotensin converting enzyme activity was significantly inhibited by enalapril. Similarly, enalapril (30 mg/kg p.o.) in two-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rats (n = 18) on the fifth day and during the fifth week after operation resulted in a decrease in blood pressure from 162 +/- 5 and 217 +/- 5 mm Hg to 117 +/- 6 and 120 +/- 7 mm Hg, respectively, to the preoperative normotensive level (113 +/- 1 mm Hg). These results indicate that the renin-angiotensin system may play an important role in the pathogenesis of two-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rats. However, in the pathogenesis of one-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rats, other mechanisms seem to be involved besides the renin-angiotensin system.

The effect of sodium load on the development of hypertension, plasma renin and kininogen in rats with renal artery constriction.

Effects of sodium load on the development of hypertension, plasma renin activity (PRA) and kininogen were studied in rats with renal artery constriction and untouched contralateral kidney. After the operation or sham-operation, 0.9% NaCl or water were given as drinking fluid. A marked hypertension (systolic pressure greater than 150 mmHg) developed in all operated rats on saline, but only in 2/3 of operated rats on water. In none of the sham-operated controls did systolic pressure exceed 150 mmHg during 7 postoperative weeks. Within the operated group on water, hypertensive rats had significantly higher PRA values than normotensive animals (P less than 0.05). Salt load slightly suppressed the PRA in sham-operated rats but not in animals with constriction renal artery, compared to sham-operated controls on water. The operated rats on salt excess had higher plasma kininogen levels than the operated normotensive rats on water (P less than 0.05), but there were no other significant differences in kininogen values between different study groups, regardless of whether blood pressure was increased or not. The results indicate that in this form of hypertension, the high blood pressure can be maintained without any increase in PRA if animals are subjected to a sodium load which sensitizes vascular beds to angiotensin. The increase in plasma kininogen, suggesting suppression of kallikrein-kinin system, is unlikely associated with the increase of blood pressure.

Suppression of renin release by antagonism of endogenous opiates in the dog.

The influence of blockade of endogenous opioids on the release of renin due to partial renal arterial constriction was determined acutely and chronically in unilaterally nephrectomized dogs. In acute preparations changes in plasma renin activity, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate were determined after 15 min of 60% renal arterial constriction before and after administration of either a saline vehicle, the opiate antagonist naloxone (0.05 mg/kg), or morphine (2 mg/kg). Acute antagonism of endogenous opiates abolished the increase in plasma renin activity and mean arterial pressure associated with renal arterial constriction. Repeated renal arterial constrictions in saline- or morphine-treated animals did not alter the humoral or hemodynamic responses. In chronic preparations long-term naloxone infusion attenuated the development of renovascular hypertension and diminished the increase in plasma renin activity. These data suggest that endogenous opioid peptides are modulators in the control of renin release and may be important participants in the pathogenesis of hypertension.

Myocardial biochemical, contractile, and electrical performance after imposition of hypertension in young and old rats.

The effects of renovascular hypertension on the biochemical, contractile, and electrical performance of myocardial tissue from rats of various ages has been examined. Male Fischer rats, 2, 7, 12, and 17 months old, were made hypertensive by constriction of the left renal artery. Ten weeks after the onset of hypertension, left ventricular papillary muscles were isolated from those four groups when 5, 10, 15, and 20 months old, respectively. Mechanical performance and transmembrane electrical events were recorded simultaneously. Contractile protein enzyme activity was determined in the same hearts from which papillary muscles were used for acquisition of mechanical and electrical information. There was a slight increase in blood pressure in control groups as a function of age while blood pressure maintained a range of approximately 179-188 mm Hg for all hypertensive groups. Heart weight of control animals increased significantly from 5 months to 20 months of age from 539 +/- 26 to 1088 +/- 56 mg, representing an increase of 101%. In hypertensive animals, heart weight increased 50% in 5-month-, 15% in 10-month-, 50% in 15-month-, and 11.7% in 20-month-old animals. Although control groups revealed alterations in mechanical, electrical, and biochemical parameters that increased as a function of age, the magnitude of the biochemical, contractile, and electrical response to hypertension varied monotonically with the extent of myocardial hypertrophy, rather than age per se. Adaptation to the stress of hypertension was observed in each age group, and was revealed as prolongation of mechanical and electrical timing parameters, depression of the load-velocity relation, and contractile protein enzyme activity. Thus, the stress of hypertension, which was tolerated by the 10- and 20-month-old animals with lesser relative hypertrophy and lesser changes in measured parameters, may represent a differential adaptation to the stress of hypertension.

Genetic and Experimental Hypertension in the Animal Model-Similarities and Dissimilarities to the Development of Human Hypertension

In this article, we present the results we have obtained from experimental and genetic models of human essential hypertension, in order to investigate those findings relevant to understanding the time course and the mechanisms underlying the human disease. With experiments on the renal artery constriction in the conscious dog, we have shown that a kidney lesion can produce a form of hypertension not different, in the established phase, from the essential one and that the onset of this form follows a phasic pattern during which the initial stages are crucial for understanding the mechanisms leading to hypertension. We also consider a rat model (MHS) that spontaneously develops a form of hypertension very similar to the human disease. In this model, we have demonstrated by a kidney cross-transplantation experiment and functional studies that the kidney is responsible for the rise in blood pressure and that the organ dysfunction is probably due to a primary abnormality in ion handling of the cell membrane. This cellular alteration, detected both in MHS erythrocytes and in their kidney proximal tubular cells, should be the cause for the higher rate of kidney Na+ reabsorption observed in the MHS. Comparing this animal model with, at least, a subgroup of humans prone to develop hypertension or already hypertensive, it is possible to detect a series of similarities in the kidney function, hormonal pattern, and cellular function of the two species that allows us to argue that the MHS is a suitable model from which to draw conclusions relevant to the pathogenesis of essential hypertension in some humans.

Role of renal prostaglandin E2 in two-kidney, one-clip renovascular hypertension in rabbits.

To investigate the role of renal prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) in renovascular hypertension, urinary PGE2 was measured in rabbits with hypertension produced by left renal artery constriction. In the acute phase of renovascular hypertension (1 week after the constriction), urinary excretions of PGE2 and sodium were significantly increased without correlations with changes in the systemic blood pressure (delta BP). In this phase, delta BP was directly proportional to plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone concentration (p less than 0.001). In the intermediate phase (5 weeks), delta BP lost significant correlations with plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone concentration and had a inverse correlation with urinary sodium excretion (p less than 0.01). In the maintenance phase (10 weeks), delta BP showed inverse correlations (p less than 0.01) with both PGE2 and sodium excretions, although their excretions decreased to normal levels. In the clipped kidney, only urinary PGE2 excretion in the acute phase was significantly elevated (p less than 0.02), and both sodium and PGE2 excretions were significantly decreased (p less than 0.01) in the maintenance phase. In the nonclipped kidney, urinary PGE2 and sodium excretions were elevated in the acute and intermediate phases, but decreased to the control levels in the maintenance phase. In this phase, delta BP showed inverse correlation (p less than 0.01) with both PGE2 and sodium excretions from the nonclipped kidney. The infusion of saralasin, an angiotensin II analogue, dose dependently reduced the blood pressure in the acute phase, but showed no effect in the intermediate and maintenance phases.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Dissociation between renal prostaglandin E2 and renin release. Effects of glucagon, dopamine and cyclic AMP in dogs.

To examine the relationship between prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and renin release, glucagon, dopamine and dibutyryl cyclic AMP (DB-cAMP) were infused into dog kidneys during autoregulatory dilation of preglomerular vessels. Autoregulatory vasodilation, which enhances PGE2 and renin release, was induced by renal arterial constriction or ureteral occlusion. Glucagon infusion increased both PGE2 and renin release during autoregulatory vasodilation, and renin release was almost abolished after inhibiting PGE2 release by indomethacin. In contrast, dopamine and DB-cAMP infused during autoregulatory vasodilation increased renin release without significantly changing PGE2 release. Stimulation of renin release was not dependent on vasodilatory effects, which for all drugs were greatly diminished during autoregulatory vasodilation. Hence, glucagon stimulates both PGE2 and renin release. Most of the increase in renin release during glucagon infusion is prostaglandin-dependent since indomethacin greatly reduced the stimulatory effect. In contrast, dopamine and DB-cAMP stimulate renin release without increasing PGE2 release as previously found for beta-adrenergic stimulation.

Evaluation of a direct blood pressure measurement technique for canine toxicity studies

Repeated direct puncture of the central ear (intermediate auricular) artery to obtain mean arterial blood pressure in control and hypertensive dogs was evaluated. Unilateral nephrectomy and partial constriction of the contralateral renal artery were performed on four dogs to create hypertension. Ear artery blood pressure measurements and electrocardiograms were recorded twice pretest and after surgery at Weeks 1, 2, 4, 6, 8, 9, 10, and 11 on control ( n = 6) and hypertensive ( n = 4) dogs. Mean ear arterial blood pressures from the hypertensive dogs were significantly increased from Weeks 2 to 11. Indwelling omocervical artery catheters were implanted in both control and hypertensive dogs at Week 8. Mean omocervical artery blood pressures from hypertensive dogs were significantly increased at Weeks 8 through 11. Mean omocervical artery pressures were only significantly increased over mean ear artery pressures at Week 8 for control dogs and at Week 10 for hypertensive dogs. Nonspecific electrocardiographic changes in the ST-T segment and U waves occurred with greater frequency in hypertensive dogs than in control dogs. Hypertensive dogs developed subendothelial proliferation in the renal artery and aorta, and a proliferative vasculopathy in the heart and lungs. This ear artery technique was used successfully in two canine toxicity studies of different ICI pharmaceutical compounds. The ear artery method for measuring mean arterial blood pressure is suitable for canine toxicity studies and is a reasonably accurate measurement of systemic pressure.

An Experimental Pathological Study on the Ischemic Kidney Induced in Rabbits by Constriction of Homolateral Renal Artery

An Experimental Pathological Study on the Ischemic Kidney Induced in Rabbits by Constriction of Homolateral Renal Artery

Hypoxic moderation of renal hypertension in the miniature swine.

Eleven male Yucatan miniature swine were subjected to unilateral renal artery constriction (RAC) with an intact contralateral kidney. Five pigs remained at laboratory altitude of 1524 m and served as normoxic, hypertensive controls (NH) while the other six (HH) were subjected to a simulated altitude of 4267 m for 9 weeks to determine the effect of hypoxia on the development of renal hypertension. Systemic blood pressure was increased less in HH as compared with NH. Data from three sib-pairs represented in each treatment group suggested a diverse, apparently familial response to RAC. The hypertensive process, irrespective of treatment groups, included a diminution of free circulating serum thyroxin and an increase in serum sodium. Hypoxia moderates renal hypertension in the miniature pig primarily via a decrement in stroke volume and cardiac output.

Intrarenal arteries in rats with early two-kidney, one clip hypertension.

Structural arterial adaptation and decompensation were studied in the contralateral untouched kidneys of two-kidney, one clip hypertensive rats 1 to 64 days after constricting one renal artery. Focal necroses of intrarenal arteries were observed as early as 24 hours after starting the experiment. The necroses reached their maximum on Day 8 and thereafter decreased significantly in spite of still increasing blood pressure values. After 8 days the media thickness of the interlobular arteries was significantly increased by more than 30% and remained so until the end of the experiment. Blood pressure levels as measured by tail plethysmography were nearly normal within the first 4 days. The continuous 24-hour blood pressure recording in the conscious rats, however, showed shortlasting intermittent hypertensive spikes as early as 6 hours after renal artery constriction. In spite of these acute hypertensive peaks, which frequently exceeded 200 mm Hg, intimal lesions, potentially leading to malignant nephrosclerosis, began to appear after only 2 weeks. Thus, the development of nonobliterating, acute focal necroses of intrarenal arteries in the earliest stage of two-kidney, one clip hypertension may be explained by intermittent hypertensive episodes accompanied by a segmental overstretching of the nonadapted vascular bed. On the other hand, the occurrence of obliterating malignant nephrosclerosis in the presence of severe hypertension may also depend on the previously changed composition of the vessel walls.

Relationship between PGE2 and renin release in dog kidneys. Effects of afferent arteriolar dilation and adrenergic stimulation.

To study the relationship between PGE2 and renin release from the kidney, examinations were performed on anesthetized dogs during afferent arteriolar dilation. This condition is known to increase renin release and enhance the stimulatory effects on renin release of beta-adrenergic agonists, such as isoproterenol. Afferent arteriolar dilation induced by constricting the renal artery or occluding the ureter increased PGE2 and renin release before, but not after, indomethacin administration. Isoproterenol infusion during afferent arteriolar dilation increased renin release but not PGE2 release both before and after indomethacin administration. Phenylephrine, an alpha-adrenergic agonist, which also induces afferent arteriolar dilation, increased PGE2 and renin release at control blood pressure but not when the afferent arterioles already were dilated by ureteral occlusion. We conclude that afferent arteriolar dilation caused by renal arterial constriction, ureteral occlusion or infusion of phenylephrine increases prostaglandin synthesis which stimulates renin release. The effect of isoproterenol on renin release is independent of prostaglandin synthesis.

Pathogenesis of one-kidney, one-clip hypertension in rats after renal denervation.

This study examines the role of the renal nerves in the chronic and early developmental stages of one-kidney, one-clip (1K-1C) Goldblatt hypertension. Groups of uninephrectomized Sprague-Dawley rats underwent renal artery constriction with a clip of an internal diameter of 0.23 mm (groups 1 and 3) or 0.40 mm (groups 2 and 4) to produce severe or moderate hypertension. Two weeks later, groups 1 and 2 were subjected to renal denervation and groups 3 and 4 were denervated 6 and 7 wk after clipping, respectively. In all four groups, hypertension remained unchanged during the subsequent 2 wk after denervation. To study further the effects of renal denervation during the early onset of hypertension, groups 5, 6, and 7 received the smaller (0.23 mm) clip after uninephrectomy. Groups 5 and 6 were renal denervated immediately before clipping; group 7 was not denervated. In groups 6 and 7 the renin-angiotensin system was blocked with a continuous infusion of the converting-enzyme inhibitor captopril for 24 h before and 15 days after clipping. In group 5, renal denervation did not prevent a prompt and severe rise in the systolic blood pressure. In groups 6 and 7, infusion of captopril prevented the hypertension only during the first 4 days after clipping; at no time was there a difference in the systolic blood pressure curves of groups 6 and 7 during or after captopril infusion. These data demonstrate that regardless of the severity and duration of hypertension, renal denervation failed to attenuate either the development or the maintenance of 1K-1C Goldblatt hypertension in the rat. Thus the present results fail to provide support for the concept that the renal nerves modulate the hypertension in this experimental model.

Dissociation of effects of dietary fatty acids on blood pressure and prostanoid metabolism in Goldblatt hypertensive rats.

To study the influence of dietary modification of prostaglandin synthesis on blood pressure regulation, the effects of dietary enrichment with linoleic acid were compared with standard rat chow in three groups of 24 rats before and after renal artery constriction and contralateral nephrectomy. Dietary supplementation with 40 energy% sunflower seed oil or linseed oil respectively caused incorporation of linoleic or linolenic acids into tissue phospholipids. Relative to the sunflower seed oil, the linseed oil diet led to inhibition of prostanoid synthesis in kidney, serum or aorta in vitro and urine in vivo. Rats on both oil-rich diets had lower blood pressures than rats on a standard diet. Thus, partial suppression of prostaglandin synthesis did not accelerate one-kidney, one clip Goldblatt hypertension, nor did sunflower oil protect against hypertension in a way that could be specifically ascribed to changes in prostaglandin synthesis.

Plasma kinin levels in acute renovascular hypertension in dogs.

The role of kinins in the hypertensive response to acute renal artery constriction (RAC) was examined in the dog. RAC resulted in an increase in systemic arterial pressure (SAP) from 144 +/- 6 to 155 +/- 4 mm HG (p less than 0.05). Simultaneously, arterial plasma bradykinin decreased from 2.3 +/- 0.2 to 1.4 +/- 0.1 ng/ml (p greater than 0.01), while renal venous bradykinin remained unchanged (2.3 +/- 0.2 to 2.0 +/- 0.4 ng/ml, p greater than 0.05). At the same time urinary kallikrein decreased from 55 +/- 6 to 33 +/- 4 milliesterase units (mEU)/min (p less than 0.05), while urinary kinin decreased from 3.2 +/- 0.4 to 1.9 +/- 0.3 ng/min (p less than 0.05). There was a significant correlation between the decrease in arterial bradykinin and the rise in SAP induced by RAC (p less than 0.01). Administration of the dipeptidyl hydrolase inhibitor SQ20881 during RAC reduced angiotensin-converting enzyme levels from 578 +/- 86 to 10 +/- 0.0 mU/ml (p less than 0.005). There was an associated increase in arterial bradykinin (1.4 +/- 0.1 to 5.8 +/- 0.8 ng/ml, p less than 0.001), renal venous bradykinin (2.0 +/- 0.4 to 5.7 +/- 0.5 ng/ml, p less than 0.005), and urinary kinin (1.9 +/- 0.3 to 5.0 +/- 0.7 ng/min, p less than 0.01) in conjunction with return of SAP to control levels. Urinary kallikrein, however, remained depressed following SQ20881 (33 +/- 4 to 30 +/- 5 mEU/min, p greater than 0.05). These results suggest that (1) decreases in circulating BK may potentiate the vasoconstrictor effect of angiotensin II and contribute to the hypertension induced by RAC, and (2) urinary kallikrein is an unreliable marker of changes in plasma bradykinin in this model of hypertension.

Ouabain inhibits renin release by a direct renal haemodynamic effect.

The effect of intrarenal infusion of ouabain (90 micrograms/kg) on renin release was examined in the anaesthetized dog. Ouabain reduced cortical Na-K-ATPase activity to 23% and outer medullary activity to 18% of the control level. During renal arterial constriction to a perfusion pressure below the autoregulatory range, renin release rose from 1.2 +/- 0.4 to 47.4 +/- 6.9 micrograms/min (P less than 0.001). This response was abolished by ouabain. When superimposed on renal arterial constriction, beta-adrenergic stimulation enhanced renin release from 25.6 +/- 10.7 to 56.9 +/- 9.5 micrograms/min (P = 0.02) at a urinary sodium excretion of 2 +/- 1 mumol/min. After ouabain, the corresponding increment substantially decreased since release rose from 5.6 +/- 2.0 to 19.9 +/- 5.3 micrograms/min only (P = 0.02), at a urinary sodium excretion of 140 +/- 67 mumol/min. When glomerular filtration was reduced to zero by ureteral occlusion in one series, renin release increased to 22.6 +/- 5.1 but was reduced (P less than 0.05) by ouabain to 13.5 +/- 5.5 micrograms/min and superimposed isoproterenol had no effect. According to these observations, ouabain inhibits renin release by a direct effect on the afferent arteriole through constriction of the autoregulating renin-secreting segment.

Role of the renin-angiotensin system in the control of vasopressin and ACTH secretion during the development of renal hypertension in dogs.

Experiments were performed to determine if the activation of the renin-angiotensin system that occurs during the development of two-kidney, one clip Goldblatt hypertension in dogs is accompanied by increases in vasopressin and adrenocorticotrophic hormone (ACTH) secretion. Following renal artery constriction, there were marked increases in arterial blood pressure, plasma renin activity (PRA), and plasma angiotensin II (AII) concentration. These changes were accompanied by an increase in plasma vasopressin concentration during the second week following constriction, and there were significant correlations between plasma vasopressin concentration and PRA (r = 0.57, p less than 0.001), and between plasma vasopressin concentration and plasma AII concentration (r = 0.59, p less than 0.001). In contrast, plasma corticosteroid concentration, used as an index of changes in ACTH secretion, did not change significantly. Acute blockade of the renin-angiotensin system with captopril or saralasin produced the expected changes in blood pressure, PRA, and plasma AII concentration but did not decrease plasma vasopressin or corticosteroid concentrations. These results indicate that during the development of renal hypertension in dogs, there may be an interaction between the renin-angiotensin system and vasopressin, but not between the renin-angiotensin system and the pituitary-adrenal axis. They also show that the antihypertensive action of captopril in this experimental model is not mediated via suppression of vasopressin, ACTH, or corticosteroid secretion.

Effects of graded renal artery constriction on blood pressure, renal artery pressure, and plasma renin activity in Goldblatt hypertension.

One-kidney, one clip (1K1C) and two-kidney, one clip (2K1C) Goldblatt hypertension was produced in rats by placing 0.30, 0.25, or 0.20 mm silver clips on the left renal artery. Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and plasma renin activity (PRA) were measured in conscious rats 24 to 28 days after clipping. The MAP in control rats (n = 38) was 116 +/- 1 mm Hg (mean +/- SEM). The 0.30, 0.25, and 0.20 mm clips produced MAPs of 133 +/- 2, 161 +/- 5, and 189 +/- 5 mm Hg, respectively, in 1K1C rats, and 123 +/- 2, 129 +/- 3, and 172 +/- 5 mm Hg in 2K1C rats (n = 17-20). When 1K1C and 2K1C groups were compared, MAP was significantly greater in 1K1C rats at all clip sizes. No treatment group's PRA was different than control (4.8 +/- 0.4 ng AI/ml/hr), except for the 0.20 mm 2K1C rats (16.2 +/- 3.1 ng AI/ml/hr). Renal artery pressure (RAP) was measured in another series of experiments and was not different from control in all but the 0.20 mm 1K1C rats. With identical clip sizes, 2K1C rats showed smaller pressure gradients than 1K1C across the clips: 0.30 mm, 8.5 +/- 1.7 vs 10.7 +/- 1.9 mm Hg; 0.25 mm, 16.5 +/- 1.2 vs 42.1 +/- 7.5 mm Hg; 0.20 mm, 51 +/- 5.3 vs 79.1 +/- 5.7 mm Hg (n = 8-12). Therefore, both the increase in MAP and the pressure gradient across the clip were greater in the 1K1C rats at every clip size.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Vasodilator capacity of contralateral kidney in Goldblatt hypertensive dog.

Because of previous suggestions of impaired renal blood flow in the contralateral kidney of Goldblatt hypertensive animals, we examined the maximal vasodilator capacity of the contralateral kidney in 13 instrumented dogs during progression of Goldblatt hypertension. Constriction of a single renal artery (RAC) followed a week or more later by total renal artery occlusion (RAO) increased mean arterial blood pressure (BP) from a control level of 102 +/- 3 to 135 +/- 7 mmHg (P less than 0.001) and increased plasma renin activity (PRA) from 0.69 +/- 0.16 to 10.2 +/- 3.9 ng angiotensin I X ml-1 X h-1 (P less than 0.05) at 2 wk after RAO. The hypertension was accompanied by an increase in basal renal blood flow (RBF) from 224 +/- 21 to 300 +/- 27 ml/min (P less than 0.01) and RBF at maximal vasodilatation from 505 +/- 24 to 673 +/- 52 ml/min (P less than 0.05). Hypertension and the increase in PRA waned, but BP remained higher than control at 4 wk after RAO (117 +/- 6 mmHg, P less than 0.005). Basal and maximal RBF were sustained at the higher levels throughout the 4-wk period after RAO. When RBF was expressed on a per gram basis, basal and maximal flow before (3.72 +/- 0.40 and 8.26 +/- 0.62 ml X min-1 X g-1, respectively) did not differ from that in the final experiment after RAO (3.85 +/- 0.34 and 8.19 +/- 0.78 ml X min-1 X g-1). The basal and minimal vascular resistances based on flow per gram were increased by 24 +/- 8 and 41 +/- 16% (P less than 0.05), respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)