Systemic and renal haemodynamics during rUII and URP infusion.

<p>Effect of exogenous rUII (6 pmol. min^-1. 100 g bwt^-1, solid bars, n = 7 per strain), URP (6 pmol. min^-1. 100 g bwt^-1, hatched bars, n = 5 per strain) or vehicle (0.154 mol/L NaCl, open bars, n = 6 per strain) infusion on mean arterial pressure (A-B), effective renal blood flow (C-D) and glomerular filtration rate (E-F) in anaesthetised 4-5 week-old WKY rats (left column) and pre-hypertensive SHRs (right column). Data shown are mean ± SEM for the baseline control period and the final 15 mins of the treatment period when effects were maximal. * P < 0.05, ** P < 0.01 compared with vehicle-treated rats, Dunnett’s test.</p

Renal water and sodium handling during rUII and URP infusion.

<p>Effect of exogenous rUII (6 pmol. min^-1. 100 g bwt^-1, solid bars, n = 7 per strain), URP (6 pmol. min^-1. 100 g bwt^-1, hatched bars, n = 5 per strain) or vehicle (0.154 mol/L NaCl, open bars, n = 6 per strain) infusion on urine flow rate (A-B), sodium excretion rate (C-D) and fractional sodium excretion (E-F) in anaesthetised 4-5 week-old WKY rats (left column) and pre-hypertensive SHRs (right column). Data shown are mean ± SEM for the baseline control period and the final 15 mins of the treatment period when effects were maximal. * P < 0.05 compared with vehicle-treated rats, Dunnett’s test.</p

Immunolocalisation of urotensin system proteins in the pre-hypertensive SHR and WKY rat kidney.

<p>UII (A-F) and UT (G-L) proteins in the kidneys of 4-5-week-old WKY rats and SHRs. All images are representative and captured at x40 magnification (scale bar 50 µm). Images in the right hand column (C, F, I and L) represent typical negative control sections where primary antibody was omitted. UII-immunoreactivity in both the WKY rat (A) and the SHR (D) cortex was diffuse in distal (arrowheads) and proximal (black arrows) tubules, with no UII-immunoreactivity in glomeruli (red arrow, A). UII-immunoreactivity in both the WKY rat (B) and the SHR (E) medulla was located principally in the collecting ducts (arrowheads), with some immunoreactivity in the loops of Henle (arrows). In both the WKY rat (G) and the SHR (J) cortex UT-immunoreactivity was more intense in the distal (arrowheads) compared to proximal (black arrows) tubules, with UT-immunoreactivity absent in the SHR proximal tubules (black arrow, J); there was also some immunoreactivity in the glomeruli (red arrows). UT-immunoreactivity in both the WJY rat (H) and the SHR (K) medulla was localised to collecting ducts (arrowheads), with little immunoreactivity in the loops of Henle (arrows). </p