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Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 279: R729-R742, 2000;
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Vol. 279, Issue 2, R729-R742, August 2000

Sympathetic reflexes after depletion of bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons with anti-Dbeta H-saporin

Ann M. Schreihofer and Patrice G. Guyenet

Department of Pharmacology, University of Virginia, Charlottesville, Virginia 22908


    ABSTRACT
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

We examined the effects of destroying bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons with the immunotoxin anti-dopamine beta -hydroxylase-saporin (anti-Dbeta H-Sap) on splanchnic nerve activity (SNA) and selected sympathetic reflexes in rats. Anti-Dbeta H-Sap was administered into the thoracic spinal cord with the retrograde tracer fast blue. After 3-5 wk, anti-Dbeta H-Sap eliminated most bulbospinal C1 (>74%), C3 (~84%), A5 (~98%), and A6 cells. Noncatecholaminergic bulbospinal neurons of the rostral ventrolateral medulla and serotonergic neurons were spared. Under chloralose anesthesia, mean arterial pressure and heart rate of anti-Dbeta H-Sap-treated rats (3-5 wk) were normal. Resting SNA was not detectably altered, but the baroreflex range and gain were reduced ~40% (P < 0.05). Phenyl biguanide-induced decreases in mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and SNA were unchanged by anti-Dbeta H-Sap, but the sympathoexcitatory response to intravenous cyanide was virtually abolished (P < 0.05). Rats that received spinal injections of saporin conjugated to an anti-mouse IgG had intact bulbospinal C1 and A5 cells and normal physiological responses. These data suggest that C1 and A5 neurons contribute modestly to resting SNA and cardiopulmonary reflexes. However, bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons appear to play a prominent sympathoexcitatory role during stimulation of chemoreceptors.

cyanide; phenyl biguanide; tyrosine hydroxylase; phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase; tryptophan hydroxylase; splanchnic nerve activity


    INTRODUCTION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

THE ROSTRAL VENTROLATERAL MEDULLA (RVLM) is an essential structure for generation of sympathetic vasomotor tone and a necessary central component of many sympathetic reflexes (5, 6, 13, 16, 23, 25, 30). The RVLM controls sympathetic tone via bulbospinal neurons (henceforth called presympathetic neurons) that project to spinal sympathetic preganglionic neurons (20). Presympathetic neurons display spontaneous activity that is tightly correlated to vasomotor sympathetic nerve discharge (18) and generally display a pattern of discharge highly reminiscent of that of individual vasoconstrictor or cardiac sympathetic efferents (2, 5, 27). Two-thirds of the presympathetic RVLM neurons have been identified as C1 cells, whereas others are not catecholaminergic (14, 21). The relative roles of these two populations of presympathetic neurons in the generation of sympathetic tone and the production of sympathetic reflexes through the RVLM have been difficult to determine. In many cases, such as the arterial baroreceptor reflex and the Bezold-Jarisch reflex, changes in the activities of C1 and non-C1 RVLM neurons resemble the responses seen in sympathetic nerves (18, 30). Selective removal of either of these classes of presympathetic neurons has not been possible, because the C1 cells are insensitive to the classic catecholaminergic neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (10), and a marker specific for the noncatecholaminergic neurons has not been identified.

The recent development of an immunotoxin, saporin, conjugated to an antibody for dopamine-beta -hydroxylase (Dbeta H, Dbeta H-Sap), promises to provide an effective tool for the selective elimination of C1 neurons in the RVLM. Indeed, microinjection of anti-Dbeta H-Sap into the cerebral ventricles or directly into the RVLM appears to effectively lesion neurons of the C1 cell group (15, 32). However, with either of these approaches, the elimination of C1 cells is not selective for the presympathetic portion of the C1 cell group. In addition, injection of the toxin into the RVLM produces an unavoidable measure of nonselective local damage (e.g., gliosis) to the area of interest (15).

In the present study we sought to determine whether microinjection of anti-Dbeta H-Sap into the thoracic spinal cord, a primary terminal projection site for C1 cells, would produce an effective and selective lesion of the bulbospinal C1 cells in the RVLM. We then used this model to determine the importance of presympathetic C1 RVLM neurons for the generation of sympathetic tone and the production of several sympathetic reflex responses that are mediated through the RVLM.


    MATERIALS AND METHODS
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Animals. Male Sprague-Dawley rats (250-275 g; Hilltop Laboratories, Scottdale, PA) were housed in groups (4 per cage) with a 12:12-h light-dark cycle and food and water available ad libitum. All procedures were performed in accordance with National Institutes of Health and University of Virginia animal care and use guidelines.

Microinjections of saporin conjugates and fast blue into the thoracic spinal cord. Anesthesia was induced with 5% halothane (in 100% O2). During surgery, halothane was applied through a nose cone (1.9% in 100% O2). The rat was placed in a stereotaxic apparatus with the mouthpiece set at 11 mm below the interaural line. After a dorsal laminectomy, the dorsal process of a lower thoracic spinal vertebra was clamped to stabilize the upper thoracic spinal cord. The spinal cord was exposed between vertebrae by incising the overlying disks and meninges. Microinjections of anti-Dbeta H-Sap (42 ng/200 nl per injection; Chemicon, Temecula, CA) were made bilaterally at two levels of the thoracic spinal cord: T2 and T4 (n = 4) or T4 and T6 (n = 4). In another four rats, anti-Dbeta H-Sap was administered at 21 ng/100 nl per injection bilaterally at T2 and T4. In addition, a subset of these rats (n = 6) received bilateral microinjections of fast blue (FB, 200 nl of a 2% solution in sterile isotonic saline; Sigma Chemical, St. Louis, MO) into alternate thoracic spinal levels (T3 and T5 or T5 and T7). An additional group of rats (n = 5) received microinjections of FB only (at T3 and T5 or at T5 and T7). To control for potential nonspecific damage caused by anti-Dbeta H-Sap, another group of rats (n = 6) received bilateral microinjections of saporin conjugated to a goat anti-mouse IgG (IgG-Sap, 42 ng/200 nl per injection at T2 and T4; Chemicon). All microinjections were directed toward the interomediolateral cell column (0.8 mm lateral to the midline and 1.0 mm ventral to the dorsal surface). After completion of the microinjections, the wound was closed and the rats were placed on a warm pad to maintain body temperature during recovery. All rats were treated postoperatively with an analgesic (buprenorphine, 4 µg/kg im; Buprenex, Reckitt and Colman, Richmond, VA) and an antibiotic (penicillin G procaine, 7,500 U/kg im; G. C. Hanford, Syracuse, NY).

Physiological experiments. Rats were studied 3-5 wk after spinal microinjections. Anesthesia was induced by 5% halothane (in 100% O2). Rats were intubated and artificially ventilated with 1.5-1.8% halothane in 100% O2 for surgical procedures. A brachial artery was cannulated to record mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR), and a brachial vein was cannulated to administer anesthetic and paralytic agents. A femoral vein was cannulated for administration of drugs used to elicit reflex responses. An inflatable snare was placed around the abdominal aorta just below the diaphragm to permit rapid control of upper body MAP (21). The left splanchnic nerve was isolated via a retroperitoneal approach, and the segment distal to the suprarenal ganglion was placed on two Teflon-coated silver wires that had been bared at the tip (250 µm bare diameter; A-M Systems, Everett, WA). The nerve and wires were embedded in a dental impression material (polyvinylsiloxane; Darby Dental Supply, Westbury, NY), and the wound was closed around the exiting recording wires.

On completion of surgery, the halothane anesthesia was terminated and was replaced by alpha -chloralose (30 mg/kg solution in 3% sodium borate; 70 mg/kg initial bolus followed by hourly supplements of 20 mg/kg iv; Fisher Scientific, Pittsburgh, PA). Rats were allowed to stabilize for 45 min before reflex tests began. End-tidal CO2 was monitored by infrared spectroscopy and was maintained between 3.5 and 4.0% (11). Body temperature (measured rectally) was maintained at 37°C. Ten minutes before reflex tests began, rats were paralyzed with pancuronium bromide (1 mg/kg iv; Elkins-Sinn, Cherry Hill, NJ).

All physiological variables were monitored on a chart recorder (model RS 3600, Gould, Valley View, OH) and simultaneously stored on a videocassette recorder via a digitizer interface (model 3000A, frequency range: DC-22 kHz; Vetter Digital, Rebersburg, VA) for off-line computer analysis. The MAP was calculated from the pulse pressure measured by a transducer (Statham P10 EZ, Gould) connected to the brachial arterial catheter. The HR was determined by triggering from the pulse pressure (Biotach, Gould). Splanchnic nerve activity (SNA) was filtered (10 Hz-3 kHz band pass with a 60-Hz notch filter), full-wave rectified, and averaged in 1-s bins (9). The baseline SNA (100%) was arbitrarily defined as activity during the resting state immediately preceding each physiological test, and the minimum SNA (0%) was determined after injection of clonidine (10 µg/kg iv; Sigma Chemical) at the end of the study (9).

All animals underwent a series of reflex tests that were performed in the same order separated by 5 min with drug doses established in pilot experiments. The drugs were prepared in sterile isotonic saline for injection in 50-µl volumes. The femoral venous catheter (dead space 100 µl) was loaded with each test solution and was flushed with 200 µl of saline to expel the drug. The Bezold-Jarisch reflex was elicited with phenyl biguanide (5 and 20 µg/kg iv; Aldrich Chemical, Milwaukee, WI). A chemoreflex was produced with sodium cyanide (100 and 200 µg/kg; Mallinckrodt, Paris, KY). The arterial baroreceptor reflex was examined by raising arterial pressure (AP) with the abdominal aortic snare and lowering AP with sodium nitroprusside (10 µg/kg iv; Sigma Chemical). At the end of the experiment the animal was deeply anesthetized with halothane and transcardially perfused with PBS (250 ml, pH 7.4) followed by 500 ml of 4% phosphate-buffered formaldehyde.

Histology. The brain stem and thoracic spinal cord were removed and stored in fixative overnight at 4°C. Brain stems and spinal cords were cut using a Vibratome (30-µm coronal sections and 50-µm horizontal sections, respectively) and stored in a cryoprotectant solution at -20°C (21). The brain stem sections were later processed for visualization of one of the following cellular markers: tyrosine hydroxylase (TH), phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase (PNMT), tryptophan hydroxylase (TrypH), or Nissl substance. In each case, one of every six sections was used. Solutions were prepared in Tris-buffered saline (TBS; 0.1 M Tris, pH 7.4) and used at room temperature unless indicated otherwise. On removal from cryoprotectant solution, all sections were rinsed in TBS and blocked for 30 min in 10% normal goat serum (NGS; GIBCO BRL, Grand Island, NY). Immunohistochemical detection of TH was performed by incubation with a mouse monoclonal antibody (1:2,000 with 10% NGS and 0.1% Triton X-100 overnight at 4°C; Chemicon) followed by a biotinylated goat anti-mouse IgG (1:200 for 45 min; Vector Laboratories, Burlingame, CA) and then streptavidin indocarbocyanine (Cy3, 1:1,000 for 1 h; Jackson Immunoresearch Laboratories, West Grove, PA). Immunohistochemical detection of PNMT was performed by incubation with a rabbit polyclonal antibody (1:2,000 with 10% NGS and 0.1% Triton X-100 overnight at 4°C; DiaSorin, Stillwater, MN) followed by a biotinylated goat anti-rabbit IgG (1:200 for 45 min; Vector Laboratories) and then streptavidin Cy3 (1:1,000 for 1 h; Jackson Immunoresearch Laboratories). Immunohistochemical detection of TrypH was performed by incubation with a mouse monoclonal antibody (1:2,000 with 10% NGS and 0.1% Triton X-100 overnight at 4°C; Sigma Chemical) followed by a biotinylated rabbit anti-mouse IgG3 (1:200 for 45 min; Zymed Laboratories, South San Francisco, CA) and then streptavidin Cy3 (1:1,000 for 1 h; Jackson Immunoresearch Laboratories). All sections were rinsed in TBS and then in phosphate buffer (0.1 M, pH 7.4) and mounted onto microscope slides. Coverslips were applied with Krystalon mounting medium (EM Diagnostic Systems, Gibbstown, NJ).

To stain for Nissl substance, sections were mounted onto gelatin-coated slides and immersed in a series of alcohols and xylenes. Nissl substance was revealed by 0.25% thionin. Coverslips were affixed with DPX mounting medium (Aldrich Chemical).

Spinal cord sections were mounted onto slides, and coverslips were applied with Krystalon mounting medium. The location of FB injection sites was examined by fluorescence microscopy, and injection sites from anti-Dbeta H-Sap and IgG-Sap were visualized by dark-field illumination.

Brain mapping, cell counting, and imaging. Sections were examined by using a fluorescence microscope (Leitz, Heidelberg, Germany) with an N2 filter to visualize the red Cy3 fluorescence and an A filter to visualize the FB. The locations of Cy3-positive and/or FB-positive neuronal profiles were plotted along with the outline of each section and several anatomic landmarks with Neurolucida software (Microbrightfield, Colchester, VT) and a Ludl motor-driven microscope stage (21). Neuroanatomic nomenclature and planes of sections are according to Paxinos and Watson (19). Cell counts included all neuronal perikaryal profiles, regardless of whether a nucleus was detectable. The effects of spinal microinjections were determined by generating simple areal density ratios among groups (4). Counts were performed in all sections from each series of one in six sections.

The locations of PNMT-immunoreactive (PNMT-ir) C1, C2, and C3 cells were plotted in sections from -13.8 to -11.2 mm caudal to bregma (12 sections/animal). In the case of C1 cells, the ventral quadrant of both sides of the section was plotted, and profile counts reflect an average of the two sides of the medulla. Profile counts for C2 and C3 cells reflect the total number of profiles in the dorsal half of each section. In the subset of animals that received FB microinjections, PNMT-ir profiles were also examined for the presence of FB. In the four sections immediately caudal to the facial nucleus (-12.8 to -11.8 mm caudal to bregma), the locations of FB-positive profiles without PNMT immunoreactivity in RVLM were plotted. The locations of TrypH-immunoreactive (TrypH-ir) profiles were plotted in the ventral half of sections from -11.6 to -11.2 mm caudal to bregma (3 sections/animal), and counts reflect the total number of profiles in each section. The presence of FB in TrypH-ir profiles was also examined. The locations of TH-immunoreactive (TH-ir) profiles in the A5 cell group were plotted in sections from -10.4 to -9.0 mm caudal to bregma (8 sections/animal), and counts reflect an average from the two sides of the pons. The presence of FB in A5 cell profiles was also examined.

Examples of bulbospinal PNMT-ir, TH-ir, and TrypH-ir cells with FB were photographed with 35-mm film (1,600 ASA push process color slide film) at ×250 magnification. Color 35-mm slides were scanned on a flatbed scanner (1,000 dots/in.; Ultra Saphir, Young Phillips, Richmond, VA) and acquired as Adobe Photoshop documents (Adobe Systems, Mountain View, CA). Multiple photomicrograph figures were assembled in Photoshop software, with the resolution adjusted so that the image sizes fit the page. In Photoshop, the output levels were limited to the range of levels containing pixels. Hue, contrast, and brightness were adjusted to reflect the original image as much as possible. Lettering, scale bars, and arrows also were added in Photoshop.

Data analysis. The effects of treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap or IgG-Sap on the number of catecholaminergic medullary neurons and various physiological measurements were determined by ANOVA followed by Tukey-Kramer post hoc tests when significant F values were obtained. Counts for TrypH-ir profiles and FB-positive/non-PNMT-ir profiles in RVLM in control rats and rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap were each compared by one-way ANOVA with repeated measures. Because the counts for TrypH-ir profiles were comparable at the three medullary levels examined within each group, the data from these levels were pooled and are presented as one mean value for each group.

An arterial baroreflex curve relating MAP and SNA was constructed for each rat. The SNA at resting MAP was set at 100%, and SNA after clonidine (10 µg/kg iv) was set as the minimum (i.e., 0) value. Boltzman sigmoidal curves, with use of the equation SNA = (A1 - A2)/{1 + exp [A3 · (MAP - A4)]} + A2, were fitted to the experimental data points by use of the software program Origin (Microcal Software, Northampton, MA), where A1 defines the upper plateau of the curve, A2 defines the lower plateau of the curve, A3 describes the distribution of the gain along the curve, and A4 (MAP50) is the midpoint of the curve. Maximum gain (Gmax) was calculated using the formula Gmax = A3 · (A1 - A2)/4 (22).


    RESULTS
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

Depletion of bulbospinal adrenergic cells by anti-Dbeta H-Sap. In the control rats, PNMT-ir profiles (C1 cells) were found within the ventral quadrants of all 12 medullary levels examined, as expected (Fig. 1A; examples in Figs. 2A and 3A). The presence of FB in PNMT-ir profiles showed that the spinally projecting C1 cells were located at the rostral end of the C1 cell group, with 69% of the PNMT-ir/FB-positive profiles located between -12.0 and -11.2 mm caudal to bregma (Fig. 1B; examples in Fig. 2, A and B, and Fig. 3A), as previously shown (8, 17, 24, 29). Rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap had a massive depletion of the rostral, bulbospinal C1 cell group (Fig. 1, A and B; examples in Fig. 2, C and D, and Fig. 3B). The depletion of C1 cells did not differ by injection volume of anti-Dbeta H-Sap or thoracic spinal levels injected, so the lesioned animals were combined for group histological analyses. The percent depletion of PNMT-ir profiles between -12.0 and -11.2 mm produced the most reliable and closest estimate of the depletion of bulbospinal PNMT-ir profiles (r = 0.97), but with a consistent underestimation. This underestimation was predicted, given that even the very rostral end of the C1 cell group contains bulbospinal and nonspinally projecting C1 cells (17, 24, 31). In the 12 rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap, counts of PNMT-ir profiles between -12.0 and -11.2 mm revealed an average depletion of 71 ± 4% (43-89%). In the six lesioned rats also injected with FB, counts at the same medullary levels revealed an average depletion of 61 ± 5% of PNMT-ir profiles but an average depletion of 73 ± 7% (48-94%) of bulbospinal PNMT-ir profiles. Therefore, the average depletion of bulbospinal PNMT-ir cells in the 12 rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap is likely to be slightly higher than 74%.


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Fig. 1.   Effects of spinal microinjection of anti-dopamine-beta -hydroxylase-saporin (anti-Dbeta H-Sap) or anti-mouse IgG-saporin (IgG-Sap) on the number of phenylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase-immunoreactive (PNMT-ir) neuronal profiles in ventral (A and B; C1 cells) and dorsal (C and D; C2 and C3 cells) rostral medulla. A: number of PNMT-ir profiles per ventral quadrant (C1 cell profiles) at 12 medullary levels in rats that received no spinal injection (control rats, n = 6), in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (n = 12), and in rats treated with IgG-Sap (n = 5). Note the substantial decrease in the number of rostral PNMT-ir profiles in the anti-Dbeta H-Sap-treated rats. B: subset of rats in A that also received spinal microinjections of the retrograde tracer fast blue (FB). The FB-positive (FB+), PNMT-ir profiles are restricted to the rostral C1 cells. The number of PNMT-ir/FB-positive profiles is markedly reduced in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (n = 6) compared with combined groups of control rats (n = 5) and rats treated with IgG-Sap (n = 2). C: number of PNMT-ir profiles per dorsal half (C2 and C3 cells) of the sections in A. IgG-Sap had no effect on the number of PNMT-ir profiles, but treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap produced a marked decrease in the number of profiles of C3 neurons at the rostral medullary levels. D: subset of the rats in C that also received spinal microinjections of FB (same rats in B). The number of FB-positive/PNMT-ir profiles, which are restricted to the C3 cell group, is substantially diminished by treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. Values are means ± SE.



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Fig. 2.   Representative photomicrographs of 2 control rats (A, B, E, and F) and 2 rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (C, D, G, and H) showing PNMT-ir C1 cells (A and C) and tryptophan hydroxylase-immunoreactive (TrypH-ir) serotonergic neurons (E and G). Retrograde label of bulbospinal neurons produced by spinal FB injections is also shown (B, D, F, and H). A: PNMT-ir cells visualized with indocarbocyanine (Cy3) in a control rat at -11.8 mm caudal to bregma. B: the same area of the section in A viewed to reveal FB. Arrows in A and B are directed toward PNMT-ir profiles with FB, indicating bulbospinal C1 cells. *, Bulbospinal, non-C1 neuronal profiles (FB positive without PNMT). C: PNMT-ir cells visualized with Cy3 at -11.8 mm caudal to bregma in a rat treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. D: the same area of the section in C viewed to reveal FB. Arrows in C and D are directed toward PNMT-ir profiles with FB, indicating bulbospinal C1 cells. Arrowheads are directed toward FB particles remaining after depletion of bulbospinal C1 cells by anti-Dbeta H-Sap. *, Bulbospinal, non-C1 neuronal profile (FB positive without PNMT) E: TrypH-ir cells visualized with Cy3 to reveal serotonergic cells at -11.8 mm caudal to bregma in a control rat. F: the same area of the section in E viewed to reveal FB. Arrows in E and F are directed toward TrypH-ir profiles with FB, indicating bulbospinal serotonergic neurons. G: TrypH-ir cells visualized with Cy3 in a rat treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. This section is from the same medullary level as the section in E, and the number of TrypH-ir neurons is comparable. H: the same area of the section in G viewed to reveal FB. Arrows in G and H are directed toward TrypH-ir profiles with FB, indicating bulbospinal serotonergic neurons. Scale bar, 500 µm. py, Pyramidal tract. In A-D, dorsal is toward the top of the photomicrographs, medial is toward the right, and the ventrolateral edge of the medulla is at the bottom left. In E-H, dorsal is toward the top of the photomicrographs, and the ventral surface of the medulla at the midline is centered at the bottom.



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Fig. 3.   Distribution of PNMT-ir and FB-positive neuronal profiles in a control rat (A) and a rat treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (B) plotted using Neurolucida. Dashed lines, boundaries used to define C1 cells in Fig. 1, A and B; solid lines, triangular area used to define rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) for the purpose of counting non-PNMT-ir/FB-positive neuronal profiles. For RVLM, the dorsal boundary is the center of the nucleus ambiguus, the medial boundary is the lateral edge of the pyramidal tract, the lateral boundary is the ventral edge of the spinal trigeminal tract, and the ventral boundary is the ventral edge of the section. open circle , PNMT-ir profiles without FB; , PNMT-ir profiles with FB; ×, FB-positive profiles without PNMT. Small dots represent the FB particles in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap, presumably the result of elimination of bulbospinal C1 cells in the absence of a means for degrading the retrograde tracer. Scale bar, 500 µm. Amb, nucleus ambiguus; ION, inferior olivary nuclei; py, pyramidal tract; icp, internal capsule; sp5, spinal trigeminal tract.

At the caudal medullary levels (-13.8 to -13.0 mm caudal to bregma) the PNMT-ir profiles did not contain FB (Fig. 1, A and B), as expected (17, 24, 29), and the number of PNMT-ir profiles at these levels was unaffected by treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (Fig. 1A). Rats treated with IgG-Sap showed no depletion of C1 cell profiles at any medullary level examined (Fig. 1A).

Although most C1 neurons were physically eliminated from the rostral tip of the RVLM by microinjection of anti-Dbeta H-Sap into the spinal cord (cf. Fig. 2, A and B, with Fig. 2, C and D), these cells constitute such a small portion of the total neurons within the region that their disappearance was not apparent by examination of Nissl substance (Fig. 4). In addition, because the microinjections of toxin were made into the spinal cord, no gliosis or any other readily observable cytological difference was detected in the RVLM (Fig. 4).


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Fig. 4.   Representative photomicrographs of Nissl-stained sections (revealed with thionin) containing the RVLM from a control rat (A) and a rat treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (B). Despite the depletion of bulbospinal C1 cells from the RVLM in the anti-Dbeta H-Sap-treated rat, the Nissl stain reveals no obvious differences between the 2 rats. Remaining cells appear normal, with no evidence of gliosis. The cluster of large cells at the center of the top of the photomicrographs is part of the nucleus ambiguus. The ventral surface of the medulla can be seen at the bottom of the photomicrographs. Scale bar, 100 µm.

Counts of PNMT-ir profiles in the dorsal adrenergic cell groups revealed a pattern similar to that seen with the ventral PNMT-ir profiles. The more caudally located C2 neurons did not contain FB (Fig. 1, C and D), as expected (17, 24), and the number of these profiles was not altered by treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (Fig. 1C). In contrast, the more rostrally located C3 neurons were markedly depleted by anti-Dbeta H-Sap (58 ± 3% of PNMT-ir profiles between -12.0 and -11.2 mm; Fig. 1C). The presence of FB in the PNMT-ir profiles indicated that 97% of the dorsal bulbospinal PNMT-ir neurons are located between -12.0 and -11.2 mm caudal to bregma, as shown previously (17, 24). In the six rats also injected with FB, anti-Dbeta H-Sap produced a 53 ± 2% depletion of PNMT-ir profiles and an 84 ± 3% depletion of the bulbospinal PNMT-ir profiles in the C3 cell group (Fig. 1D). These data indicate that many C3 neurons do not project to the cord, and counts of PNMT-ir profiles alone greatly underestimate the depletion of the bulbospinal portion of the C3 cell group. Treatment with IgG-Sap did not affect the number of PNMT-ir profiles at any dorsal medullary level examined (Fig. 1C).

Depletion of bulbospinal noradrenergic cells by anti-Dbeta H-Sap. Although the aim of the present study was to examine the effect of depletion of the bulbospinal C1 cells, the large intraspinal microinjections of anti-Dbeta H-Sap were expected to also eliminate the bulbospinal noradrenergic cell groups within the pons (3). Examination of the A5 cell group within the ventrolateral pons revealed a near-total elimination of these noradrenergic cell profiles (Fig. 5 and Fig. 6, A-D). Counts of TH-ir profiles from 8 pontine levels in 12 rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap revealed an 88 ± 2% depletion (78-97%) compared with control rats (Fig. 5A). Counts from the five rats also injected with FB revealed an 84 ± 3% depletion of TH-ir profiles and a 98 ± 1% depletion (96-99%) of bulbospinal TH-ir profiles compared with control rats (Fig. 5B). Similar to the results obtained by counting PNMT-ir cells in the C1 cell group, counts of TH-ir cells alone may slightly underestimate the depletion of bulbospinal A5 neurons. No significant correlation between the magnitude of depletion of the bulbospinal TH-ir profiles of the A5 cell group and the bulbospinal PNMT-ir profiles of the C1 cell group was observed.


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Fig. 5.   Effects of spinal microinjection of anti-Dbeta H-Sap on the number of tyrosine hydroxylase-immunoreactive (TH-ir) neuronal profiles in the ventrolateral pons. A: number of TH-ir profiles per ventral quadrant (A5 cells) at 8 pontine levels in control rats (n = 5) and rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (n = 11). The number of TH-ir profiles in the rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap was markedly reduced at all pontine levels examined. B: a subset of rats in A that also received spinal microinjections of FB. TH-ir profiles with FB were found at all pontine levels examined. At all 8 medullary levels examined, TH-ir profiles with FB were virtually eliminated in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (n = 6) compared with control rats (n = 5).



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Fig. 6.   Representative photomicrographs of 2 control rats (A, B, E, and F) and 2 rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (C, D, G, and H) showing TH-ir A5 cells (A and C) and TH-ir neurons in the locus ceruleus (E and G). The retrograde label of bulbospinal neurons produced by spinal FB injections is also shown (B, D, F, and H). A: TH-ir A5 cells visualized with Cy3 at -10.0 mm caudal to bregma in a control rat. B: the same area of the section in A viewed to reveal FB. Arrows in A and B are directed toward TH-ir profiles with FB, indicating bulbospinal A5 cells. C: TH-ir cells visualized with Cy3 at -10.0 mm caudal to bregma in a rat treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. No TH-ir neuronal profiles are present in the A5 region. D: the same area of the section in C viewed to reveal FB. Arrowheads are directed toward FB particles remaining after depletion of bulbospinal A5 cells by anti-Dbeta H-Sap. E: TH-ir cells in the locus ceruleus visualized with Cy3 at -9.4 mm caudal to bregma in a control rat. F: the same area of the section in E viewed to reveal FB. Arrows in E and F are directed toward TH-ir profiles with FB, indicating bulbospinal noradrenergic neurons of the subceruleus. *, FB-positive neuronal profile that is not noradrenergic. G: TH-ir cells in the locus ceruleus at -9.4 mm caudal to bregma visualized with Cy3 in a rat treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. The majority of noradrenergic neurons of the locus ceruleus remain intact after treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. H: the same area of the section in G viewed to reveal FB. No FB-positive/TH-ir neuronal profiles are present in the subceruleus. *, FB-positive neuronal profile that is not noradrenergic. Arrowheads indicate FB particles from bulbospinal noradrenergic neurons that have been depleted by anti-Dbeta H-Sap. Scale bar, 500 µm. 7n, Facial nerve; LSO, lateral superior olive; 4V, 4th ventricle.

Examination of TH-ir profiles in the locus ceruleus indicated that the vast majority of these cells remained after treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (Fig. 6, E and G). Although the depletion of bulbospinal TH-ir neurons within the subceruleus was not quantified, treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap eliminated most of these cells (cf. Fig. 6, E and F, with Fig. 6, G and H), comparable to the depletion of A5 neurons. Bulbospinal cells within the subceruleus that were not TH-ir were spared (Fig. 6, E and H).

Selectivity of the depletion of bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons by anti-Dbeta H-Sap. We examined two populations of noncatecholaminergic bulbospinal neurons to determine whether the toxicity of anti-Dbeta H-Sap was selective for cells that make Dbeta H. First, we previously showed that the population of putative presympathetic cells within the RVLM is comprised of C1 cells and noncatecholaminergic cells (21). To determine whether anti-Dbeta H-Sap selectively depleted the catecholaminergic portion of this population, we counted the number of profiles within the RVLM that contained FB but no PNMT immunoreactivity. Although, these profiles were not from functionally characterized neurons, strict anatomic borders for RVLM were used to provide an estimate of this population of putative presympathetic neurons (Fig. 3). In control rats and rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap, FB-positive/non-PNMT-ir profiles were counted bilaterally from four levels of the medulla (-12.8, -12.3, -12.0, and -11.8 mm caudal to bregma; Fig. 3). The counts from the two sides of each section were averaged for comparison with counts of C1 cell profiles. The number of FB-positive/non-PNMT-ir profiles in RVLM did not differ between control rats (n = 5, 14.9 ± 3.0 profiles/side) and rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (n = 6, 15.5 ± 1.4 profiles/side) at any of the medullary levels examined.

Second, we estimated the density of bulbospinal serotonergic neurons in the raphe pallidus of control rats and rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. Serotonergic cells were revealed by immunohistochemical detection of TrypH in animals that had been injected with FB into the thoracic spinal cord (5 control rats and 5 rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap). The medullary sections from control rats (Fig. 2, E and F) were indistinguishable from sections from rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (Fig. 2, G and H). Counts of profiles obtained from the three levels of the medulla examined in each animal were averaged. The number of TrypH-ir profiles in control rats (142.7 ± 14 profiles/section) was not different from the number counted in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (141.3 ± 13 profiles/section). Similarly, the number of bulbospinal TrypH-ir profiles in control rats (67 ± 9.6 profiles/section) and the number in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (52.3 ± 6.0 profiles/section) were comparable.

Effects of saporin conjugates and FB at the spinal cord. Although the lesion produced by microinjection of anti-Dbeta H-Sap appears to be specific for spinally projecting adrenergic and noradrenergic neurons at the levels of the medulla and pons, nonspecific damage at the sites of the injections did occur. Examination of the thoracic spinal cords revealed that the microinjections were centered approximately in the region of the intermediolateral cell column in the upper thoracic spinal cord where expected, but the injectate had clearly spread beyond this region into the levels of the dorsal and ventral horns. The injectates apparently diffused predominantly along the length of the cord but did not reach the midline or lateral edges of the cord. Injections of anti-Dbeta H-Sap, IgG-Sap, and FB produced patches of nonspecific damage surrounded by areas of gliosis. The nature of the damage at the center of the injections was often impossible to assess because the tissue did not cut well. However, an outline of the area of detectable gliosis was plotted from several sections in representative rats from each group to compare the size of the area of the gliosis produced by the microinjections. The 100-nl injections of anti-Dbeta H-Sap produced areas of gliosis (3.73 ± 0.18 mm rostrocaudally and 0.77 ± 0.4 mm mediolaterally) comparable to those seen with the 200-nl injections of anti-Dbeta H-Sap (4.91 ± 0.69 mm rostrocaudally and 0.92 ± 0.04 mm mediolaterally). However, with 200-nl injection volumes, the tissue was more fragile and difficult to cut. The 200-nl injections of IgG-Sap produced areas of gliosis (4.95 ± 0.62 mm rostrocaudally and 0.88 ± 0.15 mm mediolaterally) comparable to those seen with 200-nl injections of anti-Dbeta H-Sap. Microinjection of FB (200 nl) produced smaller areas of damage and gliosis (2.49 ± 0.22 mm rostrocaudally and 0.39 ± 0.02 mm mediolaterally) than those seen with the 200-nl microinjections of anti-Dbeta H-Sap (P < 0.001, t-tests). The midline and lateral fibers of passage appeared intact in all spinal cords examined, and these were readily observable in rats injected with FB. Rats showed no obvious deficits in locomotion after microinjections into the spinal cord.

Arterial baroreceptor reflex. Microinjection of anti-Dbeta H-Sap or IgG-Sap into the thoracic spinal cord produced no detectable change in baseline MAP (Tables 1 and 2) or HR (Table 2) in rats anesthetized with chloralose, artificially ventilated, and paralyzed. Baseline SNA was not noticeably altered by treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap; the signal was observed with the same degree of amplification in all groups of animals. However, analysis of the relationship between MAP and SNA (baroreflex curves) revealed an effect of the treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. Although the baroreflex operated around a comparable MAP (MAP50 in Table 1) in all groups, in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap, a greater percentage of SNA was insensitive to increased MAP (lower plateau in Table 1, examples in Fig. 7, A and B). Thus the operating range and the gain of the baroreflex (range and Gmax in Table 1) were decreased in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. These differences in the arterial baroreceptor reflex were not seen in rats treated with IgG-Sap (Table 1, Fig. 7C).

                              
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Table 1.   Average parameters of sigmoidal baroreflex curves for control rats and rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap or IgG-Sap


                              
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Table 2.   Effects of phenyl biguanide on MAP, HR, and SNA in control rats and rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap or IgG-Sap



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Fig. 7.   Baroreflex curves in a control rat (A), a rat treated with IgG-Sap (B), and a rat treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (C). Curves relating splanchnic nerve activity (SNA) and mean arterial pressure (MAP) were generated by lowering MAP with nitroprusside and increasing MAP by constricting an abdominal aortic snare. Baseline SNA was set to 100%, and minimum SNA was determined after intravenous injection of clonidine (10 µg/kg). Details for generating the sigmoidal curve that best fit the data are stated in MATERIALS AND METHODS. In rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap, the slope of the baroreflex curve is reduced as a result of a reduced range of the SNA that is sensitive to changes in MAP. These changes were not seen in rats treated with IgG-Sap. See Table 1 for group data.

Phenyl biguanide-induced Bezold-Jarisch reflex. Phenyl biguanide produced a marked decrease in MAP, HR, and SNA in all control rats in a dose-dependent manner (Fig. 8, A-C, Table 2). These responses were not diminished by treatment with IgG-Sap or anti-Dbeta H-Sap (Table 2). In rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap, the lower dose of phenyl biguanide produced larger decreases in HR and MAP with a longer time to recover MAP to baseline levels (Fig. 8, D-F, Table 2).


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Fig. 8.   Phenyl biguanide-induced changes in MAP, SNA, and HR in a control rat (A-C) and a rat treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (D-F). Intravenous phenyl biguanide produced a decrease in MAP, SNA, and HR in the control rat. In the rat treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap, phenyl biguanide also produced a marked decrease in MAP, SNA, and HR. Arrows, onset of phenyl biguanide injections. See Table 2 for group data.

Cyanide-induced changes in SNA and AP. In control rats, intravenous injection of sodium cyanide produced a burst in SNA, which was accompanied by a small rise in MAP (Fig. 9, A-D, and Fig. 10). Although the period of increased SNA was brief compared with previously observed responses in urethan-anesthetized, vagotomized rats (11, 12), this SNA response was observed in all control rats. The increases in SNA and MAP were always followed by a decrease in SNA and MAP (Fig. 9, A-D, and Fig. 10). The two doses of cyanide produced effects of comparable magnitude (Fig. 10), indicating that the lower dose of cyanide (100 µg/kg) was maximally effective. In rats treated with IgG-Sap, cyanide produced SNA and MAP responses comparable to those seen in control rats (Fig. 9, E-H, and Fig. 10). In contrast, in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap, the lower dose of cyanide no longer produced a burst in SNA or a rise in MAP in any of the rats examined (Fig. 9, I and K, and Fig. 10). With the higher dose of cyanide, the rise in MAP was absent in all rats and the burst in SNA was absent in all but two rats (Fig. 9, J and L, and Fig. 10). The decreases in SNA and MAP in response to cyanide persisted in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (Fig. 9, I-L, and Fig. 10).


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Fig. 9.   Examples of cyanide-induced changes in SNA and MAP in a control rat, a rat treated with IgG-Sap, and a rat treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. A, C, E, G, I, and K: effects of 100 µg/kg iv of cyanide; B, D, F, H, J, and L: effects of 200 µg/kg iv of cyanide. Both doses of cyanide produced an increase in MAP and SNA that was followed by a decrease in both parameters in the control rat (A-D) and the rat treated with IgG-Sap (E-H). In the rat treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (I-L), cyanide did not increase SNA or MAP at either dose. However, the decreases in MAP and SNA produced by cyanide were present in the rat treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. Arrows, onset of cyanide injections.



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Fig. 10.   Effects of cyanide on SNA and MAP in control rats, rats treated with IgG-Sap, and rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. Left: effects of the lower dose of cyanide (100 µg/kg); right: effects of the higher dose of cyanide (200 µg/kg). The 2 bars for each condition illustrate the peak of the initial increase and the trough of the decrease in SNA and MAP in all control rats (solid bars, n = 8 for the low dose and n = 5 for the high dose), rats treated with IgG-Sap (hatched bars, n = 5 for both doses), and rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap (open bars, n = 10 for the low dose and n = 7 for the high dose). * Significantly different from control rats at the same dose (P < 0.05).


    DISCUSSION
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

The present study demonstrates that microinjection of the immunotoxin anti-Dbeta H-Sap into the upper thoracic spinal cord produces an effective and highly selective depletion of bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons in rats. Treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap produced a virtually complete disappearance of the noradrenergic bulbospinal A5 and A6 neurons and destroyed the majority of the bulbospinal C1 and C3 adrenergic cells. Noncatecholaminergic bulbospinal neurons in the RVLM and serotonergic neurons of the raphe nuclei were spared. Under chloralose anesthesia, the most prominent deficit displayed by rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap was a reduction in their sympathoexcitatory response to intravenous cyanide, suggesting that bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons play a key role in the carotid chemoreflex. These rats also exhibited some reduction in the gain and operating range of their sympathetic baroreflex. Given the extent of the lesion of bulbospinal A5 and C1 cells, the latter changes were not as large as anticipated. These results suggest that C1 and A5 cells may play a relatively minor role in generating the resting level of sympathetic tone that maintains MAP, but bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons may be recruited when sympathetic vasomotor tone is vigorously activated.

Selective depletion of noradrenergic and adrenergic neurons by anti-Dbeta H-Sap. The anti-Dbeta H-Sap conjugate was developed as a tool to selectively destroy neurons that express Dbeta H on their plasma membrane (noradrenergic and adrenergic, but not dopaminergic, neurons). This immunotoxin provides the first tool for selectively destroying adrenergic neurons (e.g., C1 cells), which are insensitive to the classic catecholaminergic neurotoxin 6-hydroxydopamine (10). Its specificity relies on the conjugation of the ribosomal toxin Sap to an anti-Dbeta H antibody (32). Because Dbeta H is vesicular and membrane bound, it is exteriorized during exocytosis and acts as an extracellular membrane receptor for the internalization of anti-Dbeta H-Sap. Once inside the cell, Sap irreversibly inactivates the 60S subunit of ribosomes, which prevents protein synthesis and eventually kills the cell (26). Previous reports have shown that anti-Dbeta H-Sap effectively eliminates cells when deposited in the region of the axon terminals (noradrenergic neurons of the locus ceruleus) (1) or even the cell bodies (C1 cells in the RVLM) (15).

Microinjection of anti-Dbeta H-Sap into the thoracic spinal cord produced the disappearance of most bulbospinal C1 neurons (>= 74% on average and <= 94%) in the present study. We believe that these percentages reflect a depletion of the cells and not a reduction in the detectability of PNMT immunoreactivity for two reasons. First, the quality of the PNMT stain was evaluated in each rat by counting the number of PNMT-ir profiles in the caudal aspects of the C1 or C2/C3 groups that do not project to the thoracic spinal cord (Fig. 1, A and C) (24, 29). Because cell counts in these areas were unaffected by anti-Dbeta H-Sap, we could obtain objective evidence that the visibility of PNMT immunoreactivity was the same in lesioned and in control rats. Second, our estimate of the depletion of cells was also based on counts of retrogradely labeled neurons. If anti-Dbeta H-Sap had merely reduced the level of expression of PNMT without killing the bulbospinal C1 cells, the number of healthy FB-positive neurons of the RVLM should have remained unchanged. This was clearly not the case (Figs. 1 and 2). For similar reasons, we conclude that anti-Dbeta H-Sap also eliminated bulbospinal A5 and A6 neurons rather than reduced the detectability of TH. The percent depletion of the bulbospinal noradrenergic neurons was ~100%, i.e., slightly better than that of the adrenergic cells. The particular sensitivity of A5 neurons to anti-Dbeta H-Sap may be the result of a higher concentration of exteriorized Dbeta H on the terminals or axons of noradrenergic neurons. Alternately, the spinal projection pattern of A5 cells may be less specific than that of C1 neurons, such that a larger proportion of bulbospinal A5 neurons may converge onto the spinal thoracic segments injected. Although the A7 noradrenergic group of the pons was not examined in the present study, it is probable that this noradrenergic cell group that projects to the spinal cord was also destroyed by treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap.

The lesion of bulbospinal A5 and C1 neurons by anti-Dbeta H-Sap was clearly due to a process that required the specific binding of the anti-Dbeta H antibody, because microinjection of the same dose of saporin conjugated to an anti-mouse IgG had no effect on the number of these neurons (Fig. 1). Furthermore, noncatecholaminergic neurons were insensitive to anti-Dbeta H-Sap. The numbers of serotonergic neurons and the nonadrenergic component of the RVLM bulbospinal projection (FB-positive/non-PNMT-ir neurons) in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap were comparable to those counted in unoperated control rats (Figs. 2 and 3). These results are in agreement with a recent study by Madden et al. (15) in which microinjection of anti-Dbeta H-Sap into the RVLM depleted ~90% of PNMT-ir neurons within the RVLM without altering the number of bulbospinal, barosensitive non-C1 RVLM neurons. In addition, in the present study, rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap displayed no obvious alteration in locomotor activity, hindlimb tone, or behavior, which suggested that other descending spinal projections were intact.

Despite the clear selectivity of anti-Dbeta H-Sap relative to descending axons and axons of passage, substantial local damage occurred at the site of injection in the form of gliosis and tissue necrosis that persisted up to 5 wk after injection. When minimally effective doses of anti-Dbeta H-Sap are employed, local lesions and gliosis can reportedly be reduced (15). However, the window for this effective and minimally damaging dose appears to be narrow, and injury is probably never totally absent (15). In the present study we chose to inject the toxin at sites distal to the cell bodies of interest and to use a higher dose of anti-Dbeta H-Sap to increase the likelihood of an effective depletion of the C1 cells. Because the toxin was injected into a terminal area, we found that the RVLM was cytologically intact in all animals, despite the selective disappearance of the bulbospinal C1 cells (Fig. 4). The local damage produced by microinjection of anti-Dbeta H-Sap may be due to the nonselective binding of the saporin conjugate to neurons, glial cells, or blood vessels, because treatment with IgG-Sap produced comparable damage at the sites of injection in the present study. However, because IgG-Sap produced equivalent local damage without depleting bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons, this neurotoxin provided a useful operated control group for comparison with rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap in the physiological experiments.

Effect of anti-Dbeta H-Sap on the arterial baroreflex and Bezold-Jarisch reflex. A compelling finding of the present study is that depletion of the vast majority of bulbospinal C1, A5, C3, and A6 cells had no detectable effect on resting MAP and HR. Although SNA cannot be accurately quantified between animals, rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap clearly had sympathetic tone, which was inhibited by increasing MAP and eliminated by clonidine. The effectiveness of clonidine indicated that afferent nerve traffic from the abdominal region made an equally negligible contribution to the splanchnic nerve activity recorded in control and lesioned rats. The relationship between SNA and MAP, measured by classic logistic curve fitting (22), was altered by treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. Specifically, the proportion of resting SNA remaining at saturation of the baroreflex (baroinsensitive SNA) was greater in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap, and the gain of the baroreflex was consequently attenuated. However, because this analysis requires SNA to be measured as a percentage of the baseline value, there are several equally plausible interpretations of the changes induced by anti-Dbeta H-Sap. First, the increase in the baroinsensitive component of SNA could be the result of a reduction in the ability of baroreceptors to inhibit splanchnic vasoconstrictor sympathetic efferents (decreased baroreflex inhibition). This interpretation is somewhat unlikely, because the MAP50 of the reflex was unchanged (Table 1). Alternately, the data could indicate that at all levels of AP the activity of splanchnic vasoconstrictor sympathetic efferents may be somewhat lower after treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. This second interpretation is compatible with the widely held notion that the discharges of C1 cells contribute to resting sympathetic tone (14, 18, 20, 21). Finally, the activity of baroinsensitive (nonvasomotor) splanchnic efferents might have been enhanced by anti-Dbeta H-Sap, causing the increase in the percentage of resting SNA remaining at saturation of the baroreflex.

In contrast, rats treated with IgG-Sap displayed no detectable change in any of the measured physiological variables compared with unoperated controls. Accordingly, the nonselective damage produced by anti-Dbeta H-Sap in the upper thoracic spinal cord could not have caused the changes observed when this saporin conjugate was injected. Thus the selective depletion of bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons is the most likely explanation for the altered baroreflex responses observed in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. These results suggest that bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons may contribute to the efficacy of baroreceptor-mediated changes in SNA but do not provide the essential signal for these changes.

Intravenous administration of phenyl biguanide, a selective agonist of 5-HT3 receptors, activates cardiopulmonary chemosensitive vagal afferents to produce marked reductions in HR, SNA, and MAP. This pattern of responses, known as the Bezold-Jarisch reflex, is mediated in large part by the inhibition of RVLM presympathetic neurons (30), including C1 and non-C1 cells (31). In the present study, the magnitudes of phenyl biguanide-induced decreases in SNA, AP, and HR were not altered by treatment with anti-Dbeta H-Sap or IgG-Sap. These data suggest that, in the absence of the majority of bulbospinal C1 cells, inhibition of the remaining presympathetic non-C1 neurons by phenyl biguanide decreases SNA to produce a comparable decrease in MAP. Furthermore, preservation of this reflex suggests that the RVLM likely continues to be a source of tonic excitatory drive to sympathetic vasomotor neurons.

Effect of anti-Dbeta H-Sap on cyanide-induced sympathoexcitation. In vagotomized rats anesthetized with urethan, intravenously administered cyanide or brief inhalation of 100% nitrogen elicits a marked increase in SNA that is dependent on intact carotid chemoreceptors (7, 12). We assume that under alpha -chloralose anesthesia the initial excitatory component of the sympathetic nerve response to cyanide is also due, at least in part, to activation of carotid chemoreceptors. Although alpha -chloralose produces an anesthetized preparation that is excellent for examining sympathetic responses to phenyl biguanide and changes in AP, this anesthetic was found to be less than optimal for producing a sympathetic response to cyanide. In any case, the virtual abolition of the cyanide-induced increase in SNA in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap suggests that the carotid chemoreflex is especially sensitive to the lesion of bulbospinal catecholaminergic cell groups. This observation is consistent with prior evidence that A5 and C1 cells make a significant contribution to the chemoreflex. Microinjection of muscimol into the A5 region reduces the carotid chemoreflex-induced increase in SNA by 54-82% (11), and this sympathetic reflex also clearly relies on the excitation of a subset of the RVLM presympathetic neurons (13, 28). Although the RVLM neurons were not phenotypically identified in these two studies, it is likely that some of the excitatory responses were elicited from presympathetic C1 cells. Briefly, prior evidence suggests that bulbospinal A5 and C1 cells play a role in the sympathoexcitation produced by stimulation of peripheral chemoreceptors. These observations are consistent with the marked attenuation of cyanide-induced sympathoexcitation seen in the present study in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap.

Perspectives

In the absence of the vast majority of bulbospinal catecholaminergic neurons, rats continued to have a normal AP and HR. Although changes in resting sympathetic vasomotor tone are difficult to accurately determine, rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap clearly maintained a measurable sympathetic nerve activity under anesthesia. Their SNA was modulated by baroreceptor inputs, with an MAP50 comparable to that of intact rats, and it was inhibited normally by the stimulation of cardiopulmonary chemosensitive afferents. The discrepancy between the magnitude of the destruction of the C1 and A5 cells and the relatively modest consequences of these lesions on basal sympathetic tone and cardiopulmonary reflexes suggests at least three alternative explanations. First, anti-Dbeta H-Sap may have caused only minor alterations, because terminal sprouting from the few remaining bulbospinal C1 cells combined with other adaptive changes in the spinal cord to compensate for the loss of a majority of the C1 cells. However, this explanation is not likely, because the rats with near-total elimination of C1 cells displayed a physiology that was indistinguishable from those with slightly less effective lesions. Furthermore, compensation by remaining C1 cells would not be expected to maintain most sympathetic reflexes with a specific reduction in the sympathetic response to cyanide. A second interpretation is that seemingly normal sympathetic function is observed after lesions of the C1 neurons, because a brain stem area other than the RVLM now maintains sympathetic outflow. However, this explanation would require that inhibition of sympathetic outflow by increased AP or phenyl biguanide is mediated through central sites beyond the RVLM in rats treated with anti-Dbeta H-Sap. A third interpretation is that basal sympathetic tone generation and inhibitory cardiopulmonary reflexes (baroreflex and Bezold-Jarisch reflex) rely in large part on the activity of the noncatecholaminergic presympathetic neurons of the RVLM (14, 21) rather than on the discharges of the bulbospinal catecholaminergic cells. Indeed, there is substantial evidence that the non-C1 presympathetic neurons in the RVLM are unaffected by anti-Dbeta H-Sap (Figs. 2 and 3) (15). The lesion of up to 94% of spinally projecting C1 cells may thus leave a sufficient number of non-C1 presympathetic neurons intact to maintain an apparently normal sympathetic tone and AP at rest. In contrast, when the sympathetic system is vigorously activated (e.g., by the carotid chemoreflex), deficits become readily apparent. Thus the presympathetic C1 neurons may play a subordinate role in the generation of sympathetic vasomotor tone by the RVLM under resting conditions but provide essential enhancement of this drive during activation of the sympathetic nervous system.


    ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS

This work was supported by National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute Grant HL-28785.


    FOOTNOTES

Address for reprint requests and other correspondence: P. G. Guyenet, Dept. of Pharmacology, University of Virginia Health System, PO Box 800735, 1300 Jefferson Park Ave., Charlottesville, VA 22908 (E-mail: pgg{at}virginia.edu).

The costs of publication of this article were defrayed in part by the payment of page charges. The article must therefore be hereby marked "advertisement" in accordance with 18 U.S.C. §1734 solely to indicate this fact.

Received 21 December 1999; accepted in final form 14 March 2000.


    REFERENCES
TOP
ABSTRACT
INTRODUCTION
MATERIALS AND METHODS
RESULTS
DISCUSSION
REFERENCES

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Am J Physiol Regul Integr Comp Physiol 279(2):R729-R742
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