ROLE OF NITRIC OXIDE IN THE CONTROL OF THE RENAL MEDULLARY CIRCULATION

1. Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated as an important controller in the short- and long-term regulation of arterial pressure. Studies performed in our laboratory have demonstrated that chronic intravenous administration of the NO synthase inhibitor N^G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) selectively decreases renal medullary blood flow, causes sodium and water retention and leads to hypertension. 2. To determine the importance of the renal medullary effects in this model of hypertension, further studies were conducted to examine the influence of selective stimulation or inhibition of renal medullary NO on whole kidney function and cardiovascular homeostasis. With the use of a unique catheter to directly infuse into the renal medullary interstitial space, stimulation (bradykinin or acetylcholine) or inhibition (L-NAME) of renal medullary NO selectively increased or decreased renal medullary blood flow. 3. The changes in medullary flow in these experiments were associated with parallel changes in sodium and water excretion independent of alterations in renal cortical blood flow or glomerular filtration rate. 4. Studies were then undertaken to examine the long-term effects of selective NO inhibition in the renal medulla on cardiovascular homeostasis. Chronic infusion of L-NAME directly into the renal medullary interstitial space of uninephrectomized Sprague-Dawley rats led to a selective decrease in renal medullary blood flow that was sustained throughout the 5 day L-NAME infusion period. The decrease in medullary blood flow was associated with retention of sodium and the development of hypertension and the effects were reversible. 5. The data reviewed indicate that NO in the renal medulla has a powerful influence on fluid and electrolyte homeostasis and the control of blood pressure.     

THE INCREASE OF FEMORAL ARTERIAL FLOW BY STIMULATING THE DORSAL AND VENTRAL MEDULLA IN CATS

1. In chloralose-urethane anaesthetized cats, the dorsal cardiovascular reactive area (DCRA) in the parvocellular reticular nucleus dorsomedial to the facial nucleus, and the ventral cardiovascular reactive area (VCRA) ventromedial to the facial nucleus, were stimulated by microinjections of sodium glutamate (100–200 nmol) or electric current. 2. Stimulation of DCRA, with a long latency of 15–20 s, elicited a marked increase of blood flow in the contralateral femoral artery with little change to moderate increase in systemic arterial blood pressure (ABP). In the relatively dorsal portion of DCRA, however, a smaller increase of blood flow in the ipsilateral femoral artery was elicited. 3. On the other hand, stimulation of VCRA with a short latency (3–5 s) evoked an increase of blood flow in both femoral arteries which was more prominent on the contralateral side. The responses were accompanied with decreases in the blood flow of other vascular beds with only a slight increase or minimal change in ABP. 4. The data suggest that DCRA and VCRA are both viscerotopically organized to alter the resistance of individual vascular beds for redistribution of blood flow.     

Effects of MPP+ on catecholamine levels in adrenal glands and heart of rats

The effects of MPP⁺ (2.5–20 mg/kg) on the adrenal glands and heart were investigated in rats. At various periods after s.c. drug administration the rats were decapitated and tissue catecholamine levels were determined by means of HPLC with electrochemical detection. Adrenal dopamine (DA) levels were reduced at 2–8 h after MPP⁺ administration, but this decrease was followed by an elevation after 16 h and return to the control values after one week. Three successive injections of MPP⁺ caused a statistically significant elevation in adrenal DA, one day, with a tendency to elevation four and seven days after the last injection, whereas a severe (up to 96%) decrease in heart noradrenaline (NA) was found one day after the last injection. Seven days after the last injection a 50% depletion of NA in the heart was still observed. Pretreatment with GBR 12909 (30 mg/kg, 4 h) blocked the MPP⁺ (10 mg/kg, 2 h) induced reduction of adrenal DA levels, but at the same time GBR 12909 failed to block the effects of MPP⁺ in the heart. One day after three successive daily injections of MPP⁺ (10 mg/kg each), the DA-uptake inhibitor GBR 12909 (30 mg/kg, 6 h) could still induce an increase in adrenal DA.MPP⁺ appears to lack persistent cytotoxic action in the adrenal medulla but rather to cause a transient inhibition of DA synthesis followed by a compensatory stimulation. The inhibition can be blocked by specific inhibitor of the DA-uptake mechanism, suggesting a direct effect of MPP⁺ taken up by adrenomedullary cells. The data obtained so far do not suggest any involvement of peripheral dopaminergic nerves in the action of MPP⁺ on the adrenal medulla. The long-lasting depletion of the heart NA, however, suggests a lesion of peripheral noradrenergic nerves.Part of this work was presented at 6th International Symposium on Chromaffin Cell Biology, Marburg, Germany, 18–23 August 1991 Correspondence to: M. Kujacic at the above address     

Effect of Central Muscarine Receptor Blockade with DKJ-21 on the Blood Pressure and Heart Rate in Stress-Induced Hypertensive Rats

Da-Nian Zhu, Long-Mei Xue, Peng Li. Effect of central muscarine receptor blockade. with DKJ-21 on the blood pressure and heart rote in stress-induced hypertensive rats.

The experiments were performed on Wistar or Sprague-Dawley rats of both sexes divided at random into stress and control groups. The rats in the stress groups were put into cages and subjected to electric foot-shocks and noises for 9-15 days, which caused an increase in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). In hypertensive rats DKJ-21 (4mg/lml) was injected intravenously (i.v.), and 0.5-1.0h after administration the BP and HR dropped from the high level to normotensive level. In normotensive rats, however, administration of DKJ-21 had no effect on BP or HR. In separate groups of normotensive rats, pretreatment of DKJ-21 (4 mg/l ml, i.v.) blocked the pressor and tachycardiac effect induced by microinjection of physostigmine (0.4μg/0.1 /μl/site), corticosterone (40μg/0.1μl/site) or aldosterone (40 μg/0.1 μl/site) into the rostral ventrolateral medulla (rVLM). Furthermore, DKJ-21 also attenuated the enhancement of the pressor response to stimulation of the defense area in the midbrain, which was induced by microinjection of drugs (mentioned above) into the rVLM. These results indicate that i.v. DKJ-21 can selectively block the muscarinic receptors in the rVLM in stress-induced hypertensive rats, which suggests that abnormal enhancement of cholinergic mechanism in the rVLM may be related to hypertensive effects of corticoids in this area.     

Differential Stimulation of Noradrenaline Release by Reversal of the Na+/Ca2+ Exchanger and Depolarization in Chromaffin Cells

We compared the effectiveness of Ca²⁺ entering by Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchange with that of Ca²⁺ entering by channels produced by membrane depolarization with K⁺ in inducing catecholamine release from bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. The Ca²⁺ influx through the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger was promoted by reversing the normal inward gradient of Na⁺ by preincubating the cells with ouabain to increase the intracellular Na⁺ and then removing Na⁺ from the external medium. In this way we were able to increase the cytosolic free Ca²⁺ concentration ([Ca²⁺]_c) by Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchange to 325 ± 14 nM, which was similar to the rise in [Ca²⁺]_c observed upon depolarization with 35 mM K⁺ of cells not treated with ouabain. After incubating the cells with ouabain, K⁺ depolarization raised the [Ca²⁺]_c to 398 ± 31 nM, and the recovery of [Ca²⁺]_c to resting levels was significantly slower. Reversal of the Na⁺ gradient caused an −6-fold increase in the release of noradrenaline or adrenaline, whereas K⁺ depolarization induced a 12-fold increase in noradrenaline release but only a 9-fold increase in adrenaline release. The ratio of noradrenaline to adrenaline release was 1.24 ± 0.23 upon reversal of the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchange, whereas it was 1.83 ± 0.19 for K⁺ depolarization. Reversal of the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchange appeared to be as efficient as membrane depolarization in inducing adrenaline release, in that the relation of [Ca²⁺]_c to adrenaline release was the same in both cases. In contrast, we found that for the same average [Ca²⁺]_c, the Ca²⁺ influx through voltage-gated channels was much more efficient than the Ca²⁺ entering through the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger in inducing noradrenaline release from chromaffin ceils. This greater effectiveness of membrane depolarization in stimulating noradrenaline release suggests that there is a pool of noradrenaline vesicles which is more accessible to Ca²⁺ entering through voltage-gated Ca²⁺ channels than to Ca²⁺ entering through the Na⁺/Ca²⁺ exchanger, whereas the adrenaline vesicles do not distinguish between the source of Ca²⁺.     

延髓—脊髓P物质能神经元下行通路参与毒扁豆碱的中枢升压反应

大鼠延髓腹侧面头端应用毒扁豆碱引起血压升高和心率加快,伴有延髓腹侧面头端胆碱酯酶活性降低和脊髓蛛网膜下腔灌流液中P物质样免疫反应活性升高。在延髓腹侧面头端应用阿托品或脊髓蛛网膜下腔注射P物质拮抗剂D-脯~2,D-苯丙~7,D-色~9-P物质均可阻断毒扁豆碱的心血管效应。脊髓蛛网膜下腔注射P物质抗血清或辣椒素均可减弱毒扁豆碱的升压反应。实验结果提示,毒扁豆碱作用于延髓腹侧面头端的M受体,兴奋了延髓-脊髓P物质能神经元下行通路,使之释放P物质,引起交感肾上腺髓质系统兴奋,从而使血压升高和心率加快。     

大鼠肾上腺髓质增生MRI与病理的对比研究

目的通过 MRI 研究大鼠肾上腺髓质增生(AMH)的信号特征,并与病理结果对比,探讨 MRI 诊断大鼠 AMH 的可能性。方法雄性 SD 大鼠60只,依体重大小,采取随机排列表法随机分为 A、B、C 实验组,皮下注射利血平0.4 mg·kg~(-1)·d~(-1);a、b、c 对照组,皮下注射等量生理盐水,每组10只。A、a,B、b,C、c 组分别连续注射40、60和80 d,行肾上腺 MR 扫描,并和病理研究作对照。结果注射60 d 后 B 组髓质百分数(34.3±5.8)%高于 b 组(25.7±8.9)%(t=2.462,P<0.05),C 组(36.4±7.8)%也高于 c 组(24.8±7.9)%(t=3.104,P<0.01),利血平注射60 d 后 AMH 造模成功;MR 下 B 和 b 组、C 和 c 组肾上腺体积分别为(50.7±14.1)和(41.1±11.0)、(52.7±10.5)和(40.4±10.7)mm~3,差异有统计学意义(t 值分别为2.352、3.442,P 值分别<0.05、<0.01);MR 下中心髓质区 T_2WI 信号 B 组高于 b 组(Z=-3.786,P<0.01)、C 组高于 c 组(Z=-3.570,P<0.01);光学显微镜(简称光镜)下见 B 和 C 组髓质明显增厚,细胞数增多、密集,呈实质性片状或条索状分布,形成细胞巢;实验组部分大鼠 T_1WI 下外周皮质信号明显增高,光镜下见束状带增生,细胞呈空泡状肥大,富含脂质。结论 MRT_2WI 中心髓质区信号增高及 T_1WI 外周皮质高信号可能对于诊断大鼠肾上腺髓质增生有意义。     

延髓腹外侧区在调节呼吸和心血管系统中的作用

现已知延髓腹外侧区在呼吸调节和心血管调节中起着重要作用．延髓腹外侧区有两个重要的血管运动中枢，称为头侧和尾侧血管运动中枢．参与呼吸调节的中枢化学感受器位于延髓腹外侧区浅表部位；延髓腹外侧区还参与中枢和外周化学感受器的传入冲动的整合．文章对一些最重要的有争论的观点作一综述