ALTERED LEVELS OF NEUROPEPTIDES IN THE MEDULLA AND SPINAL CORD OF SPONTANEOUSLY HYPERTENSIVE RATS

1. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) are useful for investigating the possible pathophysiological and neurochemical basis of human essential hypertension. 2. The accepted pathogenic mechanism of hypertension in SHR is an increased central sympathetic drive which results in an increased peripheral resistance. 3. The neurochemical basis of the increased sympathetic drive is unknown. The observation that there are reduced levels of neuropeptides (vasoactive intestinal peptide, neuropeptide Y, cholecystokinin octapeptide, neurotensin and calcitonin gene related peptide) in the spinal cord in SHR rats compared with age and gender matched Wistar-Kyoto normotensive rats could provide a basis for understanding the mechanism of hypertension in SHR.