title: Involvement of central 5-HT7 receptors in modulation of cardiovascular reflexes in awake rats.
abstract: This study evaluated the role of 5-HT7 receptors within the central nervous system in modulating cardiovascular responses to the activation of chemo-, baro- and cardiopulmonary reflexes and in the regulation of mean arterial pressure and heart rate, using intracisternal (i.c.) application of the selective 5-HT7 receptor antagonist SB-269970 in awake rats. Experiments were performed on male Wistar rats (300-320 g). At 4 days before the experiment, rats were anesthetized and placed in a stereotaxic frame implantation of a guide cannula in the direction of the cisterna magna to be used for microinjection of saline or SB-269970 (100 microg/kg). On the day before the experiments a femoral artery and vein were cannulated to record arterial pressure and heart rate and to inject drugs to activate cardiovascular reflexes, respectively. The chemo-, baro- and cardiopulmonary reflexes were activated in different experimental groups before and after i.c. injection of saline or SB-269970. The antagonism of 5-HT7 receptors reduced: (a) the pressor (50+/-4 vs. 19+/-9 mm Hg) and bradycardic (-247+/-13 vs. -69+/-27 bpm) responses to chemoreflex activation; (b) the fall in MAP (-54+/-4 vs. -20+/-6 mm Hg) and the bradycardia (-294+/-12 vs. -98+/-34 bpm) in response to cardiopulmonary reflex activation; and (c) the gain of the baroreflex (-2.3+/-0.1 to -0.9+/-0.2 bpm/mm Hg). Intracisternal application of SB-269970 increased significantly baseline MAP in those rats previously submitted to the activation of a cardiovascular reflex but in naïve rats produced no changes in the baseline MAP were observed. The fact that cardiovascular responses to all reflexes tested were attenuated by the antagonism of 5-HT7 receptors suggests that brainstem 5-HT7 receptors brainstem facilitate the processing of the autonomic responses to cardiovascular reflex activation and that a 5-HT-containing pathway to the brainstem provides a normalizing input during challenges produced by cardiovascular reflex activation which seems to be mediated by 5-HT7 receptors.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, School of Medicine of Ribeirão Preto, University of São Paulo, 14049-900, Ribeirão Preto, SP, Brazil.
authors.forename: Enio L
authors.initials: EL
authors.lastname: Damaso
authors.forename: Leni G H
authors.initials: LG
authors.lastname: Bonagamba
authors.forename: Daniel O
authors.initials: DO
authors.lastname: Kellett
authors.forename: David
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Jordan
authors.forename: Andrew G
authors.initials: AG
authors.lastname: Ramage
authors.forename: Benedito H
authors.initials: BH
authors.lastname: Machado
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D017704:Baroreflex / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004333:Drug Administration Routes; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D008845:Microinjections / Q000379:methods; D010636:Phenols / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin / Q000502:physiology*; D012701:Serotonin / Q000494:pharmacology; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D013449:Sulfonamides / Q000494:pharmacology; D013997:Time Factors; D014851:Wakefulness
chemical_list: D010636:Phenols; D011985:Receptors, Serotonin; C404922:SB 269970; D012702:Serotonin Antagonists; D017366:Serotonin Receptor Agonists; D013449:Sulfonamides; C104425:serotonin 7 receptor; D012701:Serotonin