Effect of an Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitor on Smooth Muscle Myosin Isoforms in Afferent Arterioles from Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

I used immunohistchemical analysis to examine the expression of smooth muscle myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms (SM1 and SM2) in renal arterioles from 20- week-old Wister Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). I also examined the effect of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor, enalapril, on the expression of MHC isoforms in renal afferent arterioles from SHR. SM1 was expressed in both afferent and efferent arterioles from WKY and SHR, but much less expressed in efferent arterioles compared with afferent arterioles. On the other hand, SM2 was only expressed in afferent arterioles, and was less expressed in vehicle SHR than WKY. The expression of SM1 and SM2 in afferent arterioles from enalapril-treated SHR for 6 weeks and WKY were more increased than those from vehicle SHR (WKY vs vehicle SHR

Smooth muscle myosin heavy chain isoforms

Spontaneously hypertensive rat

Afferent arteriole

ACE inhibitor