Clinical and experimental pharmacology & physiology
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Clin. Exp. Pharmacol. Physiol. · Oct 2008
Comparative StudyShort-term treatment of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats with an AT1 receptor blocker protects against hypertensive end-organ damage by prolonged inhibition of the renin-angiotensin system.
The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of short-term treatment with an AT(1) receptor blocker (ARB) on amelioration of hypertensive end-organ damage in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). Male SHRSP were divided into two groups: (i) an ARB-treated group; and (ii) a control group. Candesartan (1 mg/kg per day) was administered orally from 6 to 11 weeks of age. ⋯ In contrast, AT(1) receptor expression in the cerebrum and kidney was higher in the ARB group compared with the control group. These results indicate that short-term treatment of SHRSP with ARB at a young age is effective in preventing cerebral oedema after maturation. Such beneficial effects of ARB may be due, in part, to decreased blood pressure and is likely mainly due to inhibition of total circulating and local renin-angiotensin systems.