Caspase Lesions of PVN-Projecting MnPO Neurons Blocks the Sustained Component of CIH-Induced Hypertension in Adult Male Rats.

Caspase Lesions of PVN-Projecting MnPO Neurons Blocks the Sustained Component of CIH-Induced Hypertension in Adult Male Rats. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol. 2019 Nov 01;: Authors: Marciante AB, Wang LA, Little JT, Cunningham JT Abstract Obstructive Sleep Apnea is characterized by interrupted breathing that leads to cardiovascular sequelae including chronic hypertension that can persist into waking hours. Chronic intermittent hypoxia, which models the hypoxemia associated with sleep apnea, is sufficient to cause a sustained increase in blood pressure that involves the central nervous system. The median preoptic nucleus (MnPO) is an integrative forebrain region that contributes to blood pressure regulation and neurogenic hypertension. The MnPO projects to the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), a pre-autonomic region. We hypothesized that pathway-specific lesions of the projection from the MnPO to the PVN would attenuate the sustained component of chronic intermittent hypoxia -induced hypertension. Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-300g) were anesthetized with isoflurane and stereotaxically injected bilaterally in the PVN with a retrograde Cre-containing AAV (AAV9.CMV.HI.eGFP-Cre.WPRE.SV40) and injected in the MnPO with caspase-3 (AAV5-flex-taCasp3-TEVp) or control virus (AAV5-hSyn-DIO-mCherry). Three weeks after the injections the rats were exposed to a 7-day intermittent hypoxia protocol. During chronic intermittent hypoxia, controls ...
Source: American Journal of Physiology. Heart and Circulatory Physiology - Category: Physiology Authors: Tags: Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol Source Type: research