Adrenomedullary and beta-adrenergic participation in enhanced sympathetic pressor responses of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The beta-adrenergic and adrenomedullary components of pressor responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation were studied in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). The effects of electrical stimulation of the entire spinal cord of pithed rats pretreated with tubocurarine and atropine were studied on systolic blood pressure, heart rate and plasma cyclic AMP levels. The heart rate increase upon low frequency stimulation (1 Hz) and the blood pressure elevation upon stimulation at higher frequencies (3 and 5 Hz) were higher in SHR than in WKY whereas the increase in circulating cyclic AMP level was not different in the two strains. Pretreatment with propranolol (2.5 mg X kg-1) further enhanced the pressor responses in SHR but not in WKY, although it inhibited the heart rate acceleration and decreased the circulating level of cyclic AMP similarly in the two strains. After acute adrenalectomy, the elevations of blood pressure and circulating cyclic AMP levels were reduced to an identical level in SHR and WKY. These results show that the marked enhancement of the pressor response observed in SHR upon stimulation of the entire sympathetic outflow is mostly of adrenomedullary origin and includes a hypotensive component due to beta-adrenoceptor stimulation which is not present in WKY.