Investigation of rho-kinase expression in the kidney, heart and blood vessel tissues of chronic ouabain treated rats

To investigate the possible expression changes of rho-kinases in the blood vessel, kidney and heart tissues of ouabain-induced hypertansive rats, we compared the levels of rho-kinases between those tissues of normotensive and hypertensive animals. Ouabain were injected to rats 28 ?g/kg per day for 6 weeks. After ouabain treatment, aorta, kidney and heart tissues were collected and homogenised. Rho-kinase expression of the tissues were evaluated by Western Blotting. We did not find significantly change of rho-kinase expression between the aorta and heart tissues of control and hypertensive animals. But rho-kinase expressions significantly reduced in the hypertensive kidney tissues when compared to normotensive group. Kidney ROCK1 expressions may be decreased to compansate the effects of ouabain-induced hypertension. Although the rho-kinase expressions between control and hypertensive animals on the heart and aorta didn?t change, there may be an increased activity of rho-kinase in those tissues. However we did not evaluate the activitiy of the enzyme. To explain the exact role of rho-kinases in the ouabain induced hypertension, further studies are needed particularly in the kidney, renal and mesenteric arteries important in the hypertension. Keywords: Ouabain, rho-kinase, Na+K+ ATPase, ouabain-induced hypertension.