Regional brain concentrations of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide in normotensive Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats.
The regional brain and spinal cord concentrations of vasoactive intestinal polypeptide immunoreactivity (VIP) were measured in age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats. The relative order of distribution of VIP in the WKY strain was cortex (44 pmol/g) greater than hippocampus = striatum greater than midbrain = hypothalamus greater than medulla oblongata/pons = lumbar spinal cord (SC) greater than cervical SC greater than thoracic SC (2.5 pmol/g) whereas in the SH strain this order was cortex (35 pmol/g) greater than striatum = midbrain greater than hippocampus = hypothalamus greater than medulla oblongata/pons = lumbar SC greater than cervical SC greater than thoracic SC (1 pmol/g). The VIP concentrations of the thalamus, cerebellum and pituitary were at the level of assay sensitivity (0.5 pmol/g) in both strains. In comparison to the WKY, the SH rats had significantly lower VIP levels in the hippocampus (-42%) and cervical (-46%) and thoracic (-56%) spinal cord but significantly higher levels in the midbrain (+64%).
D000818:Animals; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000032:analysis*; D005260:Female; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide / Q000032:analysis*
D014660:Vasoactive Intestinal Peptide