Ectonucleotidase activities are altered in serum and platelets of l-NAME-treated rats

It is well known that hypertension is closely associated to the development of vascular diseases and that the inhibition of nitric oxide biosynthesis by administration of Nω-Nitro-l-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (l-NAME) leads to arterial hypertension. In the vascular system, extracellular purines mediate several effects; thus, ADP is the most important platelet agonist and recruiting agent, while adenosine, an end product of nucleotide metabolism, is a vasodilator and inhibitor of platelet activation and recruitment. Members of several families of enzymes, known as ectonucleotidases, including E-NTPDases (ecto-nucleoside triphosphate diphosphohydrolase), E-NPP (ecto-nucleotide pyrophosphatase/phosphodiesterase) and 5′-nucleotidase are able to hydrolyze extracellular nucleotides until their respective nucleosides. We investigated the ectonucleotidase activities of serum and platelets from rats made hypertensive by oral administration of l-NAME (30 mg/kg/day for 14 days or 30 mg/kg/day for 14 days plus 7 days of l-NAME washout, in the drinking water) in comparison to normotensive control rats. l-NAME promoted a significant rise in systolic blood pressure from 112 ± 9.8 to 158 ± 23 mmHg. The left ventricle weight index (LVWI) was increased in rats treated with l-NAME for 14 days when compared to control animals. In serum samples, ATP, ADP and AMP hydrolysis were reduced by about 27%, 36% and 27%, respectively. In platelets, the decrease in ATP, ADP and AMP hydrolysis was approximately 27%, 24% and 32%, respectively. All parameters recovered after 7 days of l-NAME washout. HPLC demonstrated a reduction in ADP, AMP and hypoxanthine levels by about 64%, 69% and 87%, respectively. In this study, we showed that ectonucleotidase activities are decreased in serum and platelets from l-NAME-treated rats, which should represent an additional risk for the development of hypertension. The modulation of ectonucleotidase activities may represent an approach to antihypertensive therapy via inhibition of spontaneous platelet activation and recruitment, as well as thrombus formation.