γ-Aminobutyric Acid (GABA)-A Function and Binding in the Paraventricular Nucleus of the Hypothalamus in Chronic Renal-Wrap Hypertension

• Published in: Hypertension (Dallas, Tex. 1979) Tex. 1979), 2001-02, Vol.37 (2, Part 2 Suppl), p.614-618
• Main Authors: Haywood, Joseph R, Mifflin, Steven W, Craig, Teresa, Calderon, Alfred, Hensler, Julie G, Hinojosa-Laborde, Carmen
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Animals; Arterial hypertension. Arterial hypotension; Bicuculline - pharmacology; Binding Sites; Biological and medical sciences; Blood and lymphatic vessels; Blood Pressure - drug effects; Cardiology. Vascular system; Chronic Disease; Experimental diseases; GABA Antagonists - pharmacology; GABA-A Receptor Antagonists; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid - metabolism; Heart Rate - drug effects; Hypertension, Renovascular - blood; Hypertension, Renovascular - metabolism; Male; Medical sciences; Microinjections; Norepinephrine - blood; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus - metabolism; Radioligand Assay; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Receptors, GABA-A - metabolism; Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction; RNA, Messenger - metabolism
• ISSN: 0194-911X; 1524-4563
• DOI: 10.1161/01.HYP.37.2.614

The goal of this study was to determine whether γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA)ergic transmission and GABA binding are altered in chronic renal-wrap hypertension. Three groups of hypertensive and sham-operated rats were prepared for separate protocols. Four weeks later, the animals were prepared with femoral artery catheters for the measurement of mean arterial pressure. In all groups, blood pressure was significantly higher in the renal-wrapped animals. In the first study, bilateral microinjection of the GABA-A antagonist, bicuculline (50 pmol/site), into the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) caused a greater increase in arterial pressure (21.9±1.4 versus 16.7±1.8 mm Hg, P