Influence of endothelium in the in vitro vasorelaxant effect of magnesium on aortic basal tension in DOCA-salt hypertensive rat

Abstract

The objective of this study was to examine the influence of the endothelium on the extracellular magnesium induced relaxation of basal tension in isolated aortas from both mineralocorticoid-salt (DOCA-salt) hypertensive and control normotensive Sprague Dawley male rats. After incubation in magnesium-free physiological salt solution (PSS) (O mM magnesium), the increase of extracellular magnesium (1.2; 4.8 mM magnesium) caused a decrease in aortic tone which was significantly greater when endothelium was disrupted. Magnesium-induced relaxation was also more pronounced when endothelial NO production was blocked by 10(-4) M N omega-nitro-L arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). It is suggested that the vasorelaxation induced by extracellular magnesium is linked to the level of aortic basal tension developed in magnesium-free PSS. The endothelium does not seem to be directly implicated in magnesium-induced vasorelaxation in aortas from normotensive rats. However, in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats, the magnesium-induced relaxation of basal tension was less in the intact aorta (though not when the endothelium was disrupted) when the cyclo-oxygenase pathway was blocked by 10(-6) M indomethacin. These data therefore suggest that extracellular magnesium can promote relaxation by endothelium-dependent and cyclo-oxygenase-dependent mechanisms such as the production of relaxing prostacyclin in isolated aorta from DOCA-salt hypertensive rats.