Spinal angiotensin II influences reflex cardiovascular responses to muscle contraction

1995 ◽  
Vol 269 (4) ◽  
pp. R864-R868 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Stebbins ◽  
S. Bonigut

We tested the hypothesis that inhibition of angiotensin II (ANG II) AT1 receptors in the thoracic spinal cord attenuates the reflex cardiovascular response to electrically induced hindlimb static contraction (exercise pressor reflex). Consequently, in alpha-chloralose-anesthetized cats, contraction-induced increases in mean arterial blood pressure, maximal rate of rise in left ventricular pressure (dP/dt), and heart rate were compared before and after intrathecal injection of the AT1 receptor antagonist losartan (100 or 1,000 micrograms; n = 7). Losartan significantly diminished increases in blood pressure and maximal dP/dt provoked by static contraction by 33 +/- 5 and 31 +/- 6%, respectively. Conversely, these contraction-induced responses were unaffected by similar injection of ANG II into the lumbosacral spinal cord (n = 5). Moreover, intravenous injection of 100 micrograms losartan did not affect the cardiovascular response to contraction. Our data suggest that ANG II has a excitatory effect on the efferent arm of the exercise pressor reflex, which may be due to a facilitatory action on sympathetic nerve activity.

2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (2) ◽  
pp. H479-H486 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ann-Katrin Grotle ◽  
Charles K. Crawford ◽  
Yu Huo ◽  
Kai M. Ybarbo ◽  
Michelle L. Harrison ◽  
...  

Patients with type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) have exaggerated sympathetic activity and blood pressure responses to exercise. However, the underlying mechanisms for these responses, as well as how these responses change throughout disease progression, are not completely understood. For this study, we examined the effect of the progression of T2DM on the exercise pressor reflex, a critical neurocardiovascular mechanism that functions to increase sympathetic activity and blood pressure during exercise. We also aimed to examine the effect of T2DM on reflexive cardiovascular responses to static contraction, as well as those responses to tendon stretch when an exaggerated exercise pressor reflex was present. We evoked the exercise pressor reflex and mechanoreflex by statically contracting the hindlimb muscles and stretching the Achilles tendon, respectively, for 30 s. We then compared pressor and cardioaccelerator responses in unanesthetized, decerebrated University of California Davis (UCD)-T2DM rats at 21 and 31 wk following the onset of T2DM to responses in healthy nondiabetic rats. We found that the pressor response to static contraction was greater in the 31-wk T2DM [change in mean arterial pressure (∆MAP) = 39 ± 5 mmHg] but not in the 21-wk T2DM (∆MAP = 24 ± 5 mmHg) rats compared with nondiabetic rats (∆MAP = 18 ± 2 mmHg; P < 0.05). Similarly, the pressor and the cardioaccelerator responses to tendon stretch were significantly greater in the 31-wk T2DM rats [∆MAP = 69 ± 6 mmHg; change in heart rate (∆HR) = 28 ± 4 beats/min] compared with nondiabetic rats (∆MAP = 14 ± 2 mmHg; ∆HR = 5 ± 3 beats/min; P < 0.05). These findings suggest that the exercise pressor reflex changes as T2DM progresses and that a sensitized mechanoreflex may play a role in exaggerating these cardiovascular responses. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This is the first study to provide evidence that as type-2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM) progresses, the exercise pressor reflex becomes exaggerated, an effect that may be due to a sensitized mechanoreflex. Moreover, these findings provide compelling evidence suggesting that impairments in the reflexive control of circulation contribute to exaggerated blood pressure responses to exercise in T2DM.


1996 ◽  
Vol 81 (3) ◽  
pp. 1288-1294 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Stebbins ◽  
S. Bonigut

This investigation tested the hypothesis that bradykinin causes excitatory effects in the thoracic spinal cord that augment the exercise pressor reflex. Thus we performed 30 s of electrically stimulated static contraction of the hindlimb in the anesthetized cat (alpha-chloralose) to provoke reflex-induced increases in mean arterial pressure, maximal rate of rise of left ventricular pressure (dP/dt), and heart rate (i.e., the exercise pressor reflex). These three responses were compared before and 15 min after intrathecal injection of 2 micrograms (n = 3), 10 micrograms (n = 6), or 50 micrograms (n = 3) of the selective bradykinin B2- receptor antagonist HOE-140 into the thoracic spinal cord or 10 micrograms of this antagonist into the lumbar (n = 3) spinal cord. In three of the six cats in which 10 micrograms of HOE-140 were injected into the thoracic spinal cord, an additional contraction was performed 60-90 min after treatment. The 2-microgram dose of HOE-140 had no effect on the exercise pressor reflex. Injection of 10 micrograms of this antagonist into the thoracic spinal cord reduced the contraction-evoked pressor, maximal dP/dt, and heart rate responses by 49 +/-7, 58 +/- 4, and 64 +/- 13%, respectively (P < 0.05). Fifty micrograms of HOE-140 failed to attenuate these responses further. In the three cats in which an additional contraction was performed 60-90 min after treatment with 10 micrograms of the antagonist, blood pressure and dP/dt responses had returned, in part, toward initial values. Neither intravenous (n = 3) nor intrathecal injection of 10 micrograms of HOE-140 into the lumbar spinal cord had any effect on the contraction-induced cardiovascular responses. Thoracic injection of 50-200 ng of bradykinin provoked a pressor response of 26 +/- 5 mmHg that was abolished by a similar injection of 10 micrograms of HOE-140. These data suggest that endogenous bradykinin contributes to the exercise pressor reflex by an excitatory action in the thoracic spinal cord.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (6) ◽  
pp. H2116-H2122 ◽  
Author(s):  
Charles L. Stebbins ◽  
Stefani Bonigut ◽  
Lea R. Liviakis ◽  
Paul A. Munch

Circulating arginine vasopressin (AVP) can enhance baroreflex function via its action in the area postrema (AP). We tested the hypothesis that AVP acts in the AP to enhance baroreflex function during static contraction and, in turn, attenuates the exercise pressor reflex. Thus mean arterial blood pressure ( n = 9) and heart rate (HR) ( n = 9) during 30 s of electrically stimulated hindlimb contraction were compared before and after bilateral microinjections of 200 nl of the AVP V1-receptor antagonist d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)-AVP (V1x) (1 ng/nl) into the AP of the anesthetized cat. This protocol was repeated in three other cats in which sinoaortic denervation (SAD) was performed before any intervention. Injection of V1xinto the AP had no effect on baseline blood pressure or HR. However, pressor and HR responses to static contraction were augmented by 44 ± 10 and 29 ± 9%, respectively. Static contraction also increased plasma AVP from 15.9 ± 2.0 to 25.5 ± 3.4 pg/ml. In the SAD cats, microinjection of V1x had no effect on contraction-induced increases in blood pressure or HR. These results suggest that baroreflex opposition of the reflex cardiovascular response to static contraction is enhanced by the action of AVP in the AP.


1984 ◽  
Vol 56 (5) ◽  
pp. 1369-1377 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. J. Dormer

Mongrel dogs (n = 34) were used to record the cardiovascular responses during submaximal exercise-tolerance tests (ETT) before and after the placement of lesions in rostral portions of the cerebellar fastigial nucleus (FN). Sterile surgical procedures were used to implant solid-state pressure transducers into the left ventricle or descending aorta (anesthesia 1% halothane in O2) and multipolar stainless steel electrodes into FN (anesthesia alpha-chloralose 115 mg/kg iv). Heart rate (HR), maximal left ventricular systolic pressure ( LVPmax ) and its first derivative ( dLVP /dt), and mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) were recorded during a motorized treadmill ETT. Electrolytic direct-current or radio-frequency lesions were made through the indwelling FN electrodes, and the ETT was repeated following 10–14 days recovery. Two-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with repeated measures on one, and one-way ANOVA for simple effects indicated a significant reduction in HR and MAP (P less than 0.01) but not LVPmax and dLVP /dt occurred during exercise as a result of rostral FN lesions. Although the trend for reduced LVPmax and dLVP /dt was also evident, a relatively greater decrease in blood pressure occurred in the peripheral vasculature during exercise. It was concluded that FN acts as a modulator of HR and MAP during dynamic exercise because of the observed deficits, and because FN is known to both send efferent projections to medullary vasomotor areas and receive projections from motor cortex and muscle and joint afferents.


2015 ◽  
Vol 309 (9) ◽  
pp. H1479-H1489 ◽  
Author(s):  
Simranjit K. Sidhu ◽  
Joshua C. Weavil ◽  
Massimo Venturelli ◽  
Matthew J. Rossman ◽  
Benjamin S. Gmelch ◽  
...  

We investigated the influence of aging on the group III/IV muscle afferents in the exercise pressor reflex-mediated cardiovascular response to rhythmic exercise. Nine old (OLD; 68 ± 2 yr) and nine young (YNG; 24 ± 2 yr) males performed single-leg knee extensor exercise (15 W, 30 W, 80% max) under control conditions and with lumbar intrathecal fentanyl impairing feedback from group III/IV leg muscle afferents. Mean arterial pressure (MAP), cardiac output, leg blood flow (QL), systemic (SVC) and leg vascular conductance (LVC) were continuously determined. With no hemodynamic effect at rest, fentanyl blockade during exercise attenuated both cardiac output and QL ∼17% in YNG, while the decrease in cardiac output in OLD (∼5%) was significantly smaller with no impact on QL ( P = 0.8). Therefore, in the face of similar significant ∼7% reduction in MAP during exercise with fentanyl blockade in both groups, LVC significantly increased ∼11% in OLD, but decreased ∼8% in YNG. The opposing direction of change was reflected in SVC with a significant ∼5% increase in OLD and a ∼12% decrease in YNG. Thus while cardiac output seems to account for the majority of group III/IV-mediated MAP responses in YNG, the impact of neural feedback on the heart may decrease with age and alterations in SVC become more prominent in mediating the similar exercise pressor reflex in OLD. Interestingly, in terms of peripheral hemodynamics, while group III/IV-mediated feedback plays a clear role in increasing LVC during exercise in the YNG, these afferents seem to actually reduce LVC in OLD. These peripheral findings may help explain the limited exercise-induced peripheral vasodilation often associated with aging.


1986 ◽  
Vol 61 (1) ◽  
pp. 271-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Stebbins ◽  
J. C. Longhurst

We examined the contribution of bradykinin to the reflex hemodynamic response evoked by static contraction of the hindlimb of anesthetized cats. During electrical stimulation of ventral roots L7 and S1, we compared the cardiovascular responses to hindlimb contraction before and after the following interventions: inhibition of converting enzyme (kininase II) with captopril (3–4 mg/kg, n = 6); inhibition of kallikrein activity with aprotinin (Trasylol, 20,000–30,000 KIU/kg, n = 8); and injection of carboxypeptidase B (500–750 U/kg, n = 7). Treatment with captopril augmented the rise in mean arterial blood pressure and maximal time derivative of pressure (dP/dt) caused by static contraction from 21 +/- 3 to 39 +/- 7 mmHg and 1,405 +/- 362 to 2,285 +/- 564 mmHg/s, respectively. Aprotinin attenuated the contraction-induced rise in mean arterial blood pressure (28 +/- 4 to 9 +/- 2 mmHg) and maximal dP/dt (1,284 +/- 261 to 469 +/- 158 mmHg/s). Carboxypeptidase B reduced the cardiovascular response to static contraction. Thus the mean arterial blood pressure response was decreased from 36 +/- 12 to 24 +/- 11 mmHg, maximal dP/dt from 1,618 +/- 652 to 957 +/- 392 mmHg/s, and heart rate from 12 +/- 2 to 7 +/- 1 beats/min. These data suggest that stimulation of muscle afferents by bradykinin contributes to a portion of the reflex cardiovascular response to static contraction.


2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (3) ◽  
pp. H1012-H1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhua Li ◽  
Jere H. Mitchell

Static contraction of hindlimb skeletal muscle in cats induces a reflex pressor response. The superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord is the major site of the first synapse of this reflex. In this study, static contraction of the triceps surae muscle was evoked by electrical stimulation of the tibial nerve for 2 min in anesthetized cats (stimulus parameters: two times motor threshold at 30 Hz, 0.025-ms duration). Ten stimulations were performed and 1-min rest was allowed between stimulations. Muscle contraction caused a maximal increase of 32 ± 5 mmHg in mean arterial pressure (MAP), which was obtained from the first three contractions. Activated neurons in the superficial dorsal horn were identified by c-Fos protein. Distinct c-Fos expression was present in the L6-S1 level of the superficial dorsal horn ipsilateral to the contracting leg (88 ± 14 labeled cells per section at L7), whereas only scattered c-Fos expression was observed in the contralateral superficial dorsal horn (9 ± 2 labeled cells per section, P < 0.05 compared with ipsilateral section). A few c-Fos-labeled cells were found in control animals (12 ± 5 labeled cells per section, P < 0.05 compared with stimulated cats). Furthermore, double-labeling methods demonstrated that c-Fos protein coexisted with nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) positive staining in the superficial dorsal horn. Finally, an intrathecal injection of an inhibitor of NOS, N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (5 mM), resulted in fewer c-Fos-labeled cells (58 ± 12 labeled cells per section) and a reduced maximal MAP response (20 ± 3 mmHg, P < 0.05). These results suggest that the exercise pressor reflex induced by static contraction is mediated by activation of neurons in the superficial dorsal horn and that formation of NO in this region is involved in modulating the activated neurons and the pressor response to contraction.


Hypertension ◽  
2013 ◽  
Vol 62 (suppl_1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Germán E González ◽  
Nour-Eddine Rhaleb ◽  
Xiao- P Yang ◽  
Oscar A Carretero

We previously described that chronic infusion with Angiotensin II (Ang II) increases cardiac Galectin-3 (Gal-3) expression, a carbohydrate-binding lectin present on macrophages. Also, Gal-3 was proposed to be a powerful predictor for mortality in patients with heart failure. Nevertheless, the role of Gal-3 in the pathogenesis of end organ damage (EOD) in hypertension is unknown. Here, we hypothesized that in Ang II-induced hypertension, genetic deletion of Gal-3 prevents innate immunity, EOD, and left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. Male C57 and Gal-3 KO mice were infused with vehicle (V) or Ang II (90 ng/min; s.c.) for 8 weeks and divided into: 1) C57 + V; 2) Gal-3 KO + V; 3) C57 + Ang II and 4) Gal-3 KO + Ang II. Systolic blood pressure (SBP) was measured by plestimography weekly. At 8 week, we evaluated 1) LV ejection fraction (EF) by echocardiography; 2) cardiac hypertrophy by LV weight/tibia length; 3) cardiac fibrosis by picrosirius red staining; 4) infiltrated macrophages by CD68+ staining; 5) ICAM-1 protein expression by Western blot; and 6) serum interleukin (IL)-6 by ELISA. We found that despite a similar increase in SBP and LV hypertrophy in both strains on Ang II, Gal-3 KO mice had better reserved EF and decreased inflammatory and fibrotic responses (see Table). Results: (MEAN ± SEM at 8 w) *p<0.05 C57+Ang II and Gal-3 KO+Ang II vs C57+V; ‡ p<0.05 Gal-3 KO+Ang II vs C57+Ang II. Conclusion: In Ang II-induced hypertension, deletion of Gal-3 prevents EOD and LV systolic dysfunction without altering blood pressure and LV hypertrophy. This study indicates that the deleterious effects of Ang II could be in part mediated by Gal-3, which enhanced inflammation and fibrosis.


1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (4) ◽  
pp. R909-R915 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Stebbins ◽  
A. Ortiz-Acevedo

We tested the hypothesis that oxytocin (Oxt) acts in the lumbar spinal cord to attenuate reflex pressor (mean arterial pressure, MAP) and heart rate (HR) responses to static hindlimb contraction (i.e., the exercise pressor reflex). Thus we compared MAP and HR responses to electrically stimulated hindlimb static contraction in the anesthetized cat before and after intrathecal injection of Oxt (30 pmol, n = 3; 300 pmol, n = 6; or 3 nmol, n = 6). The 300-pmol dose was most effective; it attenuated the pressor response to static contraction by 39 +/- 10% but had no effect on HR. In three other cats, contraction-induced increases in MAP and HR were monitored before and after intrathecal injection of 300 pmol of Oxt + 300 nmol of the selective Oxt receptor antagonist [d(CH2)5(1),O-Me-Tyr2,Thr4,Tyr9,Orn8]vasotocin. Pretreatment with the antagonist eliminated the effect of Oxt on MAP. In an additional 10 cats, increases in these same variables in response to static contraction were compared before and after intrathecal injection of the Oxt antagonist (30 nmol, n = 3 or 300 nmol, n = 7) into the lumbar spinal cord (L1-L7). Whereas 30 nmol of the Oxt antagonist had no effect, the 300-nmol dose augmented the contraction-induced pressor and HR responses by 28 +/- 7 and 32 +/- 17%, respectively. These data imply that endogenous Oxt modulates the exercise pressor reflex by its action on Oxt receptors in the lumbar spinal cord that can attenuate sensory nerve transmission from skeletal muscle.


2013 ◽  
Vol 38 (2) ◽  
pp. 209-215 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hyun-Min Choi ◽  
Charles L. Stebbins ◽  
Og-Taeg Lee ◽  
Hosung Nho ◽  
Joon-Hee Lee ◽  
...  

This study investigated the hemodynamic mechanisms underlying the exaggerated blood pressure response to muscle contraction in prehypertensive humans and the potential role of skeletal muscle metabo- and mechanoreceptors in this response. To accomplish this, changes in peak mean arterial blood pressure (ΔMAP), cardiac output, and total peripheral resistance (ΔTPR) were compared between prehypertensive (n = 23) and normotensive (n = 19) male subjects during 2 min of static contraction (at 50% of maximal tension), 2 min of postexercise muscle ischemia (metaboreflex), and 1 min of passive dorsiflexion of the foot (tendon stretch, mechanoreceptor reflex). These variables were assessed before and during the interventions. Percentage increases from baseline in MAP and TPR in response to the exercise pressor reflex were augmented in the prehypertensives, compared with the normotensives (44% ± 5% vs. 33% ± 4% and 34% ± 15% vs. 2% ± 8%, respectively) (p < 0.05). Metaboreflex-induced increases in MAP and TPR were also augmented in the prehypertensives (28% ± 5% vs. 14% ± 4% and 36% ± 12% vs. 14% ± 9%, respectively) (p < 0.05). In response to the mechanoreflex, no differences in the percentage increase in MAP or TPR were seen between groups. The results indicate that the reflex pressor response to static contraction is augmented in prehypertension and suggest that this phenomenon is due, at least in part, to enhanced activation of metaboreceptors.


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