title: Losartan, nonpeptide angiotensin II-type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonist, attenuates pressor and sympathoexcitatory responses evoked by angiotensin II and L-glutamate in rostral ventrolateral medulla.
abstract: We investigated the effect of losartan, a nonpeptide angiotensin II (Ang II)-type 1 (AT1) receptor antagonist, on the responses evoked by Ang II and L-glutamate (L-Glu) in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). Adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats were anesthetized with halothane and artificially ventilated. Responses of mean arterial pressure (MAP), heart rate (HR) and splanchnic sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) to microinjection of Ang II (100 pmol) or L-Glu (2 nmol) into the RVLM were examined following microinjection of losartan (10 pmol-10 nmol). Ang II increased MAP (16 +/- 1 mmHg in SHR and 16 +/- 1 mmHg in WKY) and SNA (9 +/- 1% and 10 +/- 1%, respectively), which were significantly (P < 0.01) attenuated by pretreatment with losartan (100 pmol-10 nmol) in both strains. In addition, the pressor and sympathoexcitatory responses evoked by L-Glu were attenuated by losartan in a dose-dependent manner. The increases of MAP evoked by L-Glu (53 +/- 6 mmHg in SHR and 39 +/- 3 mmHg in WKY) were suppressed to 5 +/- 3 mmHg (P < 0.01) and 4 +/- 2 mmHg (P < 0.01), respectively, in the presence of 10 nmol of losartan. The increase of SNA was also markedly inhibited by higher doses of losartan.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Hypertension Center, Bowman Gray School of Medicine of Wake Forest University, Winston-Salem, NC 25157.
authors.forename: D B
authors.initials: DB
authors.lastname: Averill
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Tsuchihashi
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Khosla
authors.forename: C M
authors.initials: CM
authors.lastname: Ferrario
mesh_terms: D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; D000818:Animals; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D018698:Glutamic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000187:drug effects; D007093:Imidazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D019808:Losartan; D008297:Male; D008526:Medulla Oblongata / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D008845:Microinjections; D011188:Potassium / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D011945:Receptors, Angiotensin / Q000145:classification; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D013777:Tetrazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D057911:Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists; D001713:Biphenyl Compounds; D007093:Imidazoles; D011945:Receptors, Angiotensin; D013777:Tetrazoles; D000804:Angiotensin II; D018698:Glutamic Acid; C014805:angiotensin II, Sar(1)-Thr(8)-; D019808:Losartan; D011188:Potassium