title: Sympathetic and parasympathetic component of bradycardia triggered by stimulation of NTS P2X receptors.
abstract: We have previously shown that activation of P2X purinoceptors in the subpostremal nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) produces a rapid bradycardia and hypotension. This bradycardia could occur via sympathetic withdrawal, parasympathetic activation, or a combination of both mechanisms. Thus we investigated the relative roles of parasympathetic activation and sympathetic withdrawal in mediating this bradycardia in chloralose-urethane anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats. Microinjections of the selective P2X purinoceptor agonist alpha,beta-methylene ATP (25 pmol/50 nl and 100 pmol/50 nl) were made into the subpostremal NTS in control animals, after atenolol (2 mg/kg i.v.), a beta1-selective antagonist, and after atropine methyl bromide (2 mg/kg i.v.), a muscarinic receptor antagonist. The bradycardia observed with activation of P2X receptors at the low dose of the agonist is mediated almost entirely by sympathetic withdrawal. After beta1-adrenergic blockade, the bradycardia was reduced to just -5.1 +/- 0.5 versus -28.8 +/- 5.1 beats/min in intact animals. Muscarinic blockade did not produce any significant change in the bradycardic response at the low dose. At the high dose, both beta1-adrenergic blockade and muscarinic blockade attenuated the bradycardia similarly, -37.4 +/- 6.4 and -40.6 +/- 3.7 beats/min, respectively, compared with -88.0 +/- 11 beats/min in control animals. Double blockade of both beta1-adrenergic and muscarinic receptors virtually abolished the response (-2.5 +/- 0.8 beats/min). We conclude that the relative contributions of parasympathetic activation and sympathetic withdrawal are dependent on the extent of P2X receptor activation.
authors.affiliation: Dept. of Physiology, Wayne State Univ. School of Medicine, 540 E. Canfield Ave., Detroit, MI 48201, USA.
authors.forename: Amy M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Kitchen
authors.forename: Donal S
authors.initials: DS
authors.lastname: O'Leary
authors.forename: Tadeusz J
authors.initials: TJ
authors.lastname: Scislo
mesh_terms: D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001262:Atenolol / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D001286:Atropine Derivatives / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D001919:Bradycardia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007275:Injections, Intravenous; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology; D010275:Parasympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*; D058910:Purinergic P2 Receptor Agonists; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2 / Q000378:metabolism*; D058469:Receptors, Purinergic P2X; D017552:Solitary Nucleus / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism*; D013564:Sympathetic Nervous System / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D001286:Atropine Derivatives; D018727:Muscarinic Antagonists; D058910:Purinergic P2 Receptor Agonists; D018048:Receptors, Purinergic P2; D058469:Receptors, Purinergic P2X; D001262:Atenolol; C006649:methylatropine; D000255:Adenosine Triphosphate; C002630:alpha,beta-methyleneadenosine 5'-triphosphate