title: Conscious obese rats have impaired reflex bradycardia and enhanced norepinephrine sensitivity.
abstract: Male Sprague-Dawley rats fed a condensed milk diet were classified as either "obesity susceptible" (OS) or "obesity resistant" (OR) based on body weight increases attained after 12 wk. Overall caloric intake in OS rats was higher than in chow-fed controls, and OS rats were heavier than chow-fed controls or OR rats. There were no significant differences in blood glucose, serum insulin, ventricular weight, basal blood pressure, or heart rate. Pressor responses recorded after combined blockade with atropine and propranolol to eliminate reflex effects were identical for vasopressin, but those to norepinephrine were larger in OS than in OR rats, whereas those to angiotensin were larger in OS than in control rats. When baroreflex sensitivity was assessed using intravenously infused sodium nitroprusside or phenylephrine to alter systemic arterial pressure, differences in reflex tachycardia were equivocal, but reflex bradycardia was clearly inhibited in OS rats. These results show that, although basal blood pressure was unaffected in OS rats, their impaired reflex bradycardia along with enhanced pressor responsiveness to norepinephrine could predispose them to subsequent development of hypertension.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Toxicology and Therapeutics, College of Health Sciences and Hospital, University of Kansas Medical Center, Kansas City 66160, USA.
authors.forename: R D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Buñag
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Meyer
authors.forename: N
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Vansell
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Kerecsen
mesh_terms: D000273:Adipose Tissue / Q000033:anatomy & histology; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002319:Cardiovascular System / Q000503:physiopathology; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D004032:Diet; D004198:Disease Susceptibility; D004351:Drug Resistance; D002149:Energy Intake; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D008297:Male; D008892:Milk; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009765:Obesity / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D012018:Reflex / Q000187:drug effects; D015430:Weight Gain
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D018680:Cholinergic Antagonists; D009599:Nitroprusside; D010656:Phenylephrine; D009638:Norepinephrine