Role of endothelium and nitric oxide in experimental hypertension

A short review on the role of endothelium and nitric oxide (NO) in experime ntal hypertension is presented in the light of the literature and our own r ecent findings. Based on these data: it is concluded that even though there is a lot of evidence in favor of the primary and causal association of end othelial dysfunction and NO in experimental hyper-tension, it seems still m ore plausible that they are causative in some types of hypertension only. O ur own experience rather speaks for a secondary but still an important part icipation of endothelium in the maintenance and further elevation of high b lood pressure. Endothelium plays a key role in the development of organ dam ages in hypertension.