Elevations of neuropeptide Y-like immunoreactivity and catecholamines in plasma on increased intracranial pressure in the pig.

Graded increases of intracranial pressure (ICP) in anaesthetized pigs induced elevations of plasma levels of neuropeptide Y (NPY)-like immunoreactivity (LI) and catecholamines, simultaneously with hypertension and tachycardia. Plasma adrenaline (ADR) increased at a lower ICP-level than did the plasma levels of noradrenaline (NA) and NPY-LI. At the maximal ICP elevation, 22.9 kPa (172 mmHg), plasma NPY-LI was increased about 10-fold, from 48 +/- 8 pmol/l in the basal state, while NA and ADR concentrations increased more than 100-fold. At this maximal ICP-level the plasma levels of NPY-LI were correlated to the concentrations of both NA (r = 0.87, P less than 0.01) and ADR (r = 0.92, P less than 0.001). Plasma NPY-LI continued to increase to about 1000 pmol/l, 10 min after the maximal elevation of ICP was discontinued, while the catecholamines then had declined considerably. A slight cardiac release of NPY-LI was observed at the maximal elevation of ICP. The half-life of NPY-LI in plasma was about 6 min upon systemic infusion. At plasma levels similar to those obtained upon maximal ICP elevation, exogenous NPY caused slight vasoconstriction in the spleen and skeletal muscle, but had no effects on coronary blood flow or systemic blood pressure. This suggests that NPY mainly exerts local actions after release from nerve endings, while levels of circulating NPY in plasma must be very high to influence blood flow in some organs. It is concluded that elevation of ICP results in hypertension and tachycardia related to elevated plasma levels of NPY-LI and catecholamines.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)