Obesity-Induced Sympathoexcitation is Associated with Nrf2 Dysfunction in the Rostral VentroLateral Medulla.

Obesity-Induced Sympathoexcitation is Associated with Nrf2 Dysfunction in the Rostral VentroLateral Medulla. Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol. 2019 Dec 11;: Authors: Balasubramanian P, Asirvatham-Jeyaraj N, Monteiro R, Sivasubramanian MK, Hall D, Subramanian M Abstract Increases in sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) have been implicated in obesity-induced risk for cardiovascular diseases, especially hypertension. Previous studies indicate that oxidative stress in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), a key brainstem region that regulates sympathetic outflow to peripheral tissues, plays a pathogenic role in obesity-mediated sympathoexcitation. However, the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are not clear. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) is a transcription factor that regulates the expression of anti-oxidant and anti-inflammatory genes and confers cytoprotection against oxidative stress. The present study was designed to investigate whether Nrf2 dysfunction was associated with obesity-induced oxidative stress in the RVLM and sympathoexcitation. C57BL/6J mice were fed with chow or high fat diet (HFD) for 16 weeks. Blood pressure parameters were assessed by radiotelemeters in conscious freely moving mice. SNA was measured by heart rate variability analysis and also through assessment of depressor response to ganglionic blockade. RVLM was micro-dissected for gene expression and protein analysis (wes...
Source: American Journal of Physiology. Regulatory, Integrative and Comparative Physiology - Category: Physiology Authors: Tags: Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol Source Type: research