DP. Increased ANG II sensitivity following recovery from acute kidney injury: role of oxidant stress in skeletal muscle resistance arteries. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 298: R1682-R1691, 2010. First published March 24, 2010 doi:10.1152/ajpregu.00448.2009.-Ischemia-reperfusion (I/R)-induced acute kidney injury (AKI) results in prolonged impairment of peripheral (i.e., nonrenal) vascular function since skeletal muscle resistance arteries derived from rats 5 wk post-I/R injury, show enhanced responses to ANG II stimulation but not other constrictors. Because vascular superoxide increases ANG II sensitivity, we hypothesized that peripheral responsiveness following recovery from AKI was attributable to vascular oxidant stress. Gracilis arteries (GA) isolated from post-I/R rats (ϳ5 wk recovery) showed significantly greater superoxide levels relative to sham-operated controls, as detected by dihydroeithidium, which was further augmented by acute ANG II stimulation in vitro. Hydrogen peroxide measured by dichlorofluorescein was not affected by ANG II. GA derived from postischemic animals manifested significantly greater constrictor responses in vitro to ANG II than GA from sham-operated controls. The addition of the superoxide scavenging reagent Tempol (10 Ϫ5 M) normalized the response to values similar to sham-operated controls. Apocynin (10 Ϫ6 M) and endothelial denudation nearly abrogated all ANG II-stimulated constrictor activity in GA from post-AKI rats, suggesting an important role for an endothelial-derived source of peripheral oxidative stress. Apocynin treatment in vivo abrogated GA oxidant stress and attenuated ANG II-induced pressor responses post-AKI. Interestingly, gene expression studies in GA vessels indicated a paradoxical reduction in NADPH oxidase subunit and AT1-receptor genes and no effect on several antioxidant genes. Taken together, this study demonstrates that AKI alters peripheral vascular responses by increasing oxidant stress, likely in the endothelium, via an undefined mechanism. ischemia; vascular regulation; oxidant stress ISCHEMIA-REPERFUSION (I/R) of the kidneys in rats is a common model to study the pathogenesis and reversibility of acute kidney injury (AKI). I/R injury results in a profound loss of renal function and significant damage to renal tubular cells. An interesting aspect of this model is the increasingly recognized effects that renal injury has on distant organs. Renal injury is associated with the liberation of a number of cytokines that may result in cardiovascular instability and affect outcome of patients with AKI (11). In animal models, AKI induced by I/R results in immune-mediated damage in the pulmonary system and brain (15,24,27). Similarly, Kelly (23) demonstrated compromised cardiac contractility and cardiac myocyte apoptosis following renal I/R.Despite the typical recovery of renal tubular structure indicative of this model, there are permanent alterations in renal microvascular structure that may promote renal hypoxia and alter renal hemodynamics, there...