Estrogen’s attenuating effect on the exercise pressor reflex is more opioid dependent in gonadally intact than in ovariectomized female cats

2005 ◽  
Vol 98 (2) ◽  
pp. 633-639 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra M. Schmitt ◽  
Marc P. Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Opioid Antagonist ◽  
Intact Female ◽  
Exercise Pressor Reflex ◽  
Hindlimb Muscles ◽  
Static Contraction ◽  
17Β Estradiol ◽  
Pressor Reflex ◽  
Stimulation Of

Using gonadally intact female cats, we showed previously that estrogen, applied topically to the spinal cord, attenuated the exercise pressor reflex. Although the mechanism by which estrogen exerted its attenuating effect is unknown, this steroid hormone has been shown to influence spinal opioid pathways, which in turn have been implicated in the regulation of the exercise pressor reflex. These findings prompted us to test the hypothesis that opioids mediate the attenuating effect of estrogen on the exercise pressor reflex in both gonadally intact female and ovariectomized cats. We therefore applied 200 μl of 17β-estradiol (0.01 μg/ml) with and without the addition of 1,000 μg naloxone, a μ- and δ-opioid antagonist, to a spinal well covering the L6–S1 spinal cord in decerebrated female cats that were either gonadally intact or ovariectomized. The exercise pressor reflex was evoked by electrical stimulation of the L7 or S1 ventral root, a maneuver that caused the hindlimb muscles to contract statically. We found that, in gonadally intact cats, the attenuating effect of estrogen was more pronounced than that in ovariectomized cats. We also found that, in gonadally intact female cats, naloxone partly reversed the attenuation of the pressor response to static contraction caused by spinal estrogen application. For example, in intact cats, the pressor response to contraction before estrogen application averaged 39 ± 4 mmHg ( n = 10), whereas the pressor response 60 min afterward averaged only 18 ± 4 mmHg ( P < 0.05). In contrast, the pressor response to contraction before estrogen and naloxone application averaged 33 ± 5 mmHg ( n = 11), whereas afterward it averaged 27 ± 6 mmHg ( P < 0.05). In ovariectomized cats, naloxone was less effective in reversing the attenuating effect of estrogen on the exercise pressor reflex.

Spinal estrogen attenuates the exercise pressor reflex but has little effect on the expression of genes regulating neurotransmitters in the dorsal root ganglia

2006 ◽  
Vol 100 (3) ◽  
pp. 958-964 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra M. Schmitt ◽  
Kishorchandra Gohil ◽  
Marc P. Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Mrna Expression ◽  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Muscle Afferents ◽  
Female Rats ◽  
Opioid Antagonist ◽  
Exercise Pressor Reflex ◽  
Static Contraction ◽  
Pressor Reflex

Previously, our laboratory showed that estrogen, topically applied to the spinal cord, attenuated the exercise pressor reflex in female cats (Schmitt PM and Kaufman MP. J Appl Physiol 95: 1418–1424, 2003; 98: 633–639, 2005). The attenuation was gender specific and was in part opioid dependent. Our finding that the μ- and δ-opioid antagonist naloxone was only able to partially restore estrogen’s attenuating effect on the pressor response to static contraction suggested that estrogen affected an additional pathway, involving the dorsal root ganglion (DRG). Estrogen has been described to stimulate transcription within 10 min of its application to the DRG, raising the possibility that rapid genomic effects on neurotransmitter production may have contributed to estrogen’s effect on the exercise pressor reflex. This prompted us to test the hypothesis that estrogen modulated the pressor response to static contraction by influencing gene expression of the neurotransmitters released by the thin-fiber muscle afferents that evoke the exercise pressor reflex. We confirmed in decerebrated female rats that topical application of estrogen (0.01 μg/ml) to the lumbosacral spinal cord attenuated the pressor response to static muscle contraction (from 10 ± 3 to 1 ± 1 mmHg; P < 0.05). DRG were then harvested postmortem, and changes in mRNA expression were analyzed. GeneChip analysis revealed that neither estrogen nor contraction alone changed the mRNA expression of substance P, the neurokinin-1 receptor, CGRP, NGF, the P2X3 receptor, GABAA and GABAB, the 5-HT3A and 5-HT3B receptor, N-methyl-d-aspartate and non- N-methyl-d-aspartate receptors, opioid receptors, and opioid-like receptor. Surprisingly, however, contraction stimulated the expression of neuropeptide Y in the DRG in the presence and absence of estrogen. We conclude that estrogen does not attenuate the exercise pressor reflex through a genomic effect in the DRG.

Role of NO in modulating neuronal activity in superficial dorsal horn of spinal cord during exercise pressor reflex

2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (3) ◽  
pp. H1012-H1018 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jianhua Li ◽  
Jere H. Mitchell
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Dorsal Horn ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Superficial Dorsal Horn ◽  
Exercise Pressor Reflex ◽  
Fos Protein ◽  
Static Contraction ◽  
Pressor Reflex ◽  
Fos Expression

Static contraction of hindlimb skeletal muscle in cats induces a reflex pressor response. The superficial dorsal horn of the spinal cord is the major site of the first synapse of this reflex. In this study, static contraction of the triceps surae muscle was evoked by electrical stimulation of the tibial nerve for 2 min in anesthetized cats (stimulus parameters: two times motor threshold at 30 Hz, 0.025-ms duration). Ten stimulations were performed and 1-min rest was allowed between stimulations. Muscle contraction caused a maximal increase of 32 ± 5 mmHg in mean arterial pressure (MAP), which was obtained from the first three contractions. Activated neurons in the superficial dorsal horn were identified by c-Fos protein. Distinct c-Fos expression was present in the L6-S1 level of the superficial dorsal horn ipsilateral to the contracting leg (88 ± 14 labeled cells per section at L7), whereas only scattered c-Fos expression was observed in the contralateral superficial dorsal horn (9 ± 2 labeled cells per section, P < 0.05 compared with ipsilateral section). A few c-Fos-labeled cells were found in control animals (12 ± 5 labeled cells per section, P < 0.05 compared with stimulated cats). Furthermore, double-labeling methods demonstrated that c-Fos protein coexisted with nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) positive staining in the superficial dorsal horn. Finally, an intrathecal injection of an inhibitor of NOS, N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (5 mM), resulted in fewer c-Fos-labeled cells (58 ± 12 labeled cells per section) and a reduced maximal MAP response (20 ± 3 mmHg, P < 0.05). These results suggest that the exercise pressor reflex induced by static contraction is mediated by activation of neurons in the superficial dorsal horn and that formation of NO in this region is involved in modulating the activated neurons and the pressor response to contraction.

The exercise pressor reflex is attenuated by intrathecal oxytocin

1994 ◽  
Vol 267 (4) ◽  
pp. R909-R915 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. L. Stebbins ◽  
A. Ortiz-Acevedo
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Intrathecal Injection ◽  
Sensory Nerve ◽  
Lumbar Spinal Cord ◽  
Exercise Pressor Reflex ◽  
Static Contraction ◽  
Before And After ◽  
Pressor Reflex ◽  
Lumbar Spinal

We tested the hypothesis that oxytocin (Oxt) acts in the lumbar spinal cord to attenuate reflex pressor (mean arterial pressure, MAP) and heart rate (HR) responses to static hindlimb contraction (i.e., the exercise pressor reflex). Thus we compared MAP and HR responses to electrically stimulated hindlimb static contraction in the anesthetized cat before and after intrathecal injection of Oxt (30 pmol, n = 3; 300 pmol, n = 6; or 3 nmol, n = 6). The 300-pmol dose was most effective; it attenuated the pressor response to static contraction by 39 +/- 10% but had no effect on HR. In three other cats, contraction-induced increases in MAP and HR were monitored before and after intrathecal injection of 300 pmol of Oxt + 300 nmol of the selective Oxt receptor antagonist [d(CH2)5(1),O-Me-Tyr2,Thr4,Tyr9,Orn8]vasotocin. Pretreatment with the antagonist eliminated the effect of Oxt on MAP. In an additional 10 cats, increases in these same variables in response to static contraction were compared before and after intrathecal injection of the Oxt antagonist (30 nmol, n = 3 or 300 nmol, n = 7) into the lumbar spinal cord (L1-L7). Whereas 30 nmol of the Oxt antagonist had no effect, the 300-nmol dose augmented the contraction-induced pressor and HR responses by 28 +/- 7 and 32 +/- 17%, respectively. These data imply that endogenous Oxt modulates the exercise pressor reflex by its action on Oxt receptors in the lumbar spinal cord that can attenuate sensory nerve transmission from skeletal muscle.

Estrogen attenuates the exercise pressor reflex in female cats

2003 ◽  
Vol 95 (4) ◽  
pp. 1418-1424 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra M. Schmitt ◽  
M. P. Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Muscle Afferents ◽  
Threshold Concentration ◽  
Group Iii ◽  
Exercise Pressor Reflex ◽  
Reflex Arc ◽  
17Β Estradiol ◽  
Pressor Reflex ◽  
The Difference

In humans, the pressor and muscle sympathetic nerve responses to static exercise are less in women than in men. The difference has been attributed to the effect of estrogen on the exercise pressor reflex. Estrogen receptors are abundant in areas of the dorsal horn receiving input from group III and IV muscle afferents, which comprise the sensory limb of the exercise pressor reflex arc. These findings prompted us to investigate the effect of estrogen on the spinal pathway of the exercise pressor reflex arc. Previously, we found that the threshold concentration of 17β-estradiol needed to attenuate the exercise pressor reflex in male decerebrate cats was 10 μg/ml (Schmitt PM and Kaufman MP. J Appl Physiol 94: 1431-1436, 2003). The threshold concentration for female cats, however, is not known. Consequently, we applied 17β-estradiol to a well covering the L6-S1 spinal cord in decerebrate female cats. The exercise pressor reflex was evoked by electrical stimulation of the L7 or S1 ventral root, a maneuver that caused the hindlimb muscles to contract statically. We found that the pressor response to contraction averaged 38 ± 7 mmHg before the application of 17β-estradiol (0.01 μg/ml) to the spinal cord, whereas it averaged only 23 ± 4 mmHg 30 min after application ( P < 0.05). Recovery of the pressor response to contraction was not obtained for 2 h after application of 17β-estradiol. Application of 17β-estradiol in a dose of 0.001 μg/ml had no effect on the exercise pressor reflex ( n = 5). We conclude that the concentration of 17β-estradiol required to attenuate the exercise pressor reflex is 1,000 times more dilute in female cats than that needed to attenuate this reflex in male cats.

scholarly journals Glutamatergic receptor dysfunction in spinal cord contributes to the exaggerated exercise pressor reflex in heart failure

2015 ◽  
Vol 308 (5) ◽  
pp. H447-H455 ◽  
Author(s):  
Han-Jun Wang ◽  
Rebecca Cahoon ◽  
Edgar B. Cahoon ◽  
Hong Zheng ◽  
Kaushik P. Patel ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Heart Failure ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Receptor Antagonist ◽  
Dorsal Horn ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Glutamate Release ◽  
Exercise Pressor Reflex ◽  
Dorsal Horns ◽  
Static Contraction ◽  
Pressor Reflex

Excitatory amino acids (e.g., glutamate) released by contraction-activated skeletal muscle afferents into the dorsal horn of the spinal cord initiate the central component of the exercise pressor reflex (EPR) in physiological conditions. However, the role of glutamate and glutamate receptors in mediating the exaggerated EPR in the chronic heart failure (CHF) state remains to be determined. In the present study, we performed microinjection of glutamate receptor antagonists into ipisilateral L4/L5 dorsal horns to investigate their effects on the pressor response to static contraction induced by stimulation of the peripheral end of L4/L5 ventral roots in decerebrate sham-operated (sham) and CHF rats. Microinjection of glutamate (10 mM, 100 nl) into the L4 or L5 dorsal horn caused a greater pressor response in CHF rats compared with sham rats. Furthermore, microinjection of either the broad-spectrum glutamate receptor antagonist kynurenate (10 mM, 100 nl) or the N-methyl-d-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist dl-2-amino-5-phosphonovalerate (50 mM, 100 nl) or the non-NMDA-sensitive receptor antagonist 6-cyano-7-nitroquinoxaline-2,3-dione (5 mM, 100 nl) into L4/5 dorsal horns decreased the pressor response to static contraction in CHF rats to a greater extent than in sham rats. Molecular evidence showed that the protein expression of glutamate receptors (both non-NMDA and NMDA) was elevated in the dorsal horn of the lumbar spinal cord in CHF rats. In addition, data from microdialysis experiments demonstrated that although basal glutamate release at the dorsal horn at rest was similar between sham and CHF rats (225 ± 50 vs. 260 ± 63 nM in sham vs. CHF rats, n = 4, P > 0.05), CHF rats exhibit greater glutamate release into the dorsal horn during muscle contraction compared with sham rats (549 ± 60 vs. 980 ± 65 nM in sham vs. CHF rats, n = 4, P < 0.01). These data indicate that the spinal glutamate system contributes to the exaggerated EPR in the CHF state.

scholarly journals Intrathecal injection of brilliant blue G, a P2X7 antagonist, attenuates the exercise pressor reflex in rats

2020 ◽  
Vol 319 (2) ◽  
pp. R223-R232
Author(s):  
Juan A. Estrada ◽  
Guillaume P. Ducrocq ◽  
Joyce S. Kim ◽  
Marc P. Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Intrathecal Injection ◽  
P2x Receptors ◽  
Brilliant Blue ◽  
Brilliant Blue G ◽  
P2x7 Receptors ◽  
P2x3 Receptors ◽  
Exercise Pressor Reflex ◽  
Pressor Reflex

Purinergic 2X (P2X) receptors on the endings of group III and IV afferents play a role in evoking the exercise pressor reflex. Particular attention has been paid to P2X3 receptors because their blockade in the periphery attenuated this reflex. In contrast, nothing is known about the role played by P2X receptors in the spinal cord in evoking the exercise pressor reflex in rats. P2X7 receptors, in particular, may be especially important in this regard because they are found in abundance on spinal glial cells and may communicate with neurons to effect reflexes controlling cardiovascular function. Consequently, we investigated the role played by spinal P2X7 receptors in evoking the exercise pressor reflex in decerebrated rats. We found that intrathecal injection of the P2X7 antagonist brilliant blue G (BBG) attenuated the exercise pressor reflex (blood pressure index: 294 ± 112 mmHg·s before vs. 7 ± 32 mmHg·s after; P < 0.05). Likewise, intrathecal injection of minocycline, which inhibits microglial cell output, attenuated the reflex. In contrast, intrathecal injection of BBG did not attenuate the pressor response evoked by intracarotid injection of sodium cyanide, a maneuver that stimulated carotid chemoreceptors. Moreover, injections of BBG either into the arterial supply of the contracting hindlimb muscles or into the jugular vein did not attenuate the exercise pressor reflex. Our findings support the hypothesis that P2X7 receptors on microglial cells within the spinal cord play a role in evoking the exercise pressor reflex.

High concentrations of 17β-estradiol attenuate the exercise pressor reflex in male cats

2003 ◽  
Vol 94 (4) ◽  
pp. 1431-1436 ◽  
Author(s):  
Petra M. Schmitt ◽  
Marc P. Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Muscle Afferents ◽  
Central Command ◽  
Physiological Level ◽  
Thin Fiber ◽  
Exercise Pressor Reflex ◽  
17Β Estradiol ◽  
Pressor Reflex ◽  
High Concentrations ◽  
Decerebrate Cats

Previously, intravenous injection of 17β-estradiol in decerebrate male cats was found to attenuate central command but not the exercise pressor reflex. This latter finding was surprising because the dorsal horn, the spinal site receiving synaptic input from thin-fiber muscle afferents, is known to contain estrogen receptors. We were prompted, therefore, to reexamine this issue. Instead of injecting 17β-estradiol intravenously, we applied it topically to the L7 and S1 spinal cord of male decerebrate cats. We found that topical application (150–200 μl) of 17β-estradiol in concentrations of 0.01, 0.1, and 1 μg/ml had no effect on the exercise pressor reflex, whereas a concentration of 10 μg/ml attenuated the reflex. We conclude that, in male cats, estrogen can only attenuate the exercise pressor reflex in concentrations that exceed the physiological level.

Estrogen attenuates the cardiovascular and ventilatory responses to central command in cats

2002 ◽  
Vol 92 (4) ◽  
pp. 1635-1641 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn G. Hayes ◽  
Nicolas B. Moya Del Pino ◽  
Marc P. Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Central Command ◽  
Neuronal Function ◽  
Ventilatory Responses ◽  
Exercise Pressor Reflex ◽  
Arterial Blood ◽  
Static Contraction ◽  
17Β Estradiol ◽  
Pressor Reflex ◽  
Triceps Surae Muscles

Static exercise is well known to increase heart rate, arterial blood pressure, and ventilation. These increases appear to be less in women than in men, a difference that has been attributed to an effect of estrogen on neuronal function. In decerebrate male cats, we examined the effect of estrogen (17β-estradiol; 0.001, 0.01, 0.1, and 1.0 μg/kg iv) on the cardiovascular and ventilatory responses to central command and the exercise pressor reflex, the two neural mechanisms responsible for evoking the autonomic and ventilatory responses to exercise. We found that 17β-estradiol, in each of the three doses tested, attenuated the pressor, cardioaccelerator, and phrenic nerve responses to electrical stimulation of the mesencephalic locomotor region (i.e., central command). In contrast, none of the doses of 17β-estradiol had any effect on the pressor, cardioaccelerator, and ventilatory responses to static contraction or stretch of the triceps surae muscles. We conclude that, in decerebrate male cats, estrogen injected intravenously attenuates cardiovascular and ventilatory responses to central command but has no effect on responses to the exercise pressor reflex.

Gadolinium attenuates exercise pressor reflex in cats

2001 ◽  
Vol 280 (5) ◽  
pp. H2153-H2161 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shawn G. Hayes ◽  
Marc P. Kaufman
Keyword(s):  
Pressor Response ◽  
Oxygen Demand ◽  
Muscle Afferents ◽  
Triceps Surae ◽  
Mechanical Stimuli ◽  
Group Iii ◽  
Exercise Pressor Reflex ◽  
Static Contraction ◽  
Pressor Reflex ◽  
Triceps Surae Muscles

The exercise pressor reflex, which arises from the contraction-induced stimulation of group III and IV muscle afferents, is widely believed to be evoked by metabolic stimuli signaling a mismatch between blood/oxygen demand and supply in the working muscles. Nevertheless, mechanical stimuli may also play a role in evoking the exercise pressor reflex. To determine this role, we examined the effect of gadolinium, which blocks mechanosensitive channels, on the exercise pressor reflex in both decerebrate and α-chloralose-anesthetized cats. We found that gadolinium (10 mM; 1 ml) injected into the femoral artery significantly attenuated the reflex pressor responses to static contraction of the triceps surae muscles and to stretch of the calcaneal (Achilles) tendon. In contrast, gadolinium had no effect on the reflex pressor response to femoral arterial injection of capsaicin (5 μg). In addition, gadolinium significantly attenuated the responses of group III muscle afferents, many of which are mechanically sensitive, to both static contraction and to tendon stretch. Gadolinium, however, had no effect on the responses of group IV muscle afferents, many of which are metabolically sensitive, to either static contraction or to capsaicin injection. We conclude that mechanical stimuli arising in contracting skeletal muscles contribute to the elicitation of the exercise pressor reflex.

Segmental effect of spinal NK-1 receptor blockade on the pressor reflex

1998 ◽  
Vol 275 (3) ◽  
pp. H789-H796 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. Britt Wilson ◽  
Gregory A. Hand
Keyword(s):  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Spinal Cord ◽  
Dorsal Horn ◽  
Dorsal Root ◽  
Pressor Response ◽  
Afferent Neurons ◽  
Muscle Stretch ◽  
Primary Afferent ◽  
Static Contraction ◽  
Pressor Reflex

The physiological effects of substance P (SP) are mediated via activation of neurokinin-1 (NK-1) receptors. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that blockade of NK-1 receptors in the dorsal horn, both at the site of entry for the primary afferent neurons and adjacent spinal segments, attenuates the pressor reflex evoked by static contraction and stretch of skeletal muscle. Cats were anesthetized with α-chloralose and urethan, and a laminectomy was performed. With the exception of the L7 dorsal root, the dorsal and ventral roots from L5 to S2 were sectioned on one side of the spinal cord. Thus the primary afferent fibers mediating the pressor reflex enter the spinal cord via the L7 dorsal root in these experiments. Based on dose-response data, dialysis of the NK-1 receptor antagonist CP-96,345 (5 mM for 2 h) into the L7 dorsal horn ipsilateral to the contracting muscle attenuated the pressor response to static contraction (75 ± 15 vs. 46 ± 7 mmHg; n = 5 cats) but not muscle stretch (60 ± 12 vs. 50 ± 8 mmHg). Administration of the inactive enantiomer of CP-96,345, CP-96,344 (5 mM for 2 h), into the L7 dorsal horn failed to alter the cardiovascular changes elicited by contraction (45 ± 7 vs. 43 ± 6 mmHg) and stretch (31 ± 8 vs. 32 ± 11). Dialysis of 5 mM CP-96,345 into the dorsal horn at the L6 and S1 segments for 2 h decreased the peak pressor response to static contraction (58 ± 9 vs. 31 ± 6 mmHg; n = 7) and muscle stretch (61 ± 6 vs. 44 ± 8 mmHg). These data suggest that the activation of NK-1 receptors, both at the site of entry and in regions outside of the entry site for afferent neurons, is involved in the spinal processing that produces the pressor reflex evoked by static contraction of skeletal muscle.

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