ORIGINAL ARTICLE: PDF OnlyDopamine and aldosterone in adrenal glomerulosa cells in spontaneously hypertensive ratsMatsuoka, Hiroaki; Hayakawa, Hiroshi; Hirata, Yasunobu; Atarashi, Keiichiro; Takagi, Masao; Sugimoto, Tsuneaki Author Information From the Second Department of Internal Medicine, University of Tokyo, Tokyo, Japan. Journal of Hypertension: December 1988 - Volume 6 - Issue 4 - p S384-386 Buy Abstract To investigate the possible significance of dopamine in aldosterone production, the adrenal zona glomerulosa was examined for the presence of dopamine and aldosterone in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) aged 10 weeks. Aldosterone and dopamine were measured in the adrenal capsular portions (mostly zona glomerulosa) by radio-immunoassay and high-performance liquid chromatography, respectively. Dopamine was found in the adrenal zona glomerulosa, with a significantly higher level in SHR than in WKY, whereas the content of aldosterone was significantly lower in SHR than in WKY. Furthermore, there was a significant negative relationship between the content of dopamine and that of aldosterone. These results suggest that the inhibitory effect of dopamine on aldosterone production may be mediated within the adrenal zona glomerulosa and that an increased dopamine content in the adrenal zona glomerulosa may contribute to the decreased aldosterone content in SHR. © Lippincott-Raven Publishers.