Plasma-derived serum from hypertensive rats differentially increases growth of cultured arteriolar smooth muscle

A study of platelet-free plasma-derived serum (PDS) from rats with one-kidney one clip hypertension to evaluate the role of humoral factors in hypertension reveals that plasma factors differentially stimulate c-fos-mRNA expression, thymidine incorporation and abnormal proliferation of aortic smooth muscle cells. Humoral factors include catecholamines, natriuretic factors, norepinephrine and angiotensin II. Differential effects of humoral factors arise due to reduced levels of growth inhibitors and growth promoting factor stimulation.