Transfer of arterial hypertension by splenic cells from DOCA-salt hypertensive and renal hypertensive rats to normotensive recipients.

Arterial hypertension was transferred from DOCA-salt hypertensive and renal hypertensive rats to normotensive rats by intravenous injection of splenic cells. Thirteen normotensive recipients were injected intravenously with splenic cells from the hypertensive donors. Eleven developed arterial hypertension (85%), that is, with a systolic blood pressure exceeding 140 mm Hg. Three of the recipients developed hypertensive levels up to 155-160 mm Hg, which was almost up to the levels in the donors. The increase of the blood pressure in the recipients was significant when compared to controls injected intravenously with splenic cells from normotensive donors (p less than 0.001). Skin tests, performed by intracutaneous injection of homogenized common carotid arteries in half of the recipients, showed positive reactions 24 hours after the injection. Microscopical examination of heart and kidney from the other half demonstrated mononuclear infiltration into arterial and arteriolar walls and exudative changes in these walls. Due to exudative thickening of the vessel walls the lumina were narrowed. The hypothesis is advanced that the recipient rats developed arterial hypertension as a result of a transferred delayed hypersensitivity directed against the arterial walls. This hypersensitivity reaction caused insudation of plasma components into the arterial walls, narrowing of their lumina and an increased peripheral resistance to the blood flow, so that arterial hypertension developed.