Increased Pressor Responsiveness to Enkephalin in Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats: The Role of Vasopressin

1980 ◽  
Vol 59 (s6) ◽  
pp. 235s-237s ◽  
Author(s):  
R. W. Rockhold ◽  
J. T. Crofton ◽  
L. Share

1. The cardiovascular effects of an enkephalin analogue were examined in spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats. (D-Ala2)-methionine enkephalin caused a biphasic increase in blood pressure and an increase in heart rate after intracerebroventricular injection. 2. The initial pressor response to (D-Ala2)-methionine enkephalin was greater in hypertensive than in normotensive rats. No difference was noted between groups during the secondary pressor response. Heart rate increases paralleled the secondary increase in blood pressure. 3. Naloxone pretreatment abolished the secondary increase in blood pressure and the tachycardia, but did not blunt the initial pressor response in female Wistar-Kyoto rats. 4. Plasma levels of arginine vasopressin were depressed during the plateau phase of the pressor response in hypertensive rats given intracerebroventricular (d-Ala2)-methionine enkephalin. 5. The results suggest that the cardiovascular effects of central enkephalin are not due to vasopressin, but may involve activation of the sympathetic nervous system.

1980 ◽  
Vol 59 (s6) ◽  
pp. 299s-302s ◽  
Author(s):  
T. Unger ◽  
R. W. Rockhold ◽  
T. Yukimura ◽  
R. Rettig ◽  
D. Ganten

1. The cardiovascular effects after intracerebroventricular injections of substance P were investigated in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto and in spontaneously hypertensive rats. 2. Substance P increased blood pressure in both rat strains. Wistar-Kyoto rats responded with moderate, dose-dependent blood pressure increases, and heart rate decreased; spontaneously hypertensive rats showed two- to three-fold increased pressor effects and, concomitantly, marked heart rate increases to intracerebroventricular injections of substance P. 3. Sino-aortic baroreceptor denervation rendered Wistar-Kyoto rats supersensitive to intracerebroventricular substance P to a similar degree as unoperated spontaneously hypertensive rats. Sino-aortic denervation had no effect on the blood pressure responses to the peptide in spontaneously hypertensive rats. 4. The central pressor actions of substance P could be markedly attenuated. by intracerebroventricular pretreatment with the derivative of γ-aminobutyric acid, baclofen. 5. We conclude that the baroreceptor reflex is disturbed in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Substance P may contribute to the pathogenesis of hypertension. The effector pathways appear to be different from angiotensin.


1995 ◽  
Vol 89 (2) ◽  
pp. 177-182 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naoyoshi Minami ◽  
Yutaka Imai ◽  
Jun-Ichiro Hashimoto ◽  
Keishi Abe

1. The aim of this study was to clarify the extent to which vascular nitric oxide contributes to basal blood pressure in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats and normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats. 2. The contribution of vascular nitric oxide to maintenance of blood pressure was estimated by measuring the pressor response to an intravenous injection of nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, Nω-l-arginine methyl ester, given after serial injections of captopril, vasopressin V1-receptor antagonist (V1-antagonist) and ganglion blocker (pentolinium) in conscious spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar Kyoto rats aged 20–28 weeks. To estimate the ‘amplifier property’ of hypertrophied vasculature in spontaneously hypertensive rats, which is known to modulate pressor responses, the lower blood pressure plateau after serial injections of captopril, V1-antagonist and pentolinium and the maximum blood pressure elicited by subsequent injection of increasing doses of phenylephrine were also measured. 3. The serial injections of captopril, V1-antagonist and pentolinium decreased mean arterial pressure from 164 ± 9 mmHg to 67 ± 2 mmHg and from 117 ± 2 mmHg to 49 ± 1 mmHg in spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar Kyoto rats respectively. The subsequent injection of Nω-l-arginine methyl ester restored mean arterial pressure almost to its control levels in both spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar Kyoto rats. The absolute changes in mean arterial pressure elicited by Nω-l-arginine methyl ester were significantly greater in spontaneously hypertensive than in Wistar Kyoto rats (P < 0.01), but there was no significant difference in the responses to Nω-l-arginine methyl ester when they were expressed as percentages of either the lower blood pressure plateau or maximum blood pressure. 4. These results indicate that basal blood pressure in both spontaneous hypertensive and Wistar Kyoto rats is maintained by a balance between vascular nitric oxide and major pressor systems. They also suggest that the vasodilatory effect of vascular nitric oxide does not differ between spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar Kyoto rats, and that the increased pressor effect of Nω-l-arginine methyl ester in spontaneously hypertensive rats is due to a vascular amplifier mechanism.


1995 ◽  
Vol 13 (9) ◽  
pp. 1009-1013 ◽  
Author(s):  
Reuven Zimlichman ◽  
Zipora Matas ◽  
Svetlana Gass ◽  
Clarissa Shahar ◽  
Jacob Barg ◽  
...  

1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (3) ◽  
pp. H1200-H1206 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zheng-Zheng Shan ◽  
Sheng-Ming Dai ◽  
Ding-Feng Su

The purpose of this study was to further illustrate the relationship between baroreceptor reflex sensitivity (BRS) and hypertensive end-organ damage (EOD) and to test the hypothesis that impairment of BRS aggravates EOD in hypertension. We studied baroreflex-mediated changes in heart rate [expressed as baroreceptor sensitivity to heart rate control (BRSHR)] and blood pressure [expressed as baroreceptor sensitivity to blood pressure control (BRSBP)] in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) that were used as controls, both at the age of 50–52 wk. Rats were also instrumented to record BP, HR, and BP variability (BPV) in the conscious, unrestrained state. In SHR compared with WKY, BP and BPV were significantly increased, whereas BRSHR and BRSBP were significantly decreased. SHR had remarkable EOD when compared with WKY (EOD score: 6.3 ± 2.5 vs. 2.9 ± 0.8, P < 0.01). Univariate regressive analysis demonstrated that EOD score was increased with BP and BPV and decreased with BRS. In multivariate analysis, EOD score was predicted by greater systolic BP and lower BRS and HR variability. These results indicate that BRS is negatively related to BPV and EOD score, and impaired BRS might be one of the major causes for hypertensive EOD.


1997 ◽  
Vol 272 (5) ◽  
pp. H2282-H2288 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. Paczwa ◽  
A. S. Budzikowski ◽  
E. Szczepanska-Sadowska

The role of endogenous centrally released nitric oxide (NO) during hypovolemia was investigated in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Bleeding of the rats (1.3% of blood volume) was performed after intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of: 1) artificial cerebrospinal fluid (series 1, time control, 8 WKY and 8 SHR); 2) 0.5 mg NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 2.3 nmol), an inhibitor of NO synthesis (series 2, 8 WKY and 7 SHR); and 3) 0.5 mg L-NNA followed by 1 mg (5.8 nmol) of L-arginine (L-Arg) (6 WKY and 5 SHR). In WKY, hypotension was associated with significant bradycardia (P < 0.001), whereas in SHR slight acceleration of heart rate was observed. In series 2 hemorrhage resulted in a small but significant increase of mean arterial pressure (MAP; P < 0.05) and considerable tachycardia (P < 0.001). In SHR, L-NNA did not modify the decrease of MAP during hypovolomia, and bleeding resulted in a significant bradycardia (P < 0.001). Pretreatment with L-Arg in series 3 was able to reverse the effects of L-NNA on changes of MAP and heart rate during hypovolemia. The results indicate that the central nitroxidergic system plays a significant role in eliciting hypotension and bradycardia in normotensive WKY during hemorrhage. Function of the central nitroxidergic system is significantly altered in SHR in which NO appears to prevent hemorrhagic bradycardia and to reduce the hypotensive effect.


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