Reduced activity of SKCa and Na‐K ATPase underlies the accelerated impairment of EDH‐type relaxations in mesenteric arteries of aging spontaneously hypertensive rats

Aging is accompanied by endothelial dysfunction due to reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) and/or reduced endothelium‐dependent hyperpolarizations (EDH). This study examines the hypothesis that hypertension aggravates the impairment of EDH‐type relaxation due to aging. EDH‐type relaxations were studied in superior mesenteric arteries isolated from Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats of 12, 36, 60, and 72 weeks of age. EDH‐type relaxations in WKY were reduced with aging, and this was associated with an impairment of the function of small‐conductance calcium‐activated potassium channels (SKCa) and sodium‐potassium ATPase (Na‐K ATPase). EDH‐type relaxation in SHR was smaller than that in WKY arteries, and further reduction occurred with aging. Pharmacological experiments suggested a reduced involvement of SKCa and Na‐K ATPase and activation of adenosine monophosphate‐activated protein kinase and silent information regulator T1 (sirtuin‐1; SIRT1) in mesenteric arteries of 12‐week‐old SHR. These pharmacological findings suggest that in superior mesenteric arteries of the rat, the reduction in EDH‐type relaxation occurs with aging and that such a reduction is exacerbated in hypertension. The latter exacerbation appears to involve proteins associated with the process of cellular senescence and is related to impaired function of SKCa and Na‐K ATPase, a phenomenon that is also observed in mesenteric arteries of older normotensive rats.