Reduced membrane-bound catechol-O-methyltransferase in the liver of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

We have previously reported that methylation of catecholamines by catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) was attenuated in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with acute hypotension as compared with that of Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Here we examined the soluble (S-) and membrane-bound (MB-) COMT activities and COMT protein in the liver, kidney, and erythrocytes in both strains. Both the activities and the amounts of MB-COMT in the liver were lower in SHR than in WKY rats, but no such trend was found in the kidney or erythrocytes. Nor was such a trend observed in any of these three tissues for S-COMT. These results indicate that liver MB-COMT may be a relevant factor in blood pressure regulation in rats.