Androgen-sensitive hypertension associates with upregulated vascular CYP4A12-20-HETE synthase.

Although the mechanism underlying the effect of androgen on BP and cardiovascular disease is not well understood, recent studies suggest that 20-hydroxy-5,8,11,14-eicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), a primary cytochrome P450 4 (Cyp4)-derived eicosanoid, may mediate androgen-induced hypertension. Here, treatment of normotensive mice with 5α-dihydrotestosterone increased BP and induced both Cyp4a12 expression and 20-HETE levels in preglomerular microvessels. Administration of a 20-HETE antagonist prevented and reversed the effects of dihydrotestosterone on BP. Cyp4a14(-/-) mice, which exhibit androgen-sensitive hypertension in the male mice, produced increased levels of vascular 20-HETE; furthermore, administration of a 20-HETE antagonist normalized BP. To examine whether androgen-independent increases in 20-HETE are sufficient to cause hypertension, we studied Cyp4a12-transgenic mice, which express the CYP4A12-20-HETE synthase under the control of a doxycycline-sensitive promoter. Administration of doxycycline increased BP by 40%, and administration of a 20-HETE antagonist prevented this increase. Levels of CYP4A12 and 20-HETE in preglomerular microvessels of doxycycline-treated transgenic mice approximately doubled, correlating with increased 20-HETE-dependent sensitivity to phenylephrine-mediated vasoconstriction and with decreased acetylcholine-mediated vasodilation in the renal microvasculature. We observed a similar contribution of 20-HETE to myogenic tone in the mesenteric microvasculature. Taken together, these results suggest that 20-HETE both mediates androgen-induced hypertension and can cause hypertension independent of androgen.