Norepinephrine content of discrete brain nuclei in acutely and chronically stressed borderline hypertensive rats.
Forty-three male borderline hypertensive rats were subjected to either 3 days, or 4, 10, or 16 weeks of daily stress. An additional 43 animals served as unstressed, age-matched controls. At the end of study, animals were sacrificed, brains were removed, and cardiovascularly-important nuclei in the brainstem and hypothalamus were removed by micropunch. Assays revealed that norepinephrine (NE) levels were initially elevated in the brainstem in animals stressed for 3 days. As stress continued, NE levels were significantly lower in the brainstem, and eventually in the hypothalamus, of stressed animals. The relationship of these observations to environmentally-induced hypertension is discussed.
Mitchell
V P
VP
Physiology Program, University of Tennessee, Knoxville 37996.
Lawler
J E
JE
D000818:Animals; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D007031:Hypothalamus / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR / Q000378:metabolism*; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains / Q000378:metabolism*; D013312:Stress, Physiological / Q000150:complications / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D013997:Time Factors
D009638:Norepinephrine