DNA synthesis in isolated arteries of normotensive and hypertensive rats: effects of the endothelium

Objectives: To compare DNA synthesis in isolated arteries of normotensive and hypertensive rats and to evaluate wheter removal of the endothelium affects this process. Design: Carotid and renal artery segments were isolated from normotensive Wistar, Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and Sprague-Dawley rats, and from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), transgenic Sprague-Dawley rats harbouring the mouse Ren-2 gene and from WKY rats rendered hypertensive by aortic coarctation. Methods: Artery segments were exposed in vitro to serum with or without previous gentle removal of the endothelium