Abstract: To study the difference in structure and function of arteries between SHR and WKY rats and its role in the development of hypertension, systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured using tail - cuff technique. The vascular reactivity was studied with rings of thoracic aorta and mesenteric arteries isolated from rats. Wall/lumen area ratio (W/L) of the two arteries was assessed by morphometry. The results showed that the SBP was significantly higher in SHR than in WKY rats at the age of 16 weeks (28.24± 1.12kPa vs 17.15±0.75 kPa, P<0.05), The W/L of both aorta and mesenteric arteries was markedly higher in SHR than in WKY rats (aorta :0.33±0.03vs0.24± 0.05,P<0.05; mesenteric arteries： 0.75±0.09 vs 0.26土0.02,P<0.05). The results suggested that the remolding of vascular structure play an important role in the development of hypertension in SHR and the alteration of vascular function was closely related to the development of hypertension.

Key words: SHR, Vascular structure, Vascular function