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Nucleus of solitary tract mediates cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex in rats

Pflügers Archiv - European Journal of Physiology volume 459, Article number: 1 (2009) Cite this article

Abstract

This study is to determine whether the nucleus of solitary tract (NTS) is an important component of the central neurocircuitry of the cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex (CSAR) and whether the γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the NTS modulates the CSAR. Renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were recorded in sinoaortic-denervated and cervical-vagotomized anesthetized rats. The CSAR was evaluated by the RSNA response to epicardial application of capsaicin. The NTS microinjection of lidocaine or NTS electrolytic lesion inhibited the CSAR without significant effect on the RSNA and MAP. Selective lesion of the neuronal perikarya in NTS with kainic acid inhibited the CSAR and induced rapid decreases in RSNA and MAP followed by a slight increase in MAP. The NTS microinjection of GABAA receptor agonist isoguvacine or GABAB receptor agonist baclofen enhanced the CSAR, and increased the RSNA and MAP. GABAA receptor antagonist gabazine or GABAB receptor antagonist CGP-35348 attenuated the CSAR, and decreased the RSNA and MAP. The effects of isoguvacine and baclofen were abolished by the pretreatment with gabazine and CGP-35348, respectively. Nine days after iontophoretic injection of biotin-dextran (a retrograde tracer) into the dorsal horn of upper thoracic spinal cord, biotin-dextran-labeled terminations were found in the vicinity of glutamic acid decarboxylase (a marker for GABA neurons) staining neurons. The results indicate that the NTS is an important component of the central neurocircuitry of the CSAR. Both GABAA and GABAB receptors in NTS modulate the CSAR and these receptors play a tonic role in enhancing the CSAR.

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Acknowledgement

The present study was supported by Chinese National Natural Science Fund (30670768 and 30870908) and Jiangsu Qinglan Project.

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Affiliations

  1. Department of Physiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China

    Yang-Can Duan, Bo Xu, Zhen Shi, Juan Gao, Shu-Juan Zhang, Wei Wang & Guo-Qing Zhu

  2. Department of Pathophysiology, Nanjing Medical University, Nanjing, 210029, China

    Qi Chen & Guo-Qing Zhu

  3. Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska College of Medicine, Omaha, NE, 68198-5850, USA

    Wei Wang

Authors
  1. Yang-Can Duan
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  2. Bo Xu
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  3. Zhen Shi
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  6. Wei Wang
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  7. Qi Chen
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Correspondence to Guo-Qing Zhu.

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Duan, YC., Xu, B., Shi, Z. et al. Nucleus of solitary tract mediates cardiac sympathetic afferent reflex in rats. Pflugers Arch - Eur J Physiol 459, 1 (2009). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-009-0699-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00424-009-0699-2

Keywords

  • Nucleus of solitary tract
  • GABA receptor
  • Cardiovascular reflex
  • Sympathetic activity
  • Blood pressure