Depressor effects of captopril in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats: role of vasopressin.

Oral administration of the angiotensin I-converting enzyme inhibitor captopril produced a substantial reduction of blood pressure in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. After oral administration of captopril (30 mg/kg), mean blood pressure decreased from 172 +/- 11 to 148 +/- 9 mmHg (P less than 0.01) in one hour and its antihypertensive effects lasted for the next seven hours. Plasma vasopressin levels showed a marked elevation in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats compared with control values (22 +/- 5 versus 5 +/- 3 pg/ml). This increase in vasopressin was significantly reduced by captopril from 25 +/- 5 to 8 +/- 6 pg/ml. In addition, whole body vascular reactivity to norepinephrine was examined. Responsiveness was at first attenuated but returned to control value in spite of reduction of both plasma vasopressin and blood pressure. Thus, captopril reduces blood pressure in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats and the fall in blood pressure is accompanied by reduction of plasma vasopressin and attenuation of vascular reactivity.