Enhancement of nitroglycerin induced blood vessel relaxation in chronic renal failure model rats.

This study was designed to investigate the alternation of blood vessel rela xation in chronic renal failure (CRF) induced by adenine or partial-nephrec tomy. The aorta was employed as the blood vessel material. CRF aorta relaxa tion in both adenine and partial nephrectomy induced rats increased when tr eated with glyceryl trinitrate (GTN). In the CRF animals, cGMP levels incre ased with the severity of CRF status. Aorta cytosolic glutathione S-transfe rase mu (GST mu) activity and enzyme contents increased with CRF. The effec t of GTN on aortic vasorelaxation in both CRF statuses completely disappear ed by the treatment with sodium nitoprusside. The effects of GTN were obser ved equally in both adenine- and partial nephrectomy-induced CRF rats. We c oncluded that alterations of aortic vasorelaxation by GTN in adenine- and p artial nephrectomy-induced renal failure rats were caused by the enhancemen t of nitrogen monoxide production on the aortic blood vessel mediated by th e induced GST mu in the aorta. This GST mu induction is peculiar to CRF sin ce different CRF induction procedures produce the same results.