The effect of chronic and acute administration of deuterium oxide (D2O) on vascular smooth muscle contraction in spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats.

1. Oral administration of 25% D2O for 12 days reduced blood pressure of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) to the level of Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) controls. 2.

Deuterium oxide reduces agonist and depolarization-induced contraction of rat aortic rings.

The influence of deuterium oxide (D2O) on calcium-dependent vascular smooth muscle contraction was investigated. The effect of D2O on receptor-operated calcium channels was investigated with phenylephrine-induced contraction in the rat aortic ring preparation. D2O depressed the contraction response in a dose-dependent manner with 50% inhibition of maximum contraction observed with 60% D2O.

Studies of the desensitization of atrial natriuretic factor and nitroglycerin in rat aortic rings.

1. Atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) relaxes vascular smooth muscle through activation of particulate guanylate cyclase and generation of cyclic GMP. 2.