Sympathetic Vasomotor Activation To Different Targets In A Model Of Hypertension Induced By Nitric Oxide Synthase Blockade

Abstract

High blood pressure is a global public health problem. Several factors are involved in the generation and maintenance of hypertension, such as increased sympathetic nerve activity (SNA), although controversies have been reported. Our aims were to evaluate sympathetic activation to two targets, the kidneys (rSNA) and other visceral bed, the splanchnic (sSNA), in animals with hypertension induced by nitric oxide synthase blockade (L‐NAME). Wistar rats were treated with L‐NAME (20mg/kg/day, once a day, for 8 days). L‐NAME‐treated group presented increased blood pressure (154±13 mmHg, N=16), compared with control group (102±2 mmHg, N= 10). Both rSNA (156±37.4 spikes/s, N=16) and sSNA (145±42.7 spike/s, N=16) were higher in L‐NAME‐treated group, compared with control group (111±20.6, N=10 and 63±20.6 spikes/s, N=10, respectively). Taken altogether, our data show that the hypertension induced by nitric oxide synthase blockade is characterized by sympathoexcitation to more than one bed and that can be involved in the generation and/or maintenance of high blood pressure.Support or Funding InformationCAPES, CNPq, Universidad Nacional de Honduras (UNAH).