Central nitric oxide attenuates the baroreceptor reflex in conscious rabbits

1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (4) ◽  
pp. R1142-R1149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiyoshi Matsumura ◽  
Isao Abe ◽  
Takuya Tsuchihashi ◽  
Masatoshi Fujishima

We examined the role of central nitric oxide (NO) in the baroreceptor reflex in conscious rabbits. Intracerebroventricular infusion of 20 μmol of N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) to block central NO resulted in increases in arterial pressure, renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), and plasma catecholamine levels, and the pressor response was suppressed by pretreatment with pentolinium (5 mg/kg iv). On the other hand, a subpressor dose of intracerebroventricular l-NAME (10 μmol/h) caused significant increases in baroreflex sensitivities assessed by RSNA and heart rate compared with vehicle infusion [maximum gain: −18.2 ± 0.9 vs. −9.6 ± 0.9%/mmHg ( P < 0.001) and −14.3 ± 2.3 vs. −5.7 ± 0.4 beats ⋅ min−1 ⋅ mmHg−1( P < 0.05), respectively]. Conversely, an intracerebroventricular infusion of Et2N[N(O)NO]Na, an NO donor (1 μmol/h) significantly attenuated the baroreflex sensitivities. However, intracerebroventricular infusion of N ω-nitro-d-arginine methyl ester (10 μmol/h), an enantiomer ofl-NAME, failed to alter the baroreflex sensitivities. These results suggest that 1) the pressor response induced by inhibition of central NO synthesis is mainly mediated by the enhanced sympathetic outflow and 2) central NO attenuates the baroreflex control of RSNA and heart rate in conscious rabbits.

2014 ◽  
Vol 307 (3) ◽  
pp. R271-R280 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rohit Ramchandra ◽  
Sally G. Hood ◽  
Clive N. May

Heart failure (HF) is associated with increased cardiac and renal sympathetic drive, which are both independent predictors of poor prognosis. A candidate mechanism for the centrally mediated sympathoexcitation in HF is reduced synthesis of the inhibitory neuromodulator nitric oxide (NO), resulting from downregulation of neuronal NO synthase (nNOS). Therefore, we investigated the effects of increasing the levels of NO in the brain, or selectively in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), on cardiac sympathetic nerve activity (CSNA) and baroreflex control of CSNA and heart rate in ovine pacing-induced HF. The resting level of CSNA was significantly higher in the HF than in the normal group, but the resting level of RSNA was unchanged. Intracerebroventricular infusion of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 500 μg·ml−1·h−1) in conscious normal sheep and sheep in HF inhibited CSNA and restored baroreflex control of heart rate, but there was no change in RSNA. Microinjection of SNP into the PVN did not cause a similar cardiac sympathoinhibition in either group, although the number of nNOS-positive cells was decreased in the PVN of sheep in HF. Reduction of endogenous NO with intracerebroventricular infusion of Nω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester decreased CSNA in normal but not in HF sheep and caused no change in RSNA in either group. These findings indicate that endogenous NO in the brain provides tonic excitatory drive to increase resting CSNA in the normal state, but not in HF. In contrast, exogenously administered NO inhibited CSNA in both the normal and HF groups via an action on sites other than the PVN.


1993 ◽  
Vol 265 (6) ◽  
pp. R1410-R1415 ◽  
Author(s):  
G. Dieguez ◽  
J. L. Garcia ◽  
N. Fernandez ◽  
A. L. Garcia-Villalon ◽  
L. Monge ◽  
...  

The role of nitric oxide (NO) in the cerebral circulation under basal conditions and after vasodilatation to hypercapnia or reactive hyperemias was studied in 17 anesthetized goats. The intravenous administration of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 3-4 or 8-10 mg/kg), an inhibitor of nitric oxide production, reduced middle cerebral artery (MCA) flow (electromagnetically measured) by 19 and 30% and increased systemic arterial pressure by 21 and 26%, respectively, whereas heart rate did not significantly change; MCA resistance increased by 48 and 86%, respectively. These hemodynamic effects were reversed by L-arginine (200-300 mg/kg iv; 5 goats). Different levels of hypercapnia (PCO2 of 30-35, 40-45, and 55-65 mmHg) (12 goats) produced arterial PCO2-dependent increases in MCA flow that were similar under control and L-NAME treatment. Graded cerebral hyperemia occurred after 5, 10, and 20 s of MCA occlusion in 5 goats, but its magnitude was decreased during L-NAME treatment. It suggests that, in the cerebral circulation, nitric oxide 1) produces a basal vasodilator tone and 2) is probably not involved in the vasodilatation to hypercapnia but may mediate hyperemic responses after short brain ischemias.


1990 ◽  
Vol 69 (3) ◽  
pp. 962-967 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. T. Sullebarger ◽  
C. S. Liang ◽  
P. D. Woolf ◽  
A. E. Willick ◽  
J. F. Richeson

Phenylephrine (PE) bolus and infusion methods have both been used to measure baroreflex sensitivity in humans. To determine whether the two methods produce the same values of baroreceptor sensitivity, we administered intravenous PE by both bolus injection and graded infusion methods to 17 normal subjects. Baroreflex sensitivity was determined from the slope of the linear relationship between the cardiac cycle length (R-R interval) and systolic arterial pressure. Both methods produced similar peak increases in arterial pressure and reproducible results of baroreflex sensitivity in the same subjects, but baroreflex slopes measured by the infusion method (9.9 +/- 0.7 ms/mmHg) were significantly lower than those measured by the bolus method (22.5 +/- 1.8 ms/mmHg, P less than 0.0001). Pretreatment with atropine abolished the heart rate response to PE given by both methods, whereas plasma catecholamines were affected by neither method of PE administration. Naloxone pretreatment exaggerated the pressor response to PE and increased plasma beta-endorphin response to PE infusion but had no effect on baroreflex sensitivity. Thus our results indicate that 1) activation of the baroreflex by the PE bolus and infusion methods, although reproducible, is not equivalent, 2) baroreflex-induced heart rate response to a gradual increase in pressure is less than that seen with a rapid rise, 3) in both methods, heart rate response is mediated by the vagus nerves, and 4) neither the sympathetic nervous system nor the endogenous opiate system has a significant role in mediating the baroreflex control of heart rate to a hypertensive stimulus in normal subjects.


2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (5) ◽  
pp. R1624-R1632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia L. Brooks ◽  
Kathy A. Clow ◽  
Lisa S. Welch ◽  
George D. Giraud

Pregnancy produces marked systemic vasodilation, but the mechanism is unknown. Experiments were performed in conscious rabbits to test the hypotheses that increased nitric oxide (NO) production contributes to the increased vascular conductance, but that the contribution varies among vascular beds. Rabbits were instrumented with aortic and vena caval catheters and ultrasonic flow probes implanted around the ascending aorta, superior mesenteric artery, terminal aorta, and/or a femoral artery. Hemodynamic responses to intravenous injection of N ω-nitro-l-arginine (l-NA; 20 mg/kg or increasing doses of 2, 5, 10, 15, and 20 mg/kg) were determined in rabbits first before pregnancy (NP) and then at the end of gestation (P). l-NA produced similar increases in arterial pressure between groups, but the following responses were larger ( P < 0.05) when the rabbits were pregnant: 1) decreases in total peripheral conductance [−3.7 ± 0.3 (NP), −5.0 ± 0.5 (P) ml · min−1 · mmHg−1], 2) decreases in mesenteric conductance [−0.47 ± 0.05 (NP), −0.63 ± 0.07 (P) ml · min−1 · mmHg−1], 3) decreases in terminal aortic conductance [−0.43 ± 0.05 (NP), −0.95 ± 0.19 ml · min−1 · mmHg−1 (P)], and 4) decreases in heart rate [−41 ± 4 (NP), −62 ± 5 beats/min (P)]. Nevertheless, total peripheral and terminal aortic conductances remained elevated in the pregnant rabbits ( P < 0.05) after l-NA. Furthermore, decreases in cardiac output and femoral conductance were not different between the reproductive states. We conclude that the contribution of NO to vascular tone increases during pregnancy, but only in some vascular beds. Moreover, the data support a role for NO in the pregnancy-induced increase in basal heart rate. Finally, unknown factors in addition to NO must also underlie the basal vasodilation observed during pregnancy.


2012 ◽  
pp. 135-144
Author(s):  
M. CHASWAL ◽  
S. DAS ◽  
J. PRASAD ◽  
A. KATYAL ◽  
A. K. MISHRA ◽  
...  

We studied the effect of losartan on baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) and heart rate variability (HRV) of adult Wistar rats during acute and chronic inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Chronic L-NAME administration (50 mg/kg per day for 7 days, orally through gavage) increased mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate but significantly decreased BRS. In addition, a significant fall of standard deviation of normal RR intervals, total spectral power, high frequency spectral power and a rise of low frequency to high frequency (LF: HF) ratio was seen. Acute L-NAME administration (30 mg/kg, i.v. bolus dose) also raised MAP and impaired HRV but it was associated with augmented BRS for bradycardia reflex. Losartan treatment (10 mg/kg, i.v.) in both acute and chronic L-NAME treated rats, decreased MAP but the difference was not significant. On the other hand, losartan administration normalized depressed BRS for bradycardia reflex and significantly reduced LF to HF ratio in chronic L-NAME treated rats. But this improvement was not observed in acute L-NAME group. These results indicate importance of mechanisms other than renin-angiotensin system in the pressor response of both acute as well as chronic L-NAME. However, autonomic dysregulation especially following chronic L-NAME appears to be partly angiotensin dependent.


2019 ◽  
Vol 317 (2) ◽  
pp. R280-R288 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jian Cui ◽  
Rachel C. Drew ◽  
Matthew D. Muller ◽  
Cheryl Blaha ◽  
Virginia Gonzalez ◽  
...  

Smoking is a risk factor for cardiovascular diseases. Prior reports showed a transient increase in blood pressure (BP) following a spontaneous burst of muscle sympathetic nerve activity (MSNA). We hypothesized that this pressor response would be accentuated in smokers. Using signal-averaging techniques, we examined the BP (Finometer) response to MSNA in 18 otherwise healthy smokers and 42 healthy nonsmokers during resting conditions. The sensitivities of baroreflex control of MSNA and heart rate were also assessed. The mean resting MSNA, heart rate, and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were higher in smokers than nonsmokers. The MAP increase following a burst of MSNA was significantly greater in smokers than nonsmokers (Δ3.4 ± 0.3 vs. Δ1.6 ± 0.1 mmHg, P < 0.001). The baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) of burst incidence, burst area, or total activity was not different between the two groups. However, cardiac BRS was lower in smokers than nonsmokers (14.6 ± 1.7 vs. 24.6 ± 1.5 ms/mmHg, P < 0.001). Moreover, the MAP increase following a burst was negatively correlated with the cardiac BRS. These observations suggest that habitual smoking in otherwise healthy individuals raises the MAP increase following spontaneous MSNA and that the attenuated cardiac BRS in the smokers was a contributing factor. We speculate that the accentuated pressor increase in response to spontaneous MSNA may contribute to the elevated resting BP in the smokers.


1987 ◽  
Vol 65 (5) ◽  
pp. 834-841 ◽  
Author(s):  
A-R. A. Abdel-Rahman ◽  
Roy Russ ◽  
J. A. Strickland ◽  
W. R. Wooles

In rats anesthetized with α-chloralose, doses of 0.1, 0.5, and 1 g/kg of ethanol produced an upward shift of baroreflex curves constructed by plotting the heart rate response against mean arterial pressure following evoked rises in mean arterial pressures by phenylephrine or angiotensin II. Whereas the upward shift of baroreceptor curves may be related, at least in part, to a higher base-line heart rate after ethanol, the data showed that the 1 g/kg dose of ethanol significantly depressed baroreflex sensitivity, suggesting that higher doses of ethanol impair baroreflex-mediated bradycardia. The phenylephrine, but not the angiotensin II or the nitroprusside, dose–response curves were shifted to the right after ethanol, indicating a decreased pressor responsiveness and suggesting that ethanol may have α-adrenergic blocking activity. This effect was also obtained in conscious rats. That this effect was not influenced by changes in baroreflex sensitivity was supported by the finding that a similar shift of the phenylephrine pressor–response curve was obtained in bilaterally vagotomized and hexamethonium-treated rats. Whether this effect of ethanol on baroreflex control of heart rate was influenced by anesthesia was investigated in conscious rats; the 1 g/kg dose of ethanol that produced the most significant decrease in baroreflex sensitivity was used in these experiments. Ethanol was still able to significantly inhibit baroreflex sensitivity in conscious rats, but the upward shift of the baroreflex curve and the elevated base-line heart rate no longer occurred. On the other hand, none of the three doses of ethanol had any significant effect on baroreflex-mediated tachycardia (in response to nitroprusside-evoked hypotension). The data suggest that high doses of ethanol selectively inhibit baroreflex-mediated bradycardia and that ethanol has an α-blocking-like activity in conscious and anesthetized rats.


2010 ◽  
Vol 299 (5) ◽  
pp. H1598-H1603 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tor Steensrud ◽  
Jing Li ◽  
Xiaojing Dai ◽  
Cedric Manlhiot ◽  
Rajesh K. Kharbanda ◽  
...  

We have previously shown that remote ischemic preconditioning (rIPC) by transient limb ischemia leads to the release of a circulating factor(s) that induces potent myocardial protection. Intra-arterial injection of adenosine into a limb also leads to cardioprotection, but the mechanism of its signal transduction is poorly understood. Eleven groups of rabbits received saline control or rIPC or adenosine administration with additional pretreatment with the nitric oxide (NO) synthase blocker NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, the NO donor S-nitroso- N-acetylpenicillamine, its non-NO-donating derivative N-acetylpenicillamine, or femoral nerve section. Blood was then drawn from each animal, and the dialysate of the plasma was used to perfuse a naïve heart from an untreated donor. Infarct size was measured after 30 min of global ischemia and 120 min reperfusion. When compared with that of the control, mean infarct size was significantly smaller in groups treated with rIPC alone ( P < 0.01) and intra-arterial adenosine ( P < 0.01). Pretreatment with NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester or N-acetylpenicillamine did not affect the level of protection induced by rIPC ( P = not significant, compared with rIPC alone) or intra-arterial adenosine ( P = not significant, compared with intra-arterial adenosine alone), but prior femoral nerve transection or pretreatment with S-nitroso- N-acetylpenicillamine abolished the cardioprotective effect of intra-arterial adenosine and rIPC. Intra-arterial adenosine, like rIPC, releases a blood-borne cardioprotective factor(s) that is dependent on an intact femoral nerve and is inhibited by pretreatment with a NO donor. These results may be important when designing or assessing the results of clinical trials of adenosine or rIPC cardioprotection, where NO donors are used as part of therapy.


2012 ◽  
Vol 303 (6) ◽  
pp. F812-F820 ◽  
Author(s):  
Monika Thumova ◽  
Vladimir Pech ◽  
Otto Froehlich ◽  
Diana Agazatian ◽  
Xiaonan Wang ◽  
...  

Pendrin is a Cl−/HCO3− exchanger, expressed in the apical regions of some intercalated cell subtypes, and is critical in the pressor response to angiotensin II. Since angiotensin type 1 receptor inhibitors reduce renal pendrin protein abundance in mice in vivo through a mechanism that is dependent on nitric oxide (NO), we asked if NO modulates renal pendrin expression in vitro and explored the mechanism by which it occurs. Thus we quantified pendrin protein abundance by confocal fluorescent microscopy in cultured mouse cortical collecting ducts (CCDs) and connecting tubules (CNTs). After overnight culture, CCDs maintain their tubular structure and maintain a solute gradient when perfused in vitro. Pendrin protein abundance increased 67% in CNT and 53% in CCD when NO synthase was inhibited ( NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, 100 μM), while NO donor (DETA NONOate, 200 μM) application reduced pendrin protein by ∼33% in the CCD and CNT. When CNTs were cultured in the presence of the guanylyl cyclase inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4] oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (10 μM), NO donors did not alter pendrin abundance. Conversely, pendrin protein abundance rose when cAMP content was increased by the application of an adenylyl cyclase agonist (forskolin, 10 μM), a cAMP analog (8-bromo-cAMP, 1 mM), or a phosphodiesterase inhibitor (BAY60-7550, 50 μM). Since NO reduces cellular cAMP in the CNT, we asked if NO reduces pendrin abundance by reducing cAMP. With blockade of cGMP-stimulated phosphodiesterase II, NO did not alter pendrin protein abundance. We conclude that NO acts through cAMP to reduce pendrin total protein abundance by enhancing cAMP degradation.


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