Simultaneous analysis of choline and acetylcholine levels in rat brain by pyrolysis gas chromatography.
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Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to R C Speth.
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Light microscopic autoradiographic techniques have been utilized to demonstrate specific regions of the rat and dog kidney where angiotensin II receptors exist. Slide mounted tissue sections were labeled with [125I]-angiotensin II using conditions which provided for highly specific binding. These angiotensin II binding sites were localized to several distinct renal structures. In the renal cortex, angiotensin II binding sites were found concentrated in all parts of the glomeruli including the vascular components, the macula densa and the juxtaglomerular apparatus. Angiotensin II binding in the medulla was more diffusely associated with the vasa recta, and to a lesser extent, the thick ascending segment of the loop of Henle. Binding sites specific for angiotensin II were also found in the smooth muscle laminae of the ureter. Scatchard analysis of the binding kinetics allowed the demonstration of two subpopulations of binding sites which differ slightly in their affinities for [125I]-angiotensin II. These subpopulations appear to be associated with distinct components of the renal structure.
Several lines of evidence indicate brain angiotensin II is associated with the elevation of blood pressure seen in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR). These include an increased pressor response to intracerebroventricularly administered angiotensin II and a reduction of blood pressure in response to centrally administered angiotensin II receptor antagonists. Using quantitative receptor autoradiography, we have detected greater angiotensin II receptor binding in a number of discrete brain nuclei of the 6-week-old SHR when compared to age-matched Wistar-Kyoto controls. Tissue sections from various brain regions were labeled with [125I]-angiotensin II according to a previously described method. Autoradiograms were generated by apposing the labeled tissue sections to LKB Ultrofilm along with brain paste standards which contained known amounts of [125I]. Quantitation of the binding, utilizing computer-assisted microdensitometry, indicated greater [125I]-angiotensin II binding in several brain areas implicated in cardiovascular control including the subfornical organ, nucleus of the solitary tract, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, locus coeruleus, supraoptic nucleus and the organum vasculosum of the lamina terminalis. Scatchard analysis of the binding in the nucleus of the solitary tract indicated an increased receptor number (Bmax) was responsible for the change while binding in two forebrain structures, the subfornical organ and supraoptic nucleus, showed alterations in receptor number and affinity (Kd). Several other brain regions, unrelated to cardiovascular control, exhibited no change in [125I]-angiotensin II binding. Since the increased receptor binding was present primarily in brain regions related to cardiovascular control, we conclude that an increased angiotensin II receptor affinity and density is indicated as a factor in the etiology of the high blood pressure seen in the SHR.
Angiotensin II (Ang II) receptor binding sites in the dorsomedial medulla of intact and unilaterally nodose ganglionectomized rats were identified and characterized using 125I-sarcosine,isoleucine Ang II. This radioligand bound saturably and with high affinity to rat brain homogenates and to sections of rat brainstem. Specific (1 microM angiotensin II displaceable) binding of 125I-sarcosine,isoleucine Ang II was displaced by angiotensin analogues with a potency order similar to that described for angiotensin II receptors. Unilateral nodose ganglionectomy caused a reduction in Ang II receptor binding in the medial solitary tract nucleus, dorsal motor nucleus of the vagus, and area postrema ipsilateral to the lesioned ganglion. This observation suggests that Ang II receptors in the dorsomedial medulla may be located on axon terminals of vagal afferents and cell bodies of vagal efferents.
Sodium depletion, a maneuver that is accompanied by a 14-fold elevation of plasma renin activity (PRA), alters the norepinephrine concentration of the canine area postrema (AP), a circumventricular organ of the 4th ventricle known to be sensitive to circulating angiotensin II. The norepinephrine concentration of the AP after 3 weeks of sodium depletion decreased by 43%, whereas the concentration of epinephrine and dopamine and the activity of phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT) did not change. In the pyramidal tract (PT) and choroid plexus (CP) catecholamines were present in significantly lower amounts than in the AP; their concentrations were unaffected by sodium depletion in the PT, but in the CP the norepinephrine concentration was reduced. Serotonin was present in the AP but its concentration was unaltered by sodium depletion. These findings provide evidence that sodium depletion produced an alteration in the concentration of norepinephrine of the area postrema without any change in the concentration of epinephrine, dopamine or serotonin.
A part of the vasoconstrictor activity of angiotensin II (AII) may result from its ability to enhance norepinephrine (NE) release from sympathetic noradrenergic nerve terminals. To investigate this proposed pressor mechanism of AII, the effects of intravenous (i.v.) infusion of AII on blood pressure and plasma catecholamines in pithed rats were determined. Two naturally occurring angiotensins, valine5 AII (bovine) and isoleucine5 AII (rat), were administered in equal (72 ng/min) doses. Valine5 AII caused an 80% increase in mean arterial pressure (MAP) from 54 +/- 4 to 97 +/- 19 mm Hg. Isoleucine5 AII caused an 82% increase in MAP from 49 +/- 5 to 89 +/- 18 mm Hg. Neither angiotensin caused a change in heart rate, suggesting that pithing completely destroyed the central baroreceptor reflex mechanism. Plasma catecholamines were differentially affected by the peptides:isoleucine5 AII significantly increased plasma NE concentration by 82% compared to saline-infused rats (p less than 0.01). Valine5 AII did not significantly affect plasma NE concentration. Plasma dopamine and epinephrine concentrations were not significantly altered by infusion of either analog. Despite the significant increases in plasma NE concentrations with isoleucine5 in AII-infusion rats, there was no correlation between plateau MAP or the percent increase in MAP and plasma NE concentrations of individual animals within this group. The ability of angiotensin to elevate MAP, increase NE release from sympathetic nerve terminals, as well as potential differences in the actions of angiotensins in different species, and angiotensin receptor heterogeneity, are discussed.
The levels of norepinephrine (NE), epinephrine (E), and angiotensin II immunoreactivity (AIIir) in plasma and in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) were measured in eight conscious dogs before and during a 28-day period in the development of two-kidney, one clip (2K1C) hypertension produced by a two-step procedure. The early phase (less than 7 days) of hypertension following partial constriction of the renal artery was accompanied by tachycardia and increases in concentrations of NE and AIIir in both plasma and CSF; E did not change. One week later blood pressure remained elevated (107 +/- 2 after vs 88 +/- 2 mm Hg before clipping, p less than 0.05), but other variables returned to control values. Occlusion of the partially constricted renal artery caused severe hypertension that was initially associated with a transient decrease in levels of NE in both plasma and CSF and a sustained rise in plasma and CSF concentrations of AIIir that persisted for as long as 2 weeks after the second operation. None of these effects was seen in nine sham-operated dogs. Since activation of the renal pressor system is associated with time-related changes in the concentrations of NE and AII in both plasma and CSF, these observations indicate early involvement of both sympathetic and renin-angiotensin systems in the pathogenesis of renovascular hypertension.
Conscious (n = 62) and anesthetized (n = 34) dogs were studied to establish basal levels and ranges for plasma epinephrine (E) and norepinephrine (NE) in this species. Trained conscious dogs were familiarized to recording conditions and personnel for 2 to 3 weeks and acclimatized to the laboratory for at least 15 minutes prior to blood sampling from a chronically implanted catheter. Their basal values were 65 +/- 47 pg/ml for E and 145 +/- 58 pg/ml for NE, which were significantly lower (p less than 0.05) than values in a second group of conscious dogs trained in the same manner but sampled soon after arrival to the laboratory (E = 144 +/- 93 pg/ml; NE = 193 +/- 86 pg/ml). Catecholamine levels in dogs anesthetized with one of three different regimes commonly used in cardiovascular studies were shown to be similar to the basal values found in conscious dogs acclimatized to the laboratory. The weak correlations found between basal plasma catecholamines and hemodynamic variables in all groups of conscious dogs reflect the complexity of factors interacting with the sympathetic nervous system in the maintenance of arterial pressure. These results document the variability that can be expected when using catecholamine levels as an index of sympathetic nervous system activity and the necessity of standardizing conditions for sample collection.
NG108-15 cells were grown in culture to confluency and membranes were prepared from the cells to test for the presence of angiotensin II (Ang II) receptors using 125I-sarcosine1, isoleucine8 angiotensin II (125I-SI Ang II). These radioligand binding studies indicated a single class of binding sites with high affinity (KD = 221 +/- 54 pM) that were saturable (Bmax = 27.2 +/- 1.6 fmol/mg protein) and showed characteristic specificity (SI Ang II greater than Ang II greater than Sar1Thr8 Ang II greater than Ang III greater than Ang I greater than des Phe8 Ang II greater than des Asp1, Arg2, Val3 pentapeptide Ang II). To see if these putative receptor binding sites were associated with a functional response, the effect of Ang II on phosphatidylinositide (PtdIns) hydrolysis, expressed as inositol monophosphate (IP1) formation in intact NG108-15 cells preloaded with 3H-myoinositol, was determined. Ang II inhibited IP1 formation up to 35% below the basal rate in a dose related manner. The inhibition of PtdIns hydrolysis was prevented by pre-exposure of the cells to SI Ang II, an Ang II receptor antagonist. These results indicate that undifferentiated NG108-15 cells possess Ang II receptors that mediate a reduction in PtdIns hydrolysis.