title: Involvement of endothelin in the pressor response following injection of NMDA to the periaqueductal gray area of rats.
abstract: Microinjection of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) (0.068 to 6.8 nmol) into the periaqueductal gray area (PAG) of anaesthetized rats caused dose-dependent increases in blood pressure. Preinjection (10 min before) of FR 139317 (an ETA receptor selective antagonist; 5 nmol) or SB 209670 (an ETA/ETB receptor non-selective antagonist; 5 nmol) to the PAG reduced the pressor response to NMDA whereas BQ-788 (an ETB receptor selective antagonist; 5 nmol) did not affect the NMDA-induced hypertension. Pretreatment with DL-2-amino-5-phosphono valeric acid (2-APV) (an NMDA receptor selective antagonist, 5 nmol) also abolished the pressor response induced by NMDA. Dose-dependent increases in blood pressure induced by injection of angiotensin II (0.1-10 nmol) to the PAG were unaffected by FR 139317 or SB 209670. Thus, our data indicate that endogenous ET-1, via an action on ETA receptors, contributes to the pressor effects of NMDA within the brain.
authors.affiliation: William Harvey Research Institute, St Bartholomew's Hospital Medical College, London.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: D'Amico
authors.forename: T D
authors.initials: TD
authors.lastname: Warner
mesh_terms: D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D016232:Endothelins / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections; D016202:N-Methylaspartate / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010487:Periaqueductal Gray / Q000187:drug effects*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D016232:Endothelins; D000804:Angiotensin II; D016202:N-Methylaspartate