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The effect of a ventral medial hypothalamic lesion on the insulin-induced hypotensive response in normal rats

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Abstract

The cardiovascular responses to insulin-induced hypoglycemia were studied in normal and ventral medial hypothalamic (VMH)-lesioned rats. The goal of this study was to investigate the role of the VMH in mediating the insulin-induced decreases in cardiovascular tone. Male Wistar rats were anesthetized with urethane/chloralose. Following the induction of anesthesia, the trachea, femoral artery, and femoral vein were cannulated. The femoral artery was attached to a pressure transducer for cardiovascular monitoring. The cardiovascular activity was recorded using a Modular Instruments Micro 5000 signal processing system. The mean arterial pressure and pulse pressures and heart rate were evaluated. In control studies, a stable plasma glucose and blood pressure were obtained with urethane/chloralose anesthesia for the duration of the experiments. Insulin (2.0 or 5.0 U/kg) significantly decreased the plasma glucose as well as the blood pressure. In VMH-lesioned rats, the lesions were accomplished by radiofrequency, and the cardiovascular response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia was investigated 1 or 6 weeks later. There was no difference in the cardiovascular response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia between the low or high insulin dose after 1 week in VMH-lesioned animals. The low dose after 6 weeks in VMH-lesioned animals did not produce a change in the mean arterial pressure response compared with controls. The pulse pressure was higher than in the sham-lesioned animals, and the plasma glucose response was greater. The high dose after 6 weeks in VMH-lesioned animals in contrast to sham-lesioned animals led to an increased cardiovascular response instead of a decrease. We propose that the decrease in cardiovascular activity in response to insulin-induced hypoglycemia in normal animals can be attributed to a direct or indirect effect on vascular dilation as well as possibly to an inhibition of sympathetic firing. However, it appears that insulin increases the vascular dilation as well as the parasympathetic tone after 1 week in the VMH-lesioned animals, similar to the findings in sham-lesioned animals. However, after 6 weeks, the insulin-induced decreased cardiovascular tone is minimal. Thus, we believe hat the VMH does not have a direct effect in modulating the insulin-induced decrease in cardiovascular tone, but its destruction appears to influence other regulatory centers.

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  1. Department of Physiology, Wayne State University School of Medicine, Detroit, Michigan, USA

    J. Wright-Richey, S. Schultz-Klarr & J. C. Dunbar

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  1. J. Wright-Richey
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  2. S. Schultz-Klarr
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  3. J. C. Dunbar
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Wright-Richey, J., Schultz-Klarr, S. & Dunbar, J.C. The effect of a ventral medial hypothalamic lesion on the insulin-induced hypotensive response in normal rats. Acta Diabetol 31, 91–97 (1994). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00570542

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