Renin System of the Kidney in ISIAH Rats with Inherited Stress-Induced Arterial Hypertension

The renal renin system was studied in ISIAH rats with inherited stress-induced arterial hypertension. The expression of genes for renin (Ren1) and cyclooxygenase (Cox-2) was evaluated in renal tissue of ISIAH and WAG rats (normotensive control). Basal gene expression for Ren1 and Cox-2 in ISIAH rats was much lower than in WAG rats. Water deprivation for 11 h was followed by a 4-fold increase in Cox-2 gene expression in ISIAH rats. The increase in gene expression was insignificant in WAG rats (by 30%). Renin gene expression in renal tissue of ISIAH and WAG rats remained practically unchanged after water deprivation. We conclude that a change in Cox-2 gene expression after short-term water deprivation serves as a reliable criterion for functional strain of the renal renin system in hypertensive ISIAH rats.