Prostaglandins in blood pressure regulation.

Alterations in the pattern of renal PG have been reported in hypertensive animals and in human essential hypertension, reflecting a primary causative defect or changes which are secondary to hypertension. Furthermore, direct evidence for a primary role of AA metabolites in the long term control of blood pressure emerges from the interrelationship between angiotensin II, vasopressin, norepinephrine, and alfa-adrenergic stimuli. Since locally synthetized vasodilatory PG are known to modulate the effects of vasoconstrictor stimuli on renal vasculature and sodium excretion, it is suggested that an alteration of this interplay may be responsible for some forms of experimental and human hypertension.