title: Impaired in vivo venous constriction in conscious obese Zucker rats with metabolic syndrome.
abstract: The venous system plays a crucial role in regulating cardiac output and blood pressure. Although the relationship between obesity and hypertension is well recognized, little is known about the effect of obesity on venous function. We examined if 16-week-old obese Zucker rats, relative to age-matched lean Zucker rats, had altered in vivo venoconstriction to noradrenaline. The obese rats, compared to the controls, had higher mean arterial pressure (MAP), body weight, and plasma insulin and triglycerides, but reduced pressor and mean circulatory filling pressure (MCFP, index of venous tone) responses to noradrenaline (2.5-30x10(-9) mol/kg/min, i.v.). N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 8 mg/kg, i.v., non-selective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase) did not alter MCFP in either group, but increased MAP of both groups, though the increase was markedly less in the obese than lean rats. Therefore, obese Zucker rats had increased baseline MAP, but impaired in vivo pressor and MCFP responses to noradrenaline, and reduced pressor response to L-NAME. The increased baseline MAP in the obese rats was not due to increased arterial and venous constriction to noradrenaline but rather to reduced influence of the nitric oxide/L-arginine system.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anaesthesiology, Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, The University of British Columbia, 2176 Health Sciences Mall, Vancouver, BC, V6T 1Z3, Canada.
authors.forename: Dongzhe
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Song
authors.forename: Simon R
authors.initials: SR
authors.lastname: Hutchings
authors.forename: Catherine C Y
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Pang
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001786:Blood Glucose / Q000378:metabolism; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D007328:Insulin / Q000097:blood; D008297:Male; D024821:Metabolic Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009765:Obesity / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D011924:Rats, Zucker; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000502:physiology; D014280:Triglycerides / Q000097:blood; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000502:physiology*; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014680:Veins / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D001786:Blood Glucose; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007328:Insulin; D014280:Triglycerides; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; D009638:Norepinephrine