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The goal of this study was to determine whether responses of the basilar artery are altered during chronic hypertension. We measured the diameter of the basilar artery using intravital microscopy in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Acetylcholine (10 microM) dilated the basilar artery by 25 +/- 4% (means +/- SE) in WKY but by only 2 +/- 2% in SHR. Bradykinin (1.0 microM) dilated the basilar artery by 12 +/- 1% in WKY, but did not alter diameter in SHR (-0.1 +/- 2%). In contrast, nitroglycerin produced similar vasodilatation in WKY and SHR. Next, we examined the possibility that impaired vasodilatation in SHR may be related to the production of a cyclooxygenase constrictor substance. Indomethacin (10 mg/kg iv) did not restore vasodilatation in response to acetylcholine and bradykinin in SHR. Finally, we examined the role of nitric oxide in dilatation of the basilar artery …