Contribution of central amiloride-sensitive transport systems to the development of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Abstract This study was conducted to examine if central amiloride-sensitive transport systems are involved in the development and/or maintenance of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Either amiloride (75 μg/60 μl/day) or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF, 60 μl/day) was infused centrally (i.c.v.) for 4 weeks to development (4–5-weeks-old) and maintenance (10–12-weeks-old) phases of hypertension in SHR. In development phase, amiloride i.c.v. ( n =14) blunted the elevation of blood pressure (BP) compared to aCSF i.c.v. ( n =9) (amiloride vs. aCSF; after 3 weeks of i.c.v., 146±3 vs. 166±5 mmHg, P n =11 vs. aCSF, n =6; %ΔBP at 800 ng/kg/min.: 16.9±1.3 vs. 10.8±1.4 mmHg, P