Ventrolateral medulla in spontaneously hypertensive rats: role of angiotensin II.

We investigated whether angiotensin II (ANG II), endogenous to the ventrolateral medulla (VLM), contributes to cardiovascular regulation in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. The action of ANG II endogenous to the VLM was examined by microinjection of 100 pmol of [Sar1,Thr8]ANG II into either the rostral (R) or caudal (C) VLM. This ANG II antagonist caused depressor and bradycardic responses in the RVLM and pressor and tachycardic responses in the CVLM. The magnitude of the blood pressure responses was significantly greater (P < 0.01 in RVLM and P < 0.05 in CVLM) in SHRs (-27 +/- 3 mmHg in RVLM and 29 +/- 4 mmHg in CVLM) than in WKY rats (-17 +/- 1 and 17 +/- 2 mmHg, respectively). Suppression of tonic activity of RVLM neurons by bilateral injection of muscimol in the RVLM showed that the pressor response produced by ANG II antagonist injection in the CVLM required the integrity of rostral pressor neurons. The present data suggest that ANG II endogenous to RVLM and CVLM acts as a tonic excitatory agent on vasomotor neurons of the VLM. The contribution of ANG II in the RVLM and CVLM to the prevailing level of blood pressure was significantly (P < 0.01) larger in SHRs vs. WKY rats when the effect of ANG II blockade was measured as the change in blood pressure. Blockade of gamma-aminobutyric acid (GABA)A receptors in the RVLM showed that inhibitory GABAergic input to the RVLM was not diminished in this strain.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)