Blockade of Rostral Ventrolateral Medulla (RVLM) Bombesin Receptor Type 1 Decreases Blood Pressure and Sympathetic Activity in Anesthetized Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Bombesin is a peptide studied in this experiment which can activate G protein coupled receptors (Bombesin receptor 1,2, and 3) which ultimately can increase blood pressure and sympathetic nerve activity. The RVLM is a brain region in which the neuronal activity can directly relate to the sympathetic nerve activity of the individual. Within this study, the laboratory injected bombesin into the RVLM in order to test how it affects sympathetic nerve activity in normotensive and hypertensive rats. More specifically, the laboratory tested how mean arterial pressure, diaphragm motor activity and renal sympathetic nerve activity changed in the rat models. The results of this study showed that bombesin being injected into the RVLM caused an increase in MAP, and RSNA in both normotensive rats and hypertensive rats. The results also showed that blockade of bombesin 1 receptors in the RVLM caused a decrease in MAP and RSNA in hypertensive rats but not normotensive rats. These observations and future studies can greatly contribute to the maintenance of high blood pressure in hypertensive individuals.

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