The renal vasodilatation from β‐adrenergic activation in vivo in rats is not driven by KV7 and BKCa channels

The mechanisms behind renal vasodilatation elicited by stimulation of β-adrenergic receptors are not clarified. As several classes of K channels are potentially activated, we tested the hypothesis that KV7 and BKCa channels contribute to the decreased renal vascular tone in vivo and in vitro. Changes in renal blood flow (RBF) during β-adrenergic stimulation were measured in anaesthetized rats using an ultrasonic flow probe. The isometric tension of segmental arteries from normo- and hypertensive rats and segmental arteries from wild-type mice and mice lacking functional K_V7.1 channels was examined in a wire-myograph. The β-adrenergic agonist isoprenaline increased RBF significantly in vivo. Neither activation nor inhibition of K_V7 and BK_Ca channels affected the β-adrenergic RBF response. In segmental arteries from normo- and hypertensive rats, inhibition of K_V7 channels significantly decreased the β-adrenergic vasorelaxation. However, inhibiting BK_Ca channels was equally effective in reducing the β-adrenergic vasorelaxation. The β-adrenergic vasorelaxation was not different between segmental arteries from wild-type mice and mice lacking K_V7.1 channels. As opposed to rats, inhibition of K_V7 channels did not affect the murine β-adrenergic vasorelaxation. Although inhibition and activation of K_V7 channels or BK_Ca channels significantly changed baseline RBF in vivo, none of the treatments affected β-adrenergic vasodilatation. In isolated segmental arteries, however, inhibition of K_V7 and BK_Ca channels significantly reduced the β-adrenergic vasorelaxation, indicating that the regulation of RBF in vivo is driven by several actors in order to maintain an adequate RBF. Our data illustrates the challenge in extrapolating results from in vitro to in vivo conditions.