title: Vasopressin and oxytocin content are decreased in the brain stems of spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: The brain stem and neurohypophyseal content of arginine vasopressin and the brain stem content of oxytocin were measured by radioimmunoassay in 3-, 7-, and 22- to 28-week-old spontaneously hypertensive rats of the stroke-prone strain (SHRSP) and the values were compared to those measured in age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). When compared to WKY, the content of vasopressin in the brain stems of SHRSP was reduced in all three age-groups; in contrast, the neurohypophyseal contents of vasopressin in the two species were not significantly different at 3 and 7 weeks of age and the content was increased slightly in SHRSP at 22-28 weeks. Similar to the findings for vasopressin in the brain stem, the content of oxytocin in this tissue was reduced in SHRSP at 7 and 22-28 weeks of age. The results demonstrate that brain stem arginine vasopressin levels and neurohypophyseal arginine vasopressin levels may change differentially and that the age-related differences in the brain stem levels of arginine vasopressin and oxytocin in SHRSP and WKY are consistent with the possibility that these peptides may play a role in altering cardiovascular reflex activity.
mesh_terms: D000367:Age Factors; D000818:Animals; D001127:Arginine Vasopressin / Q000032:analysis*; D001933:Brain Stem / Q000032:analysis*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000378:metabolism*; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000032:analysis*; D011863:Radioimmunoassay; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains
chemical_list: D001127:Arginine Vasopressin; D010121:Oxytocin