title: Oxytocin in the cardiovascular responses to stress.
abstract: The present study was designed to determine the role of central oxytocin (OXY) in regulation of the cardiovascular responses to the alarming stress. Three groups of male, normotensive Sprague Dawley rats, received intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) infusion of one of the following: 1) vehicle, 2) OXY or 3) OXY antagonist (OXANT). Mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) and heart rate (HR) were recorded at rest, during and after application of the alarming stressor (air jet). Under resting conditions the i.c.v. infusions of vehicle, OXY or OXYANT did not influence the cardiovascular parameters. The alarming stressor evoked significant increases in MABP and HR that were significantly greater in the rats receiving i.c.v. infusion of oxytocin antagonist than in those receiving vehicle or OXY. The study provides evidence that stimulation of the brain oxytocin receptors by endogenous oxytocin plays significant role in inhibition of cardiovascular responses to stress.
authors.affiliation: Department of Experimental and Clinical Physiology, Medical University of Warsaw, Poland.
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Wsol
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Cudnoch-Jedrzejewska
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Szczepanska-Sadowska
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Kowalewski
authors.forename: L
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Puchalska
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001921:Brain / Q000378:metabolism; D006339:Heart Rate; D007276:Injections, Intraventricular; D008297:Male; D010121:Oxytocin / Q000378:metabolism*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000502:physiology; D013312:Stress, Physiological
chemical_list: D018045:Receptors, Oxytocin; D010121:Oxytocin