Elevated Vascular Angiotensin Converting Enzyme in Chronic Two-Kidney, One Clip Hypertension in the Dog

The possible role of the vascular angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in the development of two-kidney, one clip (2-K, 1C) hypertensive dogs was studied in different blood vessels. Vascular ACE activity per mg protein differed in a variety of blood vessels; the activity appeared to vary inversely with the outer diameter of arteries. The systemic blood pressure in mongrel dogs increased after partial occlusion of the left renal artery, and the hypertension lasted for 8 months. Plasma renin activity (PRA) was raised only for the first 4 weeks after the operation and then returned to the original level in the chronic stage of hypertension. Plasma ACE activity did not alter during the experimental period. In contrast, ACE activities in the jejunal, pulmonary and renal arteries, aorta, lung and cerebral cortex, significantly increased in the chronic hypertensive stage (8 months after occlusion). The production of angiotensin II (ANG II) from ANG I was significantly greater in isolated arteries from 8-month hypertensive dogs than in those from normotensive dogs when assessed by the contractile responses to ANG I and ANG II. These results indicate that acceleration by increased vascular ACE activity of the production of ANG II in the vascular wall may contribute to the maintenance of hypertension in the chronic stage of 2-K, 1C hypertensive dogs having normal PRA and plasma ACE activity.