title: A novel method of selective ablation of afferent renal nerves by periaxonal application of capsaicin.
abstract: Renal denervation has been shown to lower arterial pressure in some hypertensive patients, yet it remains unclear whether this is due to ablation of afferent or efferent renal nerves. To investigate the role of afferent renal nerves in arterial pressure regulation, previous studies have used methods that disrupt both renal and nonrenal afferent signaling. The present study was conducted to develop and validate a technique for selective ablation of afferent renal nerves that does not disrupt other afferent pathways. To do this, we adapted a technique for sensory denervation of the adrenal gland by topical application of capsaicin and tested the hypothesis that exposure of the renal nerves to capsaicin (renal-CAP) causes ablation of afferent but not efferent renal nerves. Renal-CAP had no effect on renal content of the efferent nerve markers tyrosine hydroxylase and norepinephrine; however, the afferent nerve marker, calcitonin gene-related peptide was largely depleted from the kidney 10 days after intervention, but returned to roughly half of control levels by 7 wk postintervention. Moreover, renal-CAP abolished the cardiovascular responses to acute pharmacological stimulation of afferent renal nerves. Renal-CAP rats showed normal weight gain, as well as cardiovascular and fluid balance regulation during dietary sodium loading. To some extent, renal-CAP did blunt the bradycardic response and increase the dipsogenic response to increased salt intake. Lastly, renal-CAP significantly attenuated the development of deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertension. These results demonstrate that renal-CAP effectively causes selective ablation of afferent renal nerves in rats.
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota;
authors.forename: Jason D
authors.initials: JD
authors.lastname: Foss
authors.affiliation: Boston University School of Medicine, Department of Pharmacology and Experimental Therapeutics and the Whitaker Cardiovascular Institute, Boston, Massachusetts;
authors.forename: Richard D
authors.initials: RD
authors.lastname: Wainford
authors.affiliation: Department of Neuroscience, Minneapolis, Minnesota; and.
authors.forename: William C
authors.initials: WC
authors.lastname: Engeland
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan.
authors.forename: Gregory D
authors.initials: GD
authors.lastname: Fink
authors.affiliation: Department of Integrative Biology and Physiology, University of Minnesota, Minneapolis, Minnesota; osbor003@umn.edu.
authors.forename: John W
authors.initials: JW
authors.lastname: Osborn
mesh_terms: D000344:Afferent Pathways / Q000187:drug effects / Q000503:physiopathology; D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D002211:Capsaicin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D003714:Denervation / Q000379:methods; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology; D007668:Kidney / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000294:innervation* / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary
chemical_list: D017673:Sodium Chloride, Dietary; D002211:Capsaicin
keywords: afferent renal denervation; hypertension; salt-sensitivity