Arterial baroreflex during pregnancy and renal sympathetic nerve activity during parturition in rabbits

1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (5) ◽  
pp. H1635-H1642 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kathleen P. O’Hagan ◽  
Susan M. Casey

The arterial baroreflex control of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) was evaluated in nine term pregnant (P) and 12 nonpregnant (NP) conscious New Zealand White rabbits. In an additional four P rabbits, the RSNA response to spontaneous parturition was measured. The blood pressure (BP)-RSNA relationship was generated by sequential inflations of aortic and vena caval perivascular occluders. Rest BP (P: 61 ± 2 vs. NP: 73 ± 2 mmHg) and the centering point of the baroreflex (P: 57 ± 2 vs. NP: 70 ± 2 mmHg) were lower ( P < 0.05) in term pregnancy. Baroreflex range (P: 246 ± 14% vs. NP 263 ± 24% of rest RSNA) was not affected by pregnancy. However, maximal reflex gain was moderately depressed (−44%) in P rabbits (P: −15 ± 1 vs. NP: −27 ± 4% of rest RSNA/mmHg; P < 0.05) due to a significant reduction in the slope coefficient. Delivery of a fetus was associated with strong renal sympathoexcitation. Peak RSNA averaged 80 ± 37% of smoke-elicited RSNA or 1,221 ± 288% of rest RSNA (mean ± SD). These results suggest that, in contrast to rat pregnancy, depressed arterial baroreflex control of RSNA in rabbit pregnancy is due primarily to a reduction in maximal gain rather than a reduction in the maximal sympathetic response to hypotension.

2002 ◽  
Vol 282 (5) ◽  
pp. H1592-H1602 ◽  
Author(s):  
Max G. Sanderford ◽  
Vernon S. Bishop

Short-term intravenous infusion of angiotensin II (ANG II) into conscious rabbits reduces the range of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) by attenuating reflex disinhibition of RSNA. This action of ANG II to attenuate the arterial baroreflex range is exaggerated when ANG II is directed into the vertebral circulation, which suggests a mechanism involving the central nervous system. Because an intact area postrema (AP) is required for ANG II to attenuate arterial baroreflex-mediated bradycardia and is also required for maintenance of ANG II-dependent hypertension, we hypothesized that attenuation of maximum RSNA during infusion of ANG II involves the AP. In conscious AP-lesioned (APX) and AP-intact rabbits, we compared the effect of a 5-min intravenous infusion of ANG II (10 and 20 ng · kg−1 · min−1) on the relationship between mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and RSNA. Intravenous infusion of ANG II into AP-intact rabbits resulted in a dose-related attenuation of maximum RSNA observed at low MAP. In contrast, ANG II had no effect on maximum RSNA in APX rabbits. To further localize the central site of ANG II action, its effect on the arterial baroreflex was assessed after a midcollicular decerebration. Decerebration did not alter arterial baroreflex control of RSNA compared with the control state, but as in APX, ANG II did not attenuate the maximum RSNA observed at low MAP. The results of this study indicate that central actions of peripheral ANG II to attenuate reflex disinhibition of RSNA not only involve the AP, but may also involve a neural interaction rostral to the level of decerebration.


2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (1) ◽  
pp. R362-R367 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Kanbar ◽  
Valérie Oréa ◽  
Christian Barrès ◽  
Claude Julien

The effects of acute emotional stress on the sympathetic component of the arterial baroreceptor reflex have not yet been described in conscious animals and humans. Arterial pressure (AP) and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) were simultaneously recorded in 11 conscious rats before and during exposure to a mild environmental stressor (jet of air). Baroreflex function curves relating AP and RSNA were constructed by fitting a sigmoid function to RSNA and AP measured during sequential nitroprusside and phenylephrine administrations. Stress increased mean AP from 112 ± 2 to 124 ± 2 mmHg, heart rate from 381 ± 10 to 438 ± 18 beats/min, and RSNA from 0.80 ± 0.14 to 1.49 ± 0.23 μV. The RSNA-AP relationship was shifted toward higher AP values, and its maximum gain was significantly ( P < 0.01) increased from 9.0 ± 1.3 to 16.2 ± 2.1 normalized units (NU)/mmHg. The latter effect was secondary to an increase ( P < 0.01) in the range of the RSNA variation from 285 ± 33 to 619 ± 59 NU. In addition, the operating range of the reflex was increased ( P < 0.01) from 34 ± 2 to 41 ± 3 mmHg. The present study indicates that in rats, the baroreflex control of RSNA is sensitized and operates over a larger range during emotional stress, which suggests that renal vascular tone, and possibly AP, are very efficiently controlled by the sympathetic nervous system under this condition.


2017 ◽  
Vol 595 (11) ◽  
pp. 3319-3330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Renata Maria Lataro ◽  
Luiz Eduardo Virgilio Silva ◽  
Carlos Alberto Aguiar Silva ◽  
Helio Cesar Salgado ◽  
Rubens Fazan

1985 ◽  
Vol 248 (6) ◽  
pp. H827-H834 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. P. Undesser ◽  
J. Y. Pan ◽  
M. P. Lynn ◽  
V. S. Bishop

The purpose of this study was to assess the effect of rapid baroreceptor resetting on the baroreflex control of renal sympathetic nerve activity in conscious rabbits. Renal sympathetic nerve activity was recorded and used as an index of the efferent limb of the baroreflex. Heart rate and arterial pressure were also recorded. Arterial pressure was raised with either phenylephrine or angiotensin II to a level that eliminated renal sympathetic nerve activity and was maintained at this level for periods of time ranging from 1 to 60 min. On returning pressure to control levels, renal sympathetic nerve activity remained suppressed for up to 90 min, with the duration of the suppression dependent on the magnitude and duration of the pressure stimulus. During this period of suppressed nerve activity, baroreflex curves were generated. The curves produced at this time were also suppressed as compared with control baroreflex curves. With time, the suppressed baroreflex curves returned to control. Further studies were performed to show that the suppression of renal sympathetic nerve activity was mediated via the prolonged increase in baroreceptor afferent activity during the pressure stimulus and was not due to a central effect of phenylephrine. This study indicates that although baroreceptor afferent activity may reset rapidly, there does not appear to be an augmentation of renal sympathetic nerve activity as would be expected.


2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (1) ◽  
pp. R8-R14 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roy Kanbar ◽  
Bruno Chapuis ◽  
Valérie Oréa ◽  
Christian Barrès ◽  
Claude Julien

This study compared the baroreflex control of lumbar and renal sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) in conscious rats. Arterial pressure (AP) and lumbar and renal SNA were simultaneously recorded in six freely behaving rats. Pharmacological estimates of lumbar and renal sympathetic baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) were obtained by means of the sequential intravenous administration of sodium nitroprusside and phenylephrine. Sympathetic BRS was significantly ( P < 0.05) lower for lumbar [3.0 ± 0.4 normalized units (NU)/mmHg] than for renal (7.6 ± 0.6 NU/mmHg) SNA. During a 219-min baseline period, spontaneous lumbar and renal BRS were continuously assessed by computing the gain of the transfer function relating AP and SNA at heart rate frequency over consecutive 61.4-s periods. The transfer gain was considered only when coherence between AP and SNA significantly differed from zero, which was verified in 99 ± 1 and 96 ± 3% of cases for lumbar and renal SNA, respectively. When averaged over the entire baseline period, spontaneous BRS was significantly ( P < 0.05) lower for lumbar (1.3 ± 0.2 NU/mmHg) than for renal (2.3 ± 0.3 NU/mmHg) SNA. For both SNAs, spontaneous BRS showed marked fluctuations (variation coefficients were 26 ± 2 and 28 ± 2% for lumbar and renal SNA, respectively). These fluctuations were positively correlated in five of six rats ( R = 0.44 ± 0.06; n = 204 ± 8; P < 0.0001). We conclude that in conscious rats, the baroreflex control of lumbar and renal SNA shows quantitative differences but is modulated in a mostly coordinated way.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document