Angiotensinergic neurotransmission in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus modulates the pressor response to acute restraint stress in rats

• The highest i.v. dose of losartan inhibited the cardiovascular response of stress.
• I.v. injection of losartan acts across the blood–brain barrier, possibly in the PVN.
• The losartan or lisinopril into the PVN inhibited the pressor response of stress.
• PVN AT1-receptors modulate the vascular component of the stress response.

We tested the hypothesis that the angiotensinergic neurotransmission, specifically in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN), is involved in the cardiovascular modulation during acute restraint stress (RS) in rats. The intravenous pretreatment with the angiotensin AT1 receptor antagonist losartan (5 mg/kg) inhibited the pressor response to RS, but did not affect the concomitant RS-evoked tachycardiac response. Because similar effects were observed after the PVN pretreatment with CoCl2, and considering the high density of angiotensin receptors reported in the PVN, we studied the effect of the pretreatment of the PVN with either losartan or the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor lisinopril on the RS-evoked cardiovascular response. The bilateral microinjection of losartan (0.5 nmol/100 nL) or lisinopril (0.5 nmol/100 nL) into the PVN inhibited the RS-related pressor response without affecting the tachycardiac response, suggesting that the PVN angiotensinergic neurotransmission modulates the vascular component of the stress response. Finally, to exclude the possibility that centrally injected drugs could be leaking to the circulation and acting on peripheral vascular receptors, we tested the effect of the intravenous pretreatment with either losartan (0.5 nmol/animal) or lisinopril (0.5 nmol/animal), assuming the hypothesis of a total spread of drugs from the CNS to the peripheral circulation. When animals were pretreated with such doses of either losartan or lisinopril, the cardiovascular RS-evoked response was not affected, thus indicating that even if there were a complete leakage of the drug to the periphery, it would not affect the cardiovascular response to RS. This observation favors the idea that the effect of the intravenous injection of 5 mg/kg of losartan on the RS-related cardiovascular response would be explained by an action across the blood–brain barrier, possibly in the PVN. In conclusion, the results suggest that an angiotensinergic neurotransmission in the PVN acting on AT1-receptors modulates the vascular component of the RS-evoked cardiovascular response.