title: Enhanced sympathoadrenal reactivity to haemorrhagic stress in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats.
abstract: The effect of haemorrhagic hypotension on plasma catecholamine levels was studied in anesthetized normotensive and DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. The basal levels of plasma norepinephrine (NE) were significantly higher in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats than in normotensive rats. Moreover, the elevations in plasma NE and epinephrine (E) levels induced by haemorrhagic hypotension were found to be markedly potentiated in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. Pretreatment with the re-uptake blocker (desmethylimipramine) increased both basal and haemorrhage NE levels in DOCA-salt hypertensive as well as in normotensive rats. Consequently, basal and haemorrhage NE plasma levels remained significantly higher in the DOCA-salt hypertensive animals than in the normotensive rats even following neuronal re-uptake blockage. This suggests that the elevated NE concentrations found in the plasma of DOCA-salt hypertensive rats both under basal condition and during haemorrhagic hypotension do not reflect a defective re-uptake. Moreover, in contrast with what is observed in normotensive animals, bilateral adrenalectomy did not induce any increase in basal or haemorrhage NE levels in the DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. This constitutes yet more evidence supporting the existence of an impaired balance of the sympatho-adrenal axis in this hypertension model. The present study therefore suggests that the potentiated plasma catecholamine response to haemorrhage in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats is the consequence of an increased sympathoadrenal reactivity and not of an altered neuronal uptake. This hyperreactivity may result from an impaired regulation of the sympatho-adrenal axis in that hypertension model.
authors.affiliation: Département de Physiologie, Faculté de Médecine, Université de Montréal, Québec, Canada.
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Drolet
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bouvier
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: de Champlain
mesh_terms: D000313:Adrenal Medulla / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D003900:Desoxycorticosterone; D004837:Epinephrine / Q000097:blood; D006973:Hypertension / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000097:blood; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D012771:Shock, Hemorrhagic / Q000503:physiopathology*; D012982:Sodium, Dietary / Q000009:adverse effects*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D012982:Sodium, Dietary; D003900:Desoxycorticosterone; D009638:Norepinephrine; D004837:Epinephrine