Oxidative stress-associated vascular aging is xanthine oxidase-dependent but not NAD(P)H oxidase-dependent.

Vascular aging is characterized by endothelial dysfunction that is primarily attributed to increased superoxide production, the exact source of which remains ambiguous. This study compared the NAD(P)H and xanthine oxidase (XO) systems as sources of superoxide and impaired vascular function in aging. Male Sprague Dawley rats, 4-months-old (young) and 18-months-old (Aging), were used. Systolic blood pressure was higher (36 +/- 3%) in the aging group compared with young rats, and this was accompanied by reduced acetylcholine-induced renal vasodilatation. Urinary excretion of nitrite was lower in the aging rats (P < 0.05), and this was associated with reduced nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity and reduced eNOS and iNOS protein expression in the aorta. Aged rats showed a n approximately twofold increase in free radical generation, as evident by increased plasma 8-isoprostane level, and an approximately fourfold increase in proteinuria compared with the young rats. Vascular NADP(H) oxidase was unchanged between both groups, as was the expression of p67phox or p47phox components of NAD(P)H oxidase. However, XO activity was increased (19 +/- 1%; P < 0.05) as well as XO expression in the aorta of aging rats. These results suggest that increased free radical generation-associated increase in SBP in aging rats is XO but not NAD(P)H oxidase-dependent.