Mortality and cerebral metabolism after bilateral carotid artery ligation in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Mortality and cerebral glycolytic metabolism were studied after bilateral ligation of the common carotid artery in normotensive Wistar rats (NTR), and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) derived from Wistar strain. In the first 24 hours after occlusion of carotid arteries, 72 per cent of 108 SHR died, whereas it was fatal in only 16 per cent of 43 NTR. In SHR, cerebral lactate and cerebral lactate/pyruvate ratio (L/P ratio) increased by 12.4 and 12.1 times the control, respectively at five to six hours after ligation, and remained raised even in rats surviving for two to three days thereafter. Changes in cerebral lactate and L/P ratio were minimal in NTR. Cerebral ATP decreased markedly at five to six hours after ligation in SHR studied. These results indicate that bilateral carotid artery ligation causes severe brain damage in SHR but not in NTR, suggesting hypertension per se to be operative for the development of cerebral ischaemia.     

CEREBRAL LACTATE, PYRUVATE and ATP CONCENTRATIONS, and ARTERIAL ACID-BASE BALANCE AT VARIOUS TIME INTERVALS FOLLOWING BILATERAL CAROTID ARTERY OCCLUSION IN NORMOTENSIVE and SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS

Cerebral lactate, pyruvate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and arterial acid-base balance were measured in normotensive rats (NTR) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) at various time intervals following bilateral carotid occlusion. In SHR, a great and progressive increase in cerebral lactate and lactate/pyruvate ratio (L/P ratio) during the first 5–6 hours after occlusion was followed by a gradual decrease as the time interval increased. Cerebral ATP in SHR decreased as cerebral lactate increased, and an inverse relationship was observed between lactate and ATP. On the other hand, in NTR, there were minimal changes in cerebral lactate and L/P ratio following carotid occlusion. These results suggest that bilateral carotid occlusion might cause severe ischemic damages of the brain in SHR, but not in NTR. the hemodynamic factor as a cause of cerebral ischemia in hypertensives is discussed.     

Brain metabolism following bilateral carotid occlusion in 2 different models of experimental hypertensive rats

Brain metabolites and arterial acid-base measurements were made one hr after bilateral carotid artery occlusion in 2 different models of hypertensive rats. Animals used included renovascular hypertensive rats (RHR) with an altered renin-angiotensin system and desoxycorticosterone hypertensive rats (DHR) with low plasma renin activity (PRA). The mean value for supratentorial lactate of 7.41 mM/kg in RHR was significantly higher than in DHR (3.90 MM/kg) or in control normotensive rats (3.10 - 2.56 mM/kg). Concomitantly, the lactate/pyruvate ratio tended to increase and ATP to decrease in RHR only. In these same rats (RHR) infratentorial lactate was also increased. The results suggest that bilateral carotid occlusion leads to anaerobic metabolism of the brain in RHR but not in DHR, suggesting that the renin-angiotensin system may play some role in the susceptibility to cerebral ischemia following carotid occlusion in the hypertensive rats.     

Effects of hyperventilation on cerebral blood flow and brain tissue metabolism in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats

Cerebral vascular carbon dioxide (CO2) reactivities were compared in normotensive (NTR) and hypertensive (SHR) rats. Cerebral blood flow (CBF) in cortex and thalamus were evaluated before and during one hour of hyperventilation. After one hour of hyperventilation brain lactate, pyruvate, and ATP concentrations were also determined. Significant and similar reductions of CBF due to hyperventilation induce hypocapnia were found in both NTR and SHR groups. In contrast the percent increase in cerebrovascular resistance (CVR) per unit decrease in paCO2 was significant, indicating that hypocapnia induced vasoconstriction is greater in NTR than in SHR groups. During hyperventilation the average value for lactate in the NTR group was 3.98 mM/kg. In contrast it was 3.15 mM/kg in the SHR group, a significant difference (p less than 0.05). When paCO2 fell below 15 mm Hg the cerebral lactate increased strikingly in the NTR group and cortical CVR was reduced suggesting that an accumulation of the ischemic metabolites caused dilatation of the constricted cerebral vessels. In contrast the SHR group disclosed no such changes. The increase CVR characteristic of SHR appeared to diminish the cerebral vasoconstrictive response to hypocapnia. As a result ischemic metabolites in the brain do not increase in this group to the degree that they do in NTR.     

Experimental cerebral ischemia in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR): Importance of degree of hypertension

To study the relationship between the degree of hypertension and experimentally-induced cerebral ischemia, brain metabolites, including lactate, pyruvate and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) were determined one hour after bilateral carotid occlusion in 119 spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) with a variety of mean arterial pressures (MAP). Of these, 36 SHR were given antihypertensive agents for 10 weeks to reduce blood pressure prior to the experiment. There was a significant linear correlation between MAP before and either supratentorial lactate (r = 0.482, p less than 0.001) or the lactate/pyruvate ratio (r = 0.388, p less than 0.001) in the brain after carotid occlusion. An inverse correlation was observed between supratentorial lactate and either ATP (r = -0.627, p less than 0.001) or arterial PCO2 (r = -0.477, p less than 0.001) after carotid occlusion. The changes suggest that the animals with a higher MAP had a greater increase in ischemic metabolites with a decrease in ATP and a more pronounced hypocapnia after carotid occlusion. This hypocapnia is believed to be due to hyperventilation induced by cerebral ischemia. It is concluded that hypertensive rats are more susceptible to cerebral ischemia and the susceptibility is related to the degree of hypertension. By long-term lowering of the blood pressure prior to carotid occlusion, the ischemic changes are lessened in this experimental model.     

The blood-brain barrier in young spontaneously hypertensive rats

It has been shown that the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of chronically hypertensive adult spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) is less susceptible to disruption during acute superimposed hypertension than normotensive controls. The purpose of this study was to determine if the BBB of young SHR, not yet markedly hypertensive, was similarly protected during superimposed acute hypertension. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (n = 22) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) (n = 23) 4–5 weeks of age were anesthetized with secobarbital sodium (50 mg/kg) intraperitoneally and acute hypertension was produced by an intravenous injection of norepinephrine (75 μg). Permeability of the BBB was studied with radioactive iodine serum albumin (RISA) injected intravenously. The ratio of brain-to-blood RISA × 100 was used as an index of permeability of the BBB expressed as % protein transfer. In WKY exposed to acute hypertension mean arterial pressure increased by 52 ± 2 mmHg and in SHR the increase was 49 ± 3 mmHg. The protein transfer of the cerebral hemispheres was 1.17 ± 0.30% in WKY and 0.90 ± 0.20% in SHR ( P < 0.40). These data indicate that BBB protein transfer during acute superimposed hypertension does not differ between young SHR and WKY. Thus, the reduced susceptibility to BBB disruption in chronically hypertensive adult SHR is not present in young SHR, making them as susceptible as WKY to cerebral complications related to protein transfer during acute hypertension.     

Pial venous pressure and acute hypertensive disruption of the blood-brain barrier in spontaneous and renal hypertension

The purpose of this study was to determine whether changes in pial venous pressure during acute hypertension account for altered acute hypertensive disruption of the blood-brain barrier in chronic hypertension. We studied 13 normotensive WKY rats, 7 spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), and 9 two-kidney, one-clip renal hypertensive rats of the same age. Pial venous pressure (servonull technique) and clearance of fluorescein-labeled dextran from pial vessels (as an estimate of permeability of the blood-brain barrier) were measured before and during acute hypertension produced by i.v. infusion of phenylephrine. Experiments were performed in anesthetized rats (50 mg/kg sodium pentobarbital i.p.). Blood and artificial cerebrospinal fluid pO2, pCO2 and pH were within normal ranges throughout the experiment. The change, time to peak and peak pial venous pressures were the same in all groups. The peak arterial pressure after phenylephrine was greater in the hypertensive rats compared to WKY rats. The time to peak mean arterial pressure was the same in all groups of rats. Clearance of FITC dextran was the same in WKY versus renal hypertensive rats, but less in SHR versus WKY rats (P less than 0.05 by analysis of variance). We conclude that something other than an attenuation of the increase in pial venous pressure protects the blood-brain barrier of SHR against acute hypertensive disruption.     

Cerebral blood flow and tissue metabolism in experimental cerebral ischemia of spontaneously hypertensive rats with hyper-, normo-, and hypoglycemia

The present study was designed to clarify the effect of blood glucose level on cerebral blood flow and metabolism during and after acute cerebral ischemia induced by bilateral carotid ligation (BCL) in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Blood glucose levels were varied by intraperitoneal infusion of 50% of glucose (hyperglycemia), insulin with hypertonic saline (hypoglycemia) or hypertonic saline (normoglycemia). Cerebral blood flow (CBF) in the parietal cortex and thalamus was measured by hydrogen clearance technique, and the supratentorial metabolites of the brain frozen in situ were determined by the enzymatic method. In non-ischemic animals, blood glucose levels had no influence on the supratentorial lactate, pyruvate or adenosine triphosphate (ATP) concentrations. In ischemic animals, however, cortical CBF was reduced to less than 1% of the resting value at 3 hours after BCL. However, there were no substantial differences of CBF during and after ischemia among 3 glycemic groups. Cerebral lactate in the ischemic brain greatly increased in hyperglycemia (34.97 +/- 1.29 mmol/kg), moderately in normoglycemia (23.43 +/- 3.13 mmol/kg) and less in hypoglycemia (7.20 +/- 1.54 mmol/kg). In contrast, cerebral ATP decreased in hyperglycemia (0.93 +/- 0.19 mmol/kg) as much as it did in normoglycemia (1.04 +/- 0.25 mmol/kg), while ATP reduction was much greater in hypoglycemia (0.45 +/- 0.05 mmol/kg). At 1-hour recirculation after 3-hour ischemia, ATP tended to increase in all groups of animals, indicating the recovery of energy metabolism. Such metabolic recovery after recirculation was good in hypo- and normoglycemia, and was also evident in hyperglycemia. Our results suggest that hyperglycemia is not necessarily an unfavorable condition in acute incomplete cerebral ischemia.     

Cerebral infarction following bilateral carotid artery ligation in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats: a pathological study.

A pathological examination was performed on normotensive rats (NTR) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) following bilateral common carotid artery ligation. After ligation, diffuse and extensive cerebral infarcts in the carotid artery territory occurred frequently in SHR, while NTR occasionally had well-circumscribed small infarcts. The posterior communicating arteries, which are the major anastomotic channels connecting the carotid and vertebrobasilar systems, did not show any anomalies and were well developed in SHR and NTR. Vascular changes secondary to hypertension, such as fibrinoid necrosis or thickening of the wall, were not observed in SHR. Because of the paucity of structural difference of the blood vessels, the more diffuse and extensive cerebral infarcts in SHR after carotid occlusion were attributed to the hemodynamic difference rather than the morphological difference between the two groups. The results of the present experiment suggest that hypertension per se, i.e., hemodynamic factors, may be operative for the development of cerebral infarction.     

Spontaneous and renal hypertensive rats: responsiveness of isolated right and left atria to noradrenaline,isoprenaline and methoxamine

The adrenergic responsiveness of right and left atria isolated from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and renal hypertensive rats (RHR) was studied. Right atria isolated from SHR showed subsensitivity to the chronotropic effect of noradrenaline (21.3-fold at the EC₅₀ level, P < 0.05) and isoprenaline (12.0-fold, P < 0.05). However, atria isolated from RHR did not exhibit any significant alteration (P > 0.05) in sensitivity to the chronotropic effect of noradrenaline or isoprenaline. Chronotropic responsiveness to theophyline was not altered in right atria isolated from SHR or RHR. α₁-Mediated inotropic responses to noradrenaline and methoxamine were blunted in left atria isolated from SHR. Left atria isolated from RHR showed supersensitivity to the inotropic effect of noradrenaline (5.4-fold at the EC₅₀ level, P < 0.05) and subsensitivity to the inotropic effect of methoxamine (6.0-fold, P < 0.05). It is concluded that the present results could, at least partially, explain the reduced cardiac output observed during established hypertension in SHR and the increased cardiac output observed in the initial phase of renal hypertension in RHR.     

Protective effects of 4-(o-benzylphenoxy)-N-methylbutylamine hydrochloride (bifemelane) on acutely induced cerebral ischemia in Mongolian gerbils and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR)

Effects of new antihypoxic agent (bifemelane) on survival and brain metabolism were studied in acute cerebral ischemia induced by bilateral carotid artery ligation in mongolian gerbils and SHR. Either 10 mg/kg or 30 mg/kg body weight of bifemelane solved in distilled water was intraperitoneally administered 1 hr in gerbils and 1.5 hrs in SHR prior to carotid ligation, and same amount of vehicle was also given in similar manner for control animals. Brain tissue metabolites such as lactate, pyruvate and ATP were determined by using the enzymatic technique in the ischemic brain frozen in situ 1 hr after carotid ligations in SHR. Mean survival times following carotid ligations were 186 +/- 255 min (+/- SD) in control gerbils, 429 +/- 455 min in those with 10 mg/kg of bifemelane, and 310 +/- 429 min in those with 30 mg/kg respectively, its difference between control and 10 mg/kg group being significant (P less than 0.05). Supratentorial lactate concentrations in the ischemic brains of SHR were substantially the same among the groups, whereas ATP levels were 0.62 +/- 0.24 mM/kg in control animals, 1.10 +/- 0.67 mM/kg in rats with 10 mg/kg of the drug, and 1.13 +/- 0.42 mM/kg in those with 30 mg/kg, respectively. In animals with a high dose pretreatment, the reduction of ATP was significantly smaller than that in control (P less than 0.02), indicating that this agent prevents a decline of high energy phosphate in the ischemic brain although anaerobic metabolites increase similarly in animals of all experiment groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Cerebral blood flow during dihydralazine-induced hypotension in hypertensive rats

The cerebrovascular effects of graded, controlled dihydralazine-induced hypotension were studied in rats with renal hypertension (RHR) and spontaneous hypertension (SHR). Repeated measurements of cerebral blood flow (CBF) were made using the intraarterial 133Xenon injection technique in anaesthetised normocapnic animals. Dihydralazine was administered in single increasing i.v. doses (0.1 to 2 mg/kg), and CBF measured after each dose when a stable blood pressure had been reached. From a resting level of 145 +/- 7 mm Hg in RHR and 138 +/- 11 mm Hg in SHR, mean arterial pressure (MAP) fell stepwise to a minimum of around 50 mm Hg. CBF was preserved during dihydralazine induced hypotension, and remained at the resting level of 79 +/- 13 ml/100 g . min in RHR and 88 +/- 16 ml/100 g . min in SHR. Following 2 hours hypotension at the lowest pressure reached, the rats were sacrificed by perfusion fixation and the brains processed for light microscopy. Evidence of regional ischaemic brain damage was found in 4 of 11 animals: in 2 cases the damage appeared to be accentuated in the arterial boundary zones. Although the lower limit of CBF autoregulation in these rats is around 100 mm Hg during haemorrhagic hypotension, dihydralazine brought MAP to around 50 mm Hg without any concomitant fall in CBF. This was interpreted as being due to direct dilatation of cerebral resistance vessels. The combination of low pressure and direct dilatation may have resulted in uneven perfusion, thus accounting for the regional ischaemic lesions.     

Effects of long-term antihypertensive treatment on brain metabolism after bilateral carotid artery occlusion in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The effects of antihypertensive treatment on brain metabolism after bilateral carotid occlusion were studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats. The results indicate that an increase in metabolites of ischaemic brain such as lactate and the lactate/pyruvate ratio after carotid occlusion in spontaneously hypertensive rats is apparently suppressed by treating hypertension. This suggests that hypertension may play an important role in susceptibility to cerebral ischaemia.     

Carotid chemoreceptor discharge responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats

The carotid chemoreceptor discharge responses to hypoxia and hypercapnia were quantitatively compared between normotensive (NTR) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). For this purpose we recorded afferent mass discharges from the carotid sinus nerve (CSN) at various levels of end-tidal O2 and CO2 concentrations (FetO2, FetCO2 (%)) in the urethane-anesthetized, vagotomized and artificially ventilated rats. The CSN chemoreceptor discharge was evaluated by subtracting the small activity remaining in acute hyperoxia (chemoreceptor inactivation), which was estimated as baroreceptor in origin, from the large total CSN activity. The CSN chemoreceptor discharges at various levels of FetO2 or FetCO2 were expressed as the percent of control activity measured in normoxic and normocapnic conditions (FetO2, 15-16%; FetCO2, 4.5-5.1%). There was an exponential increase in the CSN chemoreceptor discharge as FetO2 was decreased from hyperoxic to various hypoxic levels (maximally 6%) at a maintained FetCO2 (normocapnia). The relationship between the CSN chemoreceptor discharge and the hypoxic stimulus was quantitatively assessed by the regression analysis using an exponential function. Exponential increases in the CSN chemoreceptor discharge by hypoxia and the parameters in the exponential function reflecting the sensitivity to hypoxia were significantly higher in the SHR than in the NTR, which indicated a high carotid chemoreceptor discharge response to hypoxia in the SHR. The CSN chemoreceptor discharge was increased linearly by increasing the FetCO2 from the normocapnic level up to about 10% at a maintained FetO2 (normoxia). Increases in discharge produced by severe hypercapnia were, however, much smaller than that caused by hypoxia. The slope of the CO2 stimulus-CSN chemoreceptor discharge response line was almost the same in NTR and SHR. The results demonstrated that the responsiveness of rat carotid chemoreceptor to hypoxia is augmented in the SHR. The role of carotid chemoreceptor afferents in ventilatory reflex responses to hypoxia and their alterations in the SHR are discussed.     

Brain metabolism and arterial acid-base balance following bilateral carotid occlusion in normotensive and experimental hypertensive rats.

The effects of bilateral common carotid artery occlusion on brain metabolism and arterial acid-base balance were studied in normotensive and experimental renovascular hypertensive rats. One hour after carotid occlusion in hypertensive rats, supratentorial lactate increased to 383% and lactate-pyruvate ratio to 280% of the controls, while adenosine triphosphate (ATP) decreased to 69%. These metabolic changes were thought to be due to cerebral ischemia. Arterial pCO2 was lowered and the pH was raised in the hypertensive animals due to cerebral ischemia induced hyperventilation. In the normotensive rats, carotid occlusion had minimal effects on cerebral metabolism and arterial acid-base balance. These results suggest that hypertensive rats are more susceptible to cerebral ischemia caused by carotid occlusion than normotensive rats. Increased cerebrovascular resistance in hypertension is discussed as a causal factor in cerebral ischemia.     

Structural and neurochemical features of postganglionic sympathetic neurons in the superior mesenteric ganglion of spontaneously hypertensive rats

Postganglionic sympathetic neurons, which are exquisitely sensitive to small changes in levels of target-derived nerve growth factor (NGF), express two transmembrane receptors: 1) the trkA receptor mediates neuron survival and neurite outgrowth; and 2) the p75 neurotrophin receptor (p75NTR) enhances neuronal responsiveness of trkA to NGF. Elevating levels of NGF induces several morphological and neurochemical alterations in sympathetic neurons, including axonal sprouting, increased levels of p75NTR mRNA relative to trkA mRNA, and increased accumulations of NGF in hypertrophied somata. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) display both elevated NGF levels and increased sympathetic axonal innervation of the mesenteric vasculature. In this investigation we assessed whether sympathetic neurons innervating the mesenteric vasculature of SHR display other features indicative of increased levels of target-derived NGF. In 5-week-old SHR, levels of both p75NTR and trkA mRNA in mesenteric sympathetic neurons were significantly elevated compared to levels in age-matched control rats. By 15 and 30 weeks of age, levels of p75NTR mRNA expression in mesenteric sympathetic neurons were similar between SHR and control rats. Accumulations of NGF were depleted in the sympathetic somata of 15- and 30-week-old SHR compared to age-matched control rats. Moreover, sympathetic neurons in SHR were not hypertrophied, as the sizes of somata were comparable between SHR and control rats. Our data illustrate that despite having augmented levels of NGF in the mesenteric vasculature, SHR do not display many of the morphological and neurochemical features that are associated with an enhanced responsiveness by sympathetic neurons to elevated levels of target-derived NGF.     

肾血管性高血压大鼠自发脑卒中

通过研究双肾双夹型肾血管性高血压大鼠自发脑卒中的病理形态,发现高血压所致的脑内细小动脉纤维素样坏死、透明变性和微动脉瘤形成等是出血性脑卒中和脑梗塞的共同病理基础。探讨了高血压动脉硬化性脑卒中的发病机制,并为混合性脑卒中提供了实验依据。     

Efferent metabolic effects of area postrema stimulation in renal hypertensive rats.

Electrical microstimulation of area postrema in anesthetized normotensive (NR) and renal hypertensive (RHR) rats produced increases of about 53% in rates of glucose metabolism in nucleus tractus solitarii and dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus nerves. However, in nucleus ambiguus, ventrolateral medullary C1 region, locus coeruleus, and lateral parabrachial nucleus, all of which are monosynaptically innervated by area postrema neurons, metabolic responsiveness to postremal stimulation was considerably attenuated in RHR (average increase of 16%) compared to the same structures in NR (average increase of 36%). Disturbances of brainstem neurotransmission or tissue reactivity to postremal pathway activation thus appear to be part of the central pathophysiology of chronic renal hypertension.     

西比灵对大鼠高血压性脑血管病变作用的研究

目的 探讨西比灵对大鼠高血压性脑血管病变的作用及其机制。方法 建立肾血管性高血压大鼠（RHR）模型。用插胃管法喟食西比灵对RHR进行治疗，观察动脉血压，脑血流速度和脑血管形态的改变。结果 用药2-4周动脉血压明显低于同期未用药RHR，4-6周后脑底动脉内腔面积，横断面积，中膜厚度等明显好于未用药RHR，这些作用可以持续2-4周。结论 在高血压早期，西比灵可以降低RHR的动脉血压，阻止脑血管损害的发展。     

Increased anti-apoptotic conditions in the nucleus tractus solitarii of spontaneously hypertensive rat

Since the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) is a pivotal region for regulating the set-point of arterial pressure, we propose here its role in the development of neurogenic hypertension. Given the findings of recent studies suggesting that the NTS of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) exhibits a specific inflammatory state characterized by leukocyte accumulation within the NTS microvasculature, we hypothesized that gene expression levels of apoptotic factors are altered in the NTS of SHR compared to normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). To test this hypothesis, we used RT(2) Profiler PCR arrays targeting apoptosis-related factors. We found that gene expression of the death receptor Fas (tumor necrosis factor receptor superfamily, member 6) and the cysteine-aspartic acid protease caspase 12 were down-regulated in the NTS of both adult hypertensive and young pre-hypertensive SHR compared to age-matched WKY. On the other hand, an anti-apoptotic factor, neuronal apoptosis inhibitory protein, was highly increased in the NTS of SHR. These results suggest that the NTS of SHR exhibits an anti-apoptotic condition. Furthermore, this profile appears not to be secondary to hypertension. Whether this differential gene expression in the NTS contributes to the hypertensive state of the SHR via alteration of neuronal circuitry regulating cardiovascular autonomic activity awaits elucidation.