scholarly journals The area postrema does not modulate the long-term salt sensitivity of arterial pressure

1998 ◽  
Vol 275 (4) ◽  
pp. R1209-R1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
John P. Collister ◽  
John W. Osborn

The hindbrain circumventricular organ, the area postrema (AP), receives multiple signals linked to body fluid homeostasis. In addition to baroreceptor input, AP cells contain receptors for ANG II, vasopressin, and atrial natriuretic peptide. Hence, it has been proposed that the AP is critical in long-term adjustments in sympathetic outflow in response to changes in dietary NaCl. The present study was designed to test the hypothesis that long-term control of arterial pressure over a range of dietary NaCl requires an intact AP. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were randomly selected for lesion of the AP (APx) or sham lesion. Three months later, rats were instrumented with radiotelemetry transmitters for continuous monitoring of mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate and were placed in individual metabolic cages. Rats were given 1 wk postoperative recovery. The dietary salt protocol consisted of a 7-day period of 1.0% NaCl (control), 14 days of 4.0% NaCl (high), 7 days of 1.0% NaCl, and finally 14 days of 0.1% NaCl (low). The results are reported as the average arterial pressure observed on the last day of the given dietary salt period: APx ( n = 7) 114 ± 2 (1.0%), 110 ± 3 (4.0%), 110 ± 3 (1.0%), and 114 ± 4 (0.1%) mmHg; sham ( n = 6) 115 ± 2 (1.0%), 114 ± 3 (4.0%), 111 ± 3 (1.0%), and 113 ± 2 (0.1%) mmHg. Neither group of rats demonstrated significant changes in MAP throughout the entire dietary salt protocol. Furthermore, no significant differences in MAP were detected between groups throughout the protocol. All lesions were histologically verified. These results suggest that the area postrema plays no role in long-term control of arterial pressure during chronic changes in dietary salt.

2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (5) ◽  
pp. F1490-F1500 ◽  
Author(s):  
Markus Schafflhuber ◽  
Nicola Volpi ◽  
Anke Dahlmann ◽  
Karl F. Hilgers ◽  
Francesca Maccari ◽  
...  

The idea that an osmotically inactive Na+ storage pool exists that can be varied to accommodate states of Na+ retention and/or Na+ loss is controversial. We speculated that considerable amounts of osmotically inactive Na+ are lost with growth and that additional dietary salt excess or salt deficit alters the polyanionic character of extracellular glycosaminoglycans in osmotically inactive Na+ reservoirs. Six-week-old Sprague-Dawley rats were fed low-salt (0.1%; LS) or high-salt (8%; HS) diets for 1 or 4 wk. At their death, we separated the tissues and determined their Na+, K+, and water content. Three weeks of growth reduced the total body Na+ content relative to dry weight (rTBNa+) by 23%. This “growth-programmed” Na+ loss originated from the bone and the completely skinned and bone-removed carcasses. The Na+ loss was osmotically inactive (45–50%) or osmotically active (50–55%). In rats aged 10 wk, compared with HS, 4 wk of LS reduced rTBNa+ by 9%. This dietary-induced Na+ loss was osmotically inactive (≈50%) and originated largely from the skin, while ≈50% was osmotically active. LS for 1 wk did not reduce skin Na+ content. The mobilization of osmotically inactive skin Na+ with long-term salt deprivation was associated with decreased negatively charged skin glycosaminoglycan content and thereby a decreased water-free Na+ binding capacity in the extracellular matrix. Our data not only serve to explain discrepant results in salt balance studies but also show that glycosaminoglycans may provide an actively regulated interstitial cation exchange mechanism that participates in volume and blood pressure homeostasis.


1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (1) ◽  
pp. H209-H218 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. M. Pawloski ◽  
N. M. Eicker ◽  
L. M. Ball ◽  
M. L. Mangiapane ◽  
G. D. Fink

It has been hypothesized that moderately increased blood levels of arginine vasopressin (AVP) contribute to the development and/or maintenance of hypertension. In this study, male Sprague-Dawley rats on a fixed 1 meq daily sodium intake received 10-day intravenous infusions of 0.2 and 2.0 ng.kg-1.min-1 AVP. The higher infusion rate was above the acute vasoconstrictor threshold for AVP administration and also produced a maximal antidiuretic effect. During chronic AVP administration, however, daily mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and body fluid composition were not changed, despite a maintained antidiuresis. To test the hypothesis that circulating AVP failed to cause hypertension as a result of sensitization of the baroreflex or a direct sympathoinhibitory effect of the peptide, additional experiments were performed in rats subjected to sinoaortic denervation (SAD) or ablation of the area postrema (APX). Infusion of AVP for 10 days into SAD or APX rats caused a sustained antidiuresis but did not change arterial pressure, heart rate, or body fluid composition. In all groups of rats, the depressor response to ganglionic blockade (20 mg/kg hexamethonium) was used to estimate the autonomic component of resting arterial pressure; no change in autonomic cardiovascular control was found using this method in any of the groups during AVP infusion. Long-term elevation of plasma AVP in rats, therefore, does not cause hypertension or significantly affect autonomic regulation of arterial pressure.


1990 ◽  
Vol 258 (6) ◽  
pp. R1472-R1478 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. M. Skoog ◽  
M. L. Blair ◽  
C. D. Sladek ◽  
W. M. Williams ◽  
M. L. Mangiapane

Previous studies have indicated that the area postrema (AP) of the rat is necessary for the development of chronic angiotensin-dependent hypertension. The present study assesses the role of the AP in the maintenance of arterial pressure during hemorrhage. Sprague-Dawley rats were given sham or AP lesions 1 wk before the experiment. They were instrumented with femoral arterial and venous catheters 2 days before the experiment. On the day of the experiment, base-line mean arterial pressure (MAP) was measured for 1 h before hemorrhage. During the following 45 min, each rat was subjected to one 7-ml/kg hemorrhage every 15 min for a total of three hemorrhages. MAP was monitored by computerized data acquisition. As shown previously, MAP was slightly but significantly lower in AP-lesion rats compared with sham-lesion rats before the hemorrhage procedure. In AP-lesion rats, hemorrhage resulted in a significantly greater fall in arterial pressure than in sham-lesion rats. In spite of larger drops in pressure in AP-lesion rats, hemorrhage caused equivalent increases in plasma renin and vasopressin in both groups. In AP-lesion rats compared with sham-lesion rats, significant bradycardia was present before hemorrhage. Hemorrhage caused bradycardia in both sham- and AP-lesion rats relative to the prehemorrhage heart rates, but AP-lesion rats showed greater bradycardia than did sham-lesion rats during every time period. We conclude that the AP may play an important role in the defense of arterial pressure against hemorrhage.


Author(s):  
Shams M. Ghoneim ◽  
Frank M. Faraci ◽  
Gary L. Baumbach

The area postrema is a circumventricular organ in the brain stem and is one of the regions in the brain that lacks a fully functional blood-brain barrier. Recently, we found that disruption of the microcirculation during acute hypertension is greater in area postrema than in the adjacent brain stem. In contrast, hyperosmolar disruption of the microcirculation is greater in brain stem. The objective of this study was to compare ultrastructural characteristics of the microcirculation in area postrema and adjacent brain stem.We studied 5 Sprague-Dawley rats. Horseradish peroxidase was injected intravenously and allowed to circulate for 1, 5 or 15 minutes. Following perfusion of the upper body with 2.25% glutaraldehyde in 0.1 M sodium cacodylate, the brain stem was removed, embedded in agar, and chopped into 50-70 μm sections with a TC-Sorvall tissue chopper. Sections of brain stem were incubated for 1 hour in a solution of 3,3' diaminobenzidine tetrahydrochloride (0.05%) in 0.05M Tris buffer with 1% H2O2.


2006 ◽  
Vol 82 (4) ◽  
pp. 285-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. J. Lee ◽  
S. H. Kim ◽  
S. Y. Choi ◽  
Y. M. Gimm ◽  
J. K. Pack ◽  
...  

2006 ◽  
Vol 74 (7) ◽  
pp. 4387-4389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rachel Marion ◽  
Asiya Baishanbo ◽  
Gilles Gargala ◽  
Arnaud François ◽  
Philippe Ducrotté ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT In 5-day-old immunocompetent Sprague-Dawley rats infected with either 102 or 105 Cryptosporidium parvum oocysts, transient infection resulted 120 days later in increased cardiovascular depressor response to jejunal distension and jejunal myeloperoxidase activity (P < 0.05). Nitazoxanide treatment normalized jejunal sensitivity (P < 0.001) but not myeloperoxidase levels (P > 0.05). Data warrant further evaluation of the role of early cryptosporidiosis in the development of chronic inflammatory gut conditions.


1991 ◽  
Vol 260 (6) ◽  
pp. F890-F897 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. S. Mozaffari ◽  
S. Jirakulsomchok ◽  
Z. H. Shao ◽  
J. M. Wyss

This study tested the hypothesis that NaCl-sensitive spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR-S) display a defect in natriuretic and diuretic responses to acute volume loading that contributes to the rise in arterial pressure observed when the rats are fed a high-NaCl diet. Seven-week-old SHR-S and NaCl-resistant SHR rats (SHR-R) and normotensive (Wistar-Kyoto and Sprague-Dawley rats) were fed high- or basal NaCl diets. After 2.5 wk on the diets, preinstrumented conscious rats received an intravenous infusion (5% body wt; 0.5 ml/min) of isotonic saline, and urine was collected through a bladder catheter for 90 min. Control rats on the high-NaCl diet (compared with basal) excreted a significantly greater percentage of Na+ and volume load. In contrast, SHR-S on high-NaCl diet (compared with basal) had a very small increase in natriuretic response and no increase in diuretic response to volume expansion. The effect of renal denervation on natriuretic and diuretic responses to volume load was tested. In SHR-R on 1 and 8% NaCl diets, renal denervation had little or no effect on these responses, suggesting that renal nerves do not play a prominent role in the dietary NaCl-induced increases in the natriuretic and diuretic responses to volume load. These results demonstrate that NaCl-resistant rats rapidly adapt to diets high in NaCl content with increased natriuretic and diuretic responses to acute volume loading. The failure of SHR-S to adapt to the dietary challenge may result in volume loading and a secondary increase in arterial pressure after feeding.


1996 ◽  
Vol 270 (2) ◽  
pp. R342-R347 ◽  
Author(s):  
P. M. Smith ◽  
A. V. Ferguson

Extracellular single-unit recordings were obtained from area postrema neurons (AP), and peristimulus histograms were used to determine the effects of paraventricular nucleus (PVN) stimulation on these cells from anesthetized Sprague-Dawley rats. Of 91 AP cells tested, 30.8% responded to PVN stimulation with a short-latency (28.2 +/- 3.3 ms, mean +/- SE), short-duration (49.3 +/- 8.0 ms) excitation, whereas 8.6% were inhibited. In animals that had stimulation sites outside of PVN (non-PVN), only 4 of the 72 AP cells tested (5.6%) were influenced by stimulation. These excitatory effects of PVN stimulation on AP neurons were unaffected by V1-receptor blockade. Of 93 nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS) cells tested, 38.9% responded to PVN stimulation with a short-latency (18.5 +/- 2.4 ms), short-duration (48.8 +/- 9.6 ms) excitation and 22.2% with short-latency (20.75 +/- 4.1 ms), long-duration (204.4 +/- 44.9 ms) inhibitions. In contrast, non-PVN stimulation sites influenced only 19% of NTS neurons tested, all of which were excited. These data demonstrate that activation of PVN neurons elicits excitatory effects on the majority of AP neurons influenced. They further emphasize the potential significance of descending hypothalamic inputs in controlling neuronal activity in this circumventricular organ.


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