Recombinant adeno-associated virus-mediated delivery of antisense angiotensin II receptor 1 gene attenuates hypertension development.

Aim: The renin-angiotensin system plays a crucial role in the development and establishment of hypertension, and the pharmacological blockade of the system results in a reduction in blood pressure. In the present study, we investigated whether the effects of a novel, double-stranded, recombinant adeno-associated virus vector (rAAV)-mediated antisense angiotensin II receptor 1 (AT1R) gene efficiently prevents the development of hypertension induced by a high-salt diet in adult, male Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.

Methods: A rAAV was prepared with a cassette containing a cytomegalovirus promoter and partial cDNA (660 base pairs) for the AT1R inserted in the antisense direction (rAAV-AT1-AS). A single tail vein injection of the rAAV-AT1-AS or rAAV-GFP (green fluorescent protein, a reporter gene) was performed in adult, male SD rats. Two weeks after injection, the animals were fed a diet containing 8% NaCl, and the systolic blood pressure was measured weekly using the tail-cuff method for 12 weeks.

Results: The high-salt diet induced a significant rise in systolic blood pressure in the rAAV-GFP-treated animals; however, the rAAV-AT1-AS treatment attenuated the rise in blood pressure (142.7+/-4.5 mmHg vs 117+/-3.8 mmHg, P<0.01), and the hypotensive effect was maintained until the experiments ended at 12 weeks. In the rAAV-GFP-treated animals AT1 was overexpressed in various tissues, especially in the aorta and kidney at mRNA levels; in contrast, rAAV-AT1-AS treatment markedly attenuated AT1 expression. Furthermore, rAAV-AT1-AS treatment prevented target organ damages from hypertension, including cardiac dysfunction and renal injury compared to the rAAV-GFP group.

Conclusion: These results suggest that rAAVmediated anti-AT1 delivery attenuates the development of hypertension and protects against renal injury and cardiac remodeling.