This study compared the cardiac sympatho-inhibitory responses produced by agonists at α -adrenergic (B-HT 933), dopamine D -like (quinpirole) and histamine H /H (immepip) receptors between normoglycaemic and streptozotocin-pretreated (diabetic) pithed rats. Intravenous (i.v.) continuous infusions of B-HT 933, quinpirole or immepip were used in normoglycaemic and diabetic pithed rats to analyse their sympatho-inhibitory effects on the electrically-stimulated cardioaccelerator sympathetic outflow. Both in normoglycaemic and diabetic animals, B-HT 933 (until 100 μg/kg per minute) and quinpirole (until 10 μg/kg per minute) inhibited the tachycardic responses to electrical sympathetic stimulation, but not those to i.v. bolus of exogenous noradrenaline. These sympatho-inhibitory responses were more pronounced in diabetic than in normoglycaemic animals. Accordingly, the areas under the curve for 100 μg/kg per minute B-HT 933 and 10 μg/kg per minute quinpirole in diabetic rats (1065 ± 70 and 920 ± 35, respectively) were significantly smaller (P < .05) than those in normoglycaemic rats (1220 ± 45 and 1360 ± 42, respectively). In contrast, immepip infusions produced cardiac sympatho-inhibition in normoglycaemic (until 10 μg/kg per minute), but not in diabetic (until 100 μg/kg per minute) animals. Our results suggest that in diabetic pithed rats: (i) the more pronounced cardiac sympatho-inhibition to B-HT 933 and quinpirole may be probably due to up-regulation of α -adrenergic and dopamine D -like receptors, respectively; (ii) the histamine H /H receptors do not seem to play a sympatho-inhibitory role; and (iii) there is a differential participation of α -adrenergic and dopamine D -like receptors, which may certainly represent therapeutic targets for the treatment of diabetic complications such as cardiovascular autonomic neuropathy.

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BackgroundDihydroergotamine (DHE) is an acute antimigraine agent that displays affinity for dopamine D2-like receptors, serotonin 5-HT1/2 receptors and α1/α2-adrenoceptors. Since activation of vascular α1/α2-adrenoceptors results in systemic vasopressor responses, the purpose of this study was to investigate the specific role of α1- and α2-adrenoceptors mediating DHE-induced vasopressor responses using several antagonists for these receptors.MethodsFor this purpose, 135 male Wistar rats were pithed and divided into 35 control and 100 pretreated i.v. with ritanserin (100 μg/kg; to exclude the 5-HT2 receptor-mediated systemic vasoconstriction). Then, the vasopressor responses to i.v. DHE (1–3100 μg/kg, given cumulatively) were determined after i.v. administration of some α1/α2-adrenoceptor antagonists.ResultsIn control animals (without ritanserin pretreatment), the vasopressor responses to DHE were: (i) unaffected after prazosin (α1; 30 μg/kg); (ii) slightly, but significantly, blocked after rauwolscine (α2; 300 μg/kg); and (iii) markedly blocked after prazosin (30 μg/kg) plus rauwolscine (300 μg/kg). In contrast, after pretreatment with ritanserin, the vasopressor responses to DHE were: (i) attenuated after prazosin (α1; 10 and 30 μg/kg) or rauwolscine (α2; 100 and 300 μg/kg); (ii) markedly blocked after prazosin (30 μg/kg) plus rauwolscine (300 μg/kg); (iii) attenuated after 5-methylurapidil (α1A; 30–100 μg/kg), L-765,314 (α1B; 100 μg/kg), BMY 7378 (α1D; 30–100 μg/kg), BRL44408 (α2A; 100–300 μg/kg), imiloxan (α2B; 1000–3000 μg/kg) or JP-1302 (α2C; 1000 μg/kg); and (iv) unaffected after the corresponding vehicles (1 ml/kg).ConclusionThese results suggest that the DHE-induced vasopressor responses in ritanserin-pretreated pithed rats are mediated by α1- (probably α1A, α1B and α1D) and α2- (probably α2A, α2B and α2C) adrenoceptors. These findings could shed light on the pharmacological profile of the vascular side effects (i.e. systemic vasoconstriction) produced by DHE and may lead to the development of more selective antimigraine drugs devoid vascular side effects.

Our group has previously shown in pithed rats that the cardiac sympathetic drive, which produces tachycardic responses, is inhibited by 5-HT via the activation of prejunctional 5-HT 1B/1D/5 receptors. Interestingly, when 5-HT 2 receptors are chronically blocked with sarpogrelate, the additional role of cardiac sympatho-inhibitory 5-HT 1F receptors is unmasked. Although 5-HT 2 receptors mediate tachycardia in rats, and the chronic blockade of 5-HT 2 receptors unmasked 5-HT 7 receptors mediating cardiac vagal inhibition, the role of 5-HT 7 receptors in the modulation of the cardiac sympathetic tone remains virtually unexplored. On this basis, male Wistar rats were pretreated during 14 days with sarpogrelate (a 5-HT 2 receptor antagonist) in drinking water (30 mg/kg/day; sarpogrelate-pretreated group) or equivalent volumes of drinking water (control group). Subsequently, the rats were pithed to produce increases in heart rate by either electrical preganglionic spinal (C 7 -T 1 ) stimulation of the cardiac sympathetic drive or iv administration of exogenous noradrenaline. The iv continuous infusion of AS-19 (a 5-HT 7 receptor agonist; 10 µg/kg/min) (i) inhibited the tachycardic responses to sympathetic stimulation, but not those to exogenous noradrenaline only in sarpogrelate-pretreated rats. This inhibition was completely reversed by SB258719 (a selective 5-HT 7 receptor antagonist; 1 mg/kg, iv) or glibenclamide (an ATP-sensitive K + channel blocker; 20 mg/kg, iv). These results suggest that chronic 5-HT 2 receptor blockade uncovers a cardiac sympatho-inhibitory mechanism mediated by 5-HT 7 receptors, involving a hyperpolarization due to the opening of ATP-sensitive K + channels. Thus, these findings support the role of 5-HT 7 receptors in the modulation of the cardiac sympathetic neurotransmission. K E Y W O R D S5-HT 2 receptor blockade, 5-HT 7 receptors, AS-19, cardiac sympatho-inhibition, glibenclamide, pithed rat, potassium channels, sarpogrelate, SB258719