title: Participation of endogenous galanin in the suppression of baroreceptor reflex response by locus coeruleus in the rat.
abstract: We evaluated the potential participation of endogenous brain galanin (GAL) in the suppression of baroreceptor reflex (BRR) response by locus coeruleus (LC), using adult male Sprague-Dawley rats anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium (40 mg/kg, i.p., with 15 mg/kg/h i.v. infusion supplements). Our physiologic and pharmacologic results demonstrated that bilateral microinjection of GAL antiserum (1:20, 20 nl) into the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS), the terminal site for baroreceptor afferent fibers, significantly attenuated the suppressive effect of LC on the BRR response. Pretreatment with the same amount of normal rabbit serum (1:20) or heat-inactivated GAL antiserum (1:20), on the other hand, was ineffective. Microinjection of GAL (100 pmol) into the bilateral NTS also appreciably depressed the BRR response. Histochemically, retrogradely labeled neurons were distributed in the LC following microinjection of fast blue into the NTS. Immunofluorescent staining further revealed that some of these fast blue labeled LC neurons also showed positive immunoreactivity to GAL. These results suggest that a direct galaninergic projection to the NTS may participate in the suppression of BRR response by the LC.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medical Research, Veterans General Hospital-Taipei, Taiwan, Republic of China.
authors.forename: C D
authors.initials: CD
authors.lastname: Shih
authors.forename: S H
authors.initials: SH
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.forename: J Y
authors.initials: JY
authors.lastname: Chan
mesh_terms: D000578:Amidines; D000818:Animals; D017704:Baroreflex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004558:Electric Stimulation; D019084:Fluorescent Antibody Technique, Indirect; D019004:Galanin / Q000276:immunology / Q000502:physiology*; D007150:Immunohistochemistry; D008125:Locus Coeruleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections; D011149:Pons / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017552:Solitary Nucleus / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D000578:Amidines; C031455:diamidino compound 253-50; D019004:Galanin