title: Intracerebroventricular immunization with TRH-antiserum lowers blood pressure in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: Centrally administered thyrotropin-releasing hormone exerts a well documented hypertensive effect. In this study, the possible physiological role of thyrotropin-releasing hormone in the central cardiovascular regulation was evaluated in spontaneously hypertensive rats receiving long-term (8-14 days) intracerebroventricular infusion of a heterologous antiserum to thyrotropin-releasing hormone. The effect of this passive immunization on the blood pressure was monitored from conscious animals by the tail-cuff method. Thyrotropin-releasing hormone antiserum significantly decreased the systolic arterial pressure in adult rats with established hypertension. No alterations in serum thyroid hormone status were observed indicating that the antihypertensive effect of immunological blockade of thyrotropin-releasing hormone was not due to changes in the serum thyroid hormone levels. These results provide evidence for a role of endogenous brain thyrotropin-releasing hormone in the maintenance of hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Helsinki, Finland.
authors.forename: M L
authors.initials: ML
authors.lastname: Nurminen
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D000906:Antibodies / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000906:Antibodies; D013973:Thyrotropin-Releasing Hormone