Evidence that blood pressure remains under the control of arterial baroreceptors in renal hypertensive rats

ABSTRACT

The purpose of the present study was to determine the range of the influence of the baroreflex on blood pressure in chronic renal hypertensive rats. Supramaximal electrical stimulation of the aortic depressor nerve and section of the baroreceptor nerves (sinoaortic denervation) were used to obtain a global analysis of the baroreceptor-sympathetic reflex in normotensive control and in chronic (2 months) 1-kidney, 1-clip hypertensive rats. The fall in blood pressure produced by electrical baroreceptor stimulation was greater in renal hypertensive rats than in normotensive controls (right nerve -47 ± 8 vs -23 ± 4 mmHg; left nerve -51 ± 7 vs -30 ± 4 mmHg; and both right and left nerves -50 ± 8 vs -30 ± 4 mmHg; P < 0.05). Furthermore, the increase in blood pressure level produced by baroreceptor denervation in chronic renal hypertensive rats was similar to that observed in control animals 2-5 h (control 163 ± 5 vs 121 ± 1 mmHg; 1K-1C 203 ± 7 vs 170 ± 5 mmHg; P < 0.05) and 24 h (control 149 ± 3 vs 121 ± 1 mmHg; 1K-1C 198 ± 8 vs 170 ± 5 mmHg; P < 0.05) after sinoaortic denervation. Taken together, these data indicate that the central and peripheral components of the baroreflex are acting efficiently at higher arterial pressure in renal hypertensive rats when the aortic nerve is maximally stimulated or the activity is abolished.