Cardiovascular and respiratory chemoreflexes from the hindlimb sensory receptors evoked by intra-arterial injection of bradykinin and other chemical agents in the rabbit.

Intra-arterial injections of bradykinin into the hindlimb of the rabbit cause two types of cardiovascular reflex effects displayed in succession. The first-type effects appear early and are of inhibitory nature, being represented by systemic hypotension, contralateral hindlimb vasodilation and bradycardia; the second-type effects appear later and are excitatory in nature, consisting of hypertension, hindlimb vasoconstriction and tachycardia and occur closely associated with behavioral manifestations typical of the reaction to pain. Both the depressor and pressor effects are accompanied by hyperventilation. Analogous biphasic reflex responses may be caused by intraarterial injections of potassium ions. On the contrary, hypertonic solutions (NaCl, glucose) usually only produce second-type excitatory responses. No significant cardiocirculatory reflex effects are induced by even high doses of serotonin, nicotine, adenosine, adenosine triphosphate, adrenalin, noradrenalin, angiotensin, vasopressin and oxytocin. General anesthesia greatly inhibits the pressor reflexes and potentiates the depressor responses (to bradykinin and K ions) but does not appear to be a necessary condition for provoking depressor reflexes by chemical stimulation of somatic afferents. Both chemoreflex responses are prevented by sectioning the somatic nerves of the injected limb. Denervation of sinoaortic areas and of cardiopulmonary receptors by bilateral cervical vagotomy or complete removal of the skin from the injected limb does not prevent either type of chemoreflex response. These depressor and pressor chemoreflexes have been ascribed to activation of two functionally distinct types of sensory receptors in the skeletal muscle, differently sensitive to chemical substances and selectively concerned with different patterns of cardiocirculatory reflex response.