title: Decreased cardiovascular responses to cisterna magna NaCl injection in hypertensive rats.
abstract: Albino rats were made hypertensive by 1% NaCl in the drinking water for 4-5 months, systolic (SBP) and distolic blood pressure (DBP) were 164.0 +/- 10.1 mm Hg and 118.7 +/- 4.6 mm Hg respectively, vs. control rats whose SBP and DBP were 119.0 +/- 4.4 mm Hg and 86.8 +/- 4.3 mm Hg respectively. Psychosocial stress (1 hour daily for 4-5 months) only raised SBP to 140.0 +/- 5.2 mm Hg; DBP remained unaltered. One percent NaCl intake combined with psychosocial stress, increased SBP and DBP but not significantly beyond the level observed with single 1% NaCl administration. Formerly described control and hypertensive rats were anesthetized with sodium pentobarbital (40 mg/kg) and stereotaxically injected into de cisterna magna (i.c.) with 20 microliters of 1.5 M NaCl solution. During i.c. injection, intraarterial SBP, DBP and heart rate (HR) were continuously recorded. After i.c., 1.5 M NaCl injection, mean arterial pressure (MAP) increased 21.0 +/- 4.0 mm Hg and HR 51.0 +/- 5.0 beats/min in control rats. Rats made hypertensive by 1% NaCl intake showed a significantly lower increase of MAP, 11.0 +/- 1.8 mm Hg; HR increased 37.0 +/- 4.3 beats/min. Rats submitted only to psychosocial stress displayed a response similar to the one described in control rats. Hypertensive rats submitted to both 1% NaCl intake and psychosocial stress had a more intense reduction of the hypertensive and tachycardic response, 8.0 +/- 2.2 mm Hg and 20.0 +/- 3.2 beats/min respectively. Control i.c. injection with the same volume of saline (0.15 M NaCl) did not change significantly SBP, DBP or HR in a separate group of rats. Left ventricle weight (0.754 +/- 0.0333 g) was augmented in the 1% NaCl treated group (0.795 +/- 0.038 g), and increased its protein content by 13.1% (changes not statistically significant). The highest increase of the left ventricle weight (23.7% above control) with no change in its protein content was observed in rats submitted to 1% NaCl intake plus psychosocial stress. In conclusion, chronic high NaCl intake increased blood pressure; psychosocial stress acted as a weak stimulus for SBP and DBP increase, and central nervous system sodium chloride sensitivity for delivering a peripheral sympathetic discharge was found decreased in rats made hypertensive by a high salt intake.
authors.affiliation: Departments of Pharmacology, Pathophysiology and Biochemistry, J.M. Vargas, School of Medicine, Universidad Central de Venezuela, Venezuela.
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Romero-Vecchione
authors.forename: J V
authors.initials: JV
authors.lastname: Vásquez
authors.forename: M A
authors.initials: MA
authors.lastname: Dávoli
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Quijada
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Rosa
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D002490:Central Nervous System / Q000187:drug effects*; D002946:Cisterna Magna; D003971:Diastole / Q000187:drug effects; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D009929:Organ Size / Q000187:drug effects; D011506:Proteins / Q000032:analysis / Q000187:drug effects; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012965:Sodium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013315:Stress, Psychological / Q000139:chemically induced; D013599:Systole / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D011506:Proteins; D012965:Sodium Chloride