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Acetylcholine and norepinephrine concentrations in the heart of spontaneously hypertensive rats: a parasympathetic role in hypertension.
- Source :
-
Journal of hypertension [J Hypertens] 1987 Jun; Vol. 5 (3), pp. 323-30. - Publication Year :
- 1987
-
Abstract
- To determine the role of the parasympathetic system in the development of essential hypertension, the concentrations of acetylcholine (ACh) as a parasympathetic marker and norepinephrine (NE) as a sympathetic marker were measured simultaneously in the heart of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) at 4, 10 and 27 weeks of age, and in age-matched control Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). ACh was measured using a highly sensitive and specific high performance liquid chromatography-electrochemical detection (HPLC-ECD) attached to a newly developed immobilized fixed enzyme column system. NE was measured by conventional HPLC-ECD. The ACh concentration decreased in the order right atrium (RA) greater than left atrium (LA) greater than right ventricle (RV) greater than interventricular septum (IVS) greater than left ventricle (LV) in both SHR and WKY of all age groups, and NE showed an almost identical pattern. The concentration of ACh tended to increase and that of NE to decrease with age in both strains. The concentrations of ACh in the heart were significantly different in the two strains, with the levels being consistently higher in the SHR strain regardless of age, although differences were most significant at 10 weeks. The mean concentrations of NE were higher in SHR than in WKY, but the differences between the two strains were significant only in the RV and IVS. The functional meanings of a given tissue concentration of a neurotransmitter are still controversial. However, the increase in SHR heart ACh concentration, in parallel with the development of hypertension, may reflect the augmented parasympathetic activity counteracting or compensating for the augmented sympathetic drive in the early stage of hypertension.
- Subjects :
- Analysis of Variance
Animals
Heart anatomy & histology
Heart Atria analysis
Heart Ventricles analysis
In Vitro Techniques
Male
Organ Size
Rats
Rats, Inbred SHR
Rats, Inbred WKY
Acetylcholine analysis
Hypertension physiopathology
Myocardium analysis
Norepinephrine analysis
Parasympathetic Nervous System physiopathology
Subjects
Details
- Language :
- English
- ISSN :
- 0263-6352
- Volume :
- 5
- Issue :
- 3
- Database :
- MEDLINE
- Journal :
- Journal of hypertension
- Publication Type :
- Academic Journal
- Accession number :
- 3611780
- Full Text :
- https://doi.org/10.1097/00004872-198706000-00010