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Potentiation of Hormonal Responses to Hemorrhage and Fasting, but not Hypoglycemia in Conscious Adrenalectomized RatsBilateral adrenalectomy (ADRX) in rats removes the source of two major stress-responsive hormones, corticosterone and epinephrine. To test how ADRX rats with-stand stress, we performed the following experiments in adult male rats provided with indwelling femoral arterial and venous cannulae and either ADRX or sham-adrenalectomized (Sham) 3 days later and given 0.5% NaCl to drink. Five to 6 days after adrenal surgery the rats were studied after either a 15 ml/kg.5 min hemorrhage or after an overnight fast followed by insulin-induced hypoglycemia. In fed unstressed ADRX rats, basal mean arterial blood pressure was slightly decreased; heart rate was increased; blood volume, vasopressin, and oxytocin concentrations were not different from sham values; and renin and norepinephrine were significantly elevated. The recovery of arterial pressure after hemorrhage in the ADRX rats was similar to that in the sham group over a 5-h period; however, the responses of vasopressin and oxytocin were significantly greater, and those of renin and norepinephrine were markedly potentiated in the ADRX group. Heart rate recovered faster in the ADRX group and was elevated, compared to the sham value, for most of the 5-h period. Restitution of blood volume was attenuated in the ADRX group, although the restitution of plasma protein was not different between the groups. A significant difference in the change in plasma osmolality between groups after hemorrhage may account for the attenuated restitution of blood volume. After an overnight fast, which reduced blood volume in both groups of rats, the plasma renin concentration rose still further in ADRX rats; the differences in other measured variables observed between fed ADRX and sham groups remained the same. The insulin-induced 50% decrease in glucose caused minor effects on arterial blood pressure and heart rate and occasioned responses in renin and norepinephrine of similar magnitudes in the two groups. We conclude that in the absence of the adrenals, rats restore arterial pressure after hemorrhage remarkably well through potentiation of the responses of other vasoactive neural and hormonal systems. In these studies the marked potentiation of the renin response suggests that the renin-angiotensin system may be important in the maintenance of arterial blood pressure after reductions in blood volume.
Document ID
19990036392
Acquisition Source
Ames Research Center
Document Type
Reprint (Version printed in journal)
Authors
Darlington, Daniel N.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Keil, Lanny C.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Dallman, Mary F.
(NASA Ames Research Center Moffett Field, CA United States)
Date Acquired
August 19, 2013
Publication Date
April 13, 1989
Publication Information
Publication: Endocrinology
Publisher: The Endocrine Society
Volume: 125
Issue: 3
ISSN: 0013-7227
Subject Category
Life Sciences (General)
Report/Patent Number
NAS 1.26:204883
NASA/CR-1989-204883
Funding Number(s)
CONTRACT_GRANT: NCC2-350
CONTRACT_GRANT: USPHS-HL-29714
CONTRACT_GRANT: USPHS-DK-28172
Distribution Limits
Public
Copyright
Public Use Permitted.
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