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Microinjection of urotensin II into the rostral ventrolateral medulla increases sympathetic vasomotor tone via the GPR14/ERK pathway in rats

Hypertension Research volume 43, pages 765–771 (2020)Cite this article

Abstract

The present study aimed to reveal the effects of urotensin II (UII) on sympathetic vasomotor tone in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM). UII (0.3, 3, and 30 nmol/L, 50 nL) was microinjected into the RVLM. Blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) were measured to determine the sympathetic vasomotor tone. BP, HR, and RSNA were simultaneously recorded after drugs had been microinjected into the RVLM. Microinjection of UII (0.3, 3, and 30 nmol/L, 50 nL) into the RVLM significantly increased BP, HR, and RSNA. Pretreatment with BIM23127 (300 nmol/L, 50 nL), a potent antagonist of the UII receptor GPR14, abolished the effect of UII. Previous microinjection of PD98059 (25 μmol/L, 50 nL), an inhibitor of ERK, significantly suppressed the effects of UII. Preinjection of an inhibitor of the N-type Ca2+ channel, ω-conotoxin GVIA (50 nmol/L, 50 nL), inhibited the effects of UII. The present study demonstrated that microinjection of UII into the RVLM significantly increased sympathetic vasomotor tone, which was mediated by the GPR14/ERK/N-type Ca2+ channel pathway. UII may become a novel therapeutic target for autonomic nervous system regulation, especially in hypertension.

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Funding

This work was supported by the Program for the National Natural Science Foundation of China (31671185, 81770499, 31871154, 91849120).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. The Third Hospital of Shijiazhuang, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China

    Ya-kun Cao

  2. Department of Physiology, Institute of Basic Medicine, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China

    Qi Guo, Hui-juan Ma, Ru Wang, Xu Teng & Yuming Wu

  3. Hebei Key Laboratory of Laboratory Animal Science, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China

    Xu Teng

  4. Hebei Collaborative Innovation Center for Cardio-cerebrovascular Disease, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China

    Yuming Wu

  5. Key Laboratory of Vascular Medicine of Hebei Province, Shijiazhuang, 050017, China

    Yuming Wu

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  1. Ya-kun Cao
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Correspondence to Xu Teng or Yuming Wu.

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Cao, Yk., Guo, Q., Ma, Hj. et al. Microinjection of urotensin II into the rostral ventrolateral medulla increases sympathetic vasomotor tone via the GPR14/ERK pathway in rats. Hypertens Res 43, 765–771 (2020). https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-020-0460-y

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1038/s41440-020-0460-y

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