The American bullfrog (Rana catesbeiana) exhibits differential cardiovascular responses to LTC4 after short- and long-term cold exposure.

Mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) responses to leukotriene (LT)C4 have been studied in warm (W-A) and cold-acclimated (C-A) America bullfrogs, Rana catesbeiana, but nothing is known about how the length of cold treatment affects the response to LTC4 or how responses are affected by return to room temperature following cold exposure. In this study, two groups of frogs were placed at 5 degrees either for 30 days (C-A) or for 1 day (W-C) and LTC4 dose-response curves obtained at 5 degrees. After the frogs were removed from cold, the baseline MAP and HR were monitored for 120 min, and dose-response curves were repeated at 2, 24, and 48 hr. The LTC4 dose-response curves were also obtained during the three experimental days on frogs which had never been placed at cold temperature (W-A). C-A frogs showed greater MAP response than W-C frogs at 5 degrees, and also showed the greatest MAP response of the three groups 48 hr after the animals were removed from cold temperature. These data suggest that up regulation of LTC4 receptors may have occurred in C-A frogs. Cold exposure alone eliminated reflex HR response to LTC4 in both C-A and W-C groups. Longer duration of action was also observed in these groups. The results demonstrate that short-term cold exposure can affect the response to LTC4 in frogs, but that physiological adjustments occur in frogs undergoing long-term exposure.