RNA silencing targeting PIN (protein inhibitor of neuronal nitric oxide synthase) attenuates the development of hypertension in young spontaneously hypertensive rats

Nitric oxide (NO) deficiency contributes to hypertension. We previously showed that neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) was involved in hypertension and kidney damage in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs). The protein inhibitor of nNOS (PIN) has been reported to inhibit activity of nNOS.Thus, we tested whether increased PIN in the kidney results in hypertension and whether small interfering RNA (siRNA) targeting PIN attenuates hypertension in SHRs. Four-week-old male SHRs were assigned into three groups (n = 6-7/group): SHR; SHR + PIN, SHR that received siRNA targeting PIN; and SHR + NC, SHR treated with random negative control siRNA. Rats were sacrificed at 12 weeks of age. PIN protein expression was inhibited considerably when PIN siRNA was transfected into NRK52E cells (90% siRNA at 1 nM). The increases of BP were attenuated by siRNA targeting PIN in12-week-old SHRs. Immunostaining of nNOS-α and total nNOS was greater in SHR + PIN group than SHR. Moreover, renal superoxide production and 8-hydroxydeoxyguanosine (8-OHdG) staining were more decreased in the SHR + PIN group than SHRs. We conclude that PIN siRNA reduced PIN expression in vitro and in vivo. PIN siRNA therapy attenuates hypertension in SHRs at 12 weeks of age. Our results suggest that PIN is involved in the development of hypertension.