Distribution of the endogenous digitalis-like substance (EDLS)-containing neurons labeled by digoxin antibody in hypothalamus and three circumventricular organs of dog and macaque

Na+, K+-ATPase α Isoforms and Endogenous Cardiac Steroids in Prefrontal Cortex of Bipolar Patients and Controls

Bipolar disorder is a chronic multifactorial psychiatric illness that affects the mood, cognition, and functioning of about 1–2% of the world’s population. Its biological basis is unknown, and its treatment is unsatisfactory. The α1, α2, and α3 isoforms of the Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase, an essential membrane transporter, are vital for neuronal and glial function. The enzyme and its regulators, endogenous cardiac steroids like ouabain and marinobufagenin, are implicated in neuropsychiatric disorders, bipolar disorder in particular. Here, we address the hypothesis that the α isoforms of the Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase and its regulators are altered in the prefrontal cortex of bipolar disease patients. The α isoforms were determined by Western blot and ouabain and marinobufagenin by specific and sensitive immunoassays. We found that the α2 and α3 isoforms were significantly higher and marinobufagenin levels were significantly lower in the prefrontal cortex of the bipolar disease patients compared with those in the control. A positive correlation was found between the levels of the three α isoforms in all samples and between the α1 isoform and ouabain levels in the controls. These results are in accordance with the notion that the Na⁺, K⁺-ATPase-endogenous cardiac steroids system is involved in bipolar disease and suggest that it may be used as a target for drug development.

Crossreaction with an Anti-Bax Antibody Reveals Novel Multi-endocrine Cellular Antigen

We found a novel protein that has crossreactivity with a polyclonal anti-Bax antibody (SCBAX antibody). The protein was localized exclusively in the endocrine cells of hypothalamus, pituitary gland, and pancreatic islets. Immunohistochemical (IHC) double labeling revealed that the cells showing crossreactivity with this antibody corresponded precisely to oxytocin neurons and ACTH, α-MSH, and glucagon cells in rat and gerbil. By immunoelectron microscopy, the protein was localized predominantly in and just around the secretory granules in the cytoplasm but not in the mitochondria. Double-labeling IHC with the anti-Bax SCBAX antibody and two anti-Bax monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) showed that cells stained with the anti-Bax SCBAX antibody were not stained with anti-Bax MAbs except for very few cells (probably apoptotic cells). Western blotting analysis revealed that the molecular mass of the protein was ∼55 kD, which differs from that of Bax protein (21 kD). These findings indicate that the anti-Bax SCBAX antibody recognizes not only proapoptotic Bax protein (a 21-kD mitochondrial protein) but also an unknown substance present in one endocrine cell group in each endocrine organ. Therefore, the protein is designated as multi-endocrine cellular antigen (MECA). MECA is probably a 55-kD protein secreted from the particular differentiated cell groups of endocrine tissues. (J Histochem Cytochem 52:805–812, 2004)

Natriuretic hormones in brain function

Natriuretic hormones (NH) include three groups of compounds: the natriuretic peptides (ANP, BNP and CNP), the gastrointestinal peptides (guanylin and uroguanylin), and endogenous cardiac steroids. These substances induce the kidney to excrete sodium and therefore participate in the regulation of sodium and water homeostasis, blood volume, and blood pressure (BP). In addition to their peripheral functions, these hormones act as neurotransmitters or neuromodulators in the brain. In this review, the established information on the biosynthesis, release and function of NH is discussed, with particular focus on their role in brain function. The available literature on the expression patterns of each of the NH and their receptors in the brain is summarized, followed by the evidence for their roles in modulating brain function. Although numerous open questions exist regarding this issue, the available data support the notion that NH participate in the central regulation of BP, neuroprotection, satiety, and various psychiatric conditions, including anxiety, addiction, and depressive disorders. In addition, the interactions between the different NH in the periphery and the brain are discussed.

Actions of circulating angiotensin II and aldosterone in the brain contributing to hypertension

In the past 1-2 decades, it has become apparent that the brain renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) plays a crucial role in the regulation of blood pressure (BP) by the circulating RAAS. In the brain, angiotensinergic sympatho-excitatory pathways do not contribute to acute, second-to-second regulation but play a major role in the more chronic regulation of the setpoint for sympathetic tone and BP. Increases in plasma angiotensin II (Ang II) or aldosterone and in cerebrospinal fluid [Na(+)] can directly activate these pathways and chronically further activate/maintain enhanced activity by a slow neuromodulatory pathway involving local aldosterone, mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs), epithelial sodium channels, and endogenous ouabain. Blockade of any step in this slow pathway prevents Ang II-, aldosterone-, or salt and renal injury-induced forms of hypertension. It appears that the renal and arterial actions of circulating aldosterone and Ang II act as amplifiers but are not sufficient to cause chronic hypertension if their central actions are prevented, except perhaps at high concentrations. From a clinical perspective, oral treatment with an angiotensin type 1 (AT1)-receptor blocker at high doses can cause central AT1-receptor blockade and, in humans, lower sympathetic nerve activity. Low doses of the MR blocker spironolactone appear sufficient to cause central MR blockade and a decrease in sympathetic nerve activity. Integrating the brain actions of the circulating RAAS with its direct renal and arterial actions provides a better framework to understand the role of the circulating RAAS in the pathophysiology of hypertension and heart failure and to direct therapeutic strategies.

Upregulation of the Renin-Angiotensin-aldosterone-ouabain system in the brain is the core mechanism in the genesis of all types of hypertension

Basic research using animal models points to a causal role of the central nervous system in essential hypertension; however, since clinical research is technically difficult to perform, this connection has not been confirmed in humans. Recently, renal nerve ablation in humans proved to continuously decrease blood pressure in resistant hypertension. Furthermore, when electrical stimulation was continuously applied to the carotid baroreceptor nerve of human adults, their blood pressure lowered. These findings promoted the concept that the central nervous system may actually be involved in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension, which is closely associated with excess sodium intake. We have demonstrated that endogenous digitalis plays a key role in hypertension associated with excess sodium intake via sympathetic activation in rats. Increased sodium concentration inside the brain activates epithelial sodium channels and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system in the brain. Aldosterone releases ouabain from neurons in the paraventricular nucleus in the hypothalamus. Angiotensin II and aldosterone of peripheral origin reach the brain to augment sympathetic outflow. Collectively essential hypertension associated with excess sodium intake and obesity, renovascular hypertension, and primary aldosteronism and pseudoaldosteronism all seem to have a common cause originating from the central nervous system.

Central neuromodulatory pathways regulating sympathetic activity in hypertension

The classical neurotransmitters, glutamate and GABA, mediate fast (milliseconds) synaptic transmission and modulate its effectiveness through slow (seconds to minutes) signaling processes. Angiotensinergic pathways, from the lamina terminalis to the paraventricular nucleus (PVN)/supraoptic nucleus and rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM), are activated by stimuli such as circulating angiotensin type II (Ang II), cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sodium ion concentration ([Na(+)]), and possibly plasma aldosterone, leading to sympathoexcitation, largely by decreasing GABA and increasing glutamate release. The aldosterone-endogenous ouabain (EO) pathway is a much slower neuromodulatory pathway. Aldosterone enhances EO release, and the latter increases chronic activity in angiotensinergic pathways by, e.g., increasing expression for Ang I receptor (AT(1)R) and NADPH oxidase subunits in the PVN. Blockade of this pathway does not affect the initial sympathoexcitatory and pressor responses but to a large extent, prevents chronic responses to CSF [Na(+)] or Ang II. Recruitment of these two neuromodulatory pathways allows the central nervous system (CNS) to shift gears to rapidly cause and sustain sympathetic hyperactivity in an efficient manner. Decreased GABA release, increased glutamate release, and enhanced AT(1)R activation in, e.g., the PVN and RVLM contribute to the elevated blood pressure in a number of hypertension models. In Dahl S rats and spontaneous hypertensive rats, high salt activates the CNS aldosterone-EO pathway, and the salt-induced hypertension can be prevented/reversed by specific CNS blockade of any of the steps in the cascade from aldosterone synthase to AT(1)R. Further studies are needed to advance our understanding of how and where in the brain these rapid, slow, and very slow CNS pathways are activated and interact in models of hypertension and other disease states associated with chronic sympathetic hyperactivity.

The central mechanism underlying hypertension: a review of the roles of sodium ions, epithelial sodium channels, the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, oxidative stress and endogenous digitalis in the brain

The central nervous system has a key role in regulating the circulatory system by modulating the sympathetic and parasympathetic nervous systems, pituitary hormone release, and the baroreceptor reflex. Digoxin- and ouabain-like immunoreactive materials were found >20 years ago in the hypothalamic nuclei. These factors appeared to localize to the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei and the nerve fibers at the circumventricular organs and supposed to affect electrolyte balance and blood pressure. The turnover rate of these materials increases with increasing sodium intake. As intracerebroventricular injection of ouabain increases blood pressure via sympathetic activation, an endogenous digitalis-like factor (EDLF) was thought to regulate cardiovascular system-related functions in the brain, particularly after sodium loading. Experiments conducted mainly in rats revealed that the mechanism of action of ouabain in the brain involves sodium ions, epithelial sodium channels (ENaCs) and the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS), all of which are affected by sodium loading. Rats fed a high-sodium diet develop elevated sodium levels in their cerebrospinal fluid, which activates ENaCs. Activated ENaCs and/or increased intracellular sodium in neurons activate the RAAS; this releases EDLF in the brain, activating the sympathetic nervous system. The RAAS promotes oxidative stress in the brain, further activating the RAAS and augmenting sympathetic outflow. Angiotensin II and aldosterone of peripheral origin act in the brain to activate this cascade, increasing sympathetic outflow and leading to hypertension. Thus, the brain Na(+)-ENaC-RAAS-EDLF axis activates sympathetic outflow and has a crucial role in essential and secondary hypertension. This report provides an overview of the central mechanism underlying hypertension and discusses the use of antihypertensive agents.

An ouabain-like factor is secreted from immortalized hypothalamic cells in an aldosterone-dependent manner

Ouabain-like factor (OLF) modulates blood pressure via sodium pump inhibition in the central nervous system and in the peripheral circulation. Ouabain-like factor (OLF) is thought to be produced in the adrenal gland and hypothalamus, and it may relate locally to the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system. However, the evidence for the latter was obtained from in vivo experiments using animals. In the present study, we investigated ouabain production in the immortalized hypothalamic cell line N1. First, cell culture supernatant was collected from the immortalized hypothalamic cell line N1 at 0.5, 4, 8, and 24 h. A newly developed enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) that used anti-ouabain antibody showed that immunoreactivity in the supernatant was increased significantly at 24 vs. 0.5 h (0.01±0.004 vs. 0.16±0.033 pmol/mg protein, p<0.01). A combination of HPLC and ELISA was used to characterize N1 cell-derived OLI, showing that the highest peak of OLI had the same retention time as authentic ouabain. Thereafter, N1 cells were cultured with (1-10 μM) aldosterone, and supernatant was collected after 24 h of culture. In addition, N1 cells were cultured with 5 μM eplerenone, a mineralocorticoid receptor blocker, plus aldosterone. OLI was significantly increased in the supernatant of the cells cultured with 10 μM aldosterone (0.40±0.078 pmol/mg protein), and this increase was abolished by the addition of the aldosterone antagonist eplerenone (0.12±0.030 pmol/mg protein). These data suggest that the immortalized hypothalamic N1 cells secrete OLF and that aldosterone stimulates its secretion via mineralocorticoid receptors.

Mechanisms in the PVN mediating local and central sodium-induced hypertension in Wistar rats

Sympathoexcitatory and hypertensive responses to central infusion of Na(+)-rich artificial cerebrospinal fluid (aCSF) are enhanced by aldosterone and mediated by mineralocorticoid receptors (MRs) and benzamil-blockable Na(+) influx, leading to "ouabain" release and ANG II type 1 (AT(1)) receptor stimulation. The present study evaluated the functional role of these mechanisms in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN). In conscious Wistar rats, Na(+)-rich aCSF was infused either directly into the PVN or intracerebroventricularly preceded by aldosterone and blockers. Infusion of Na(+)-rich aCSF in the PVN caused gradual increases in blood pressure (BP) and heart rate (HR). Aldosterone and a subpressor dose of ouabain in the PVN alone did not affect BP and HR but enhanced responses to Na(+). Eplerenone, benzamil, and "ouabain"-binding Fab fragments only blocked the enhancement by aldosterone, whereas losartan blocked all responses to Na(+)-rich aCSF in the PVN. Increases in BP and HR by intracerebroventricular infusion of Na(+)-rich aCSF were enhanced by aldosterone infused intracerebroventricularly, but not in the PVN. Telmisartan in the PVN again blocked all responses. In contrast, both eplerenone and benzamil in the PVN did not change the pressor responses to intracerebroventricular infusion of aldosterone and Na(+)-rich aCSF. These findings indicate that AT(1) receptors in the PVN mediate the responses to Na(+)-rich aCSF and their enhancement by aldosterone, both locally in the PVN or in the general CSF. MRs, benzamil-blockable Na(+) channels or transporters, and "ouabain" can be functionally active in the PVN, but in Wistar rats appear not to contribute to the pressor responses to short-term increases in CSF [Na(+)].

ETA endothelin receptors are involved in the ouabain-induced haemodynamic effects in the periaqueductal gray area of rats

The aim of the present study was to asses the effects on blood pressure and vascular resistances elicited by microinjections of ouabain (OUA) within the periaqueductal gray area (PAG). We also tested whether peripheral vascular responses caused by exogenous intra-PAG ouabain involve activation of the PAG-endothelin system. In normotensive Sprague-Dawley rats the basal mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) was 114 +/- 3 mmHg. This was significantly increased by OUA (3 micro g, 122 +/- 2 mmHg, p < 0.05; and 6 micro g, 139 +/- 3 mmHg, p < 0.01) microinjected into the PAG area. Increases in MABP were associated with increases in total peripheral resistances (TPR), organ vascular resistances, and with reduced blood flow of almost all the organs tested: kidneys, skeletal muscle, skin, stomach, spleen, testes and intestine. Cardiac output did not change. Changes in the above vascular parameters induced by OUA were significantly (p < 0.01) reduced by intra-PAG microinjections of FR139317 (a selective ETA receptor antagonist, 5 nmol), SB209670 (a non-selective ETA/ETB receptor antagonist, 3 nmol), but not by BQ 788 (a selective ETB receptor antagonist, 5 nmol). In conclusion, OUA into the PAG area of normotensive rats caused significant changes in peripheral vascular parameters that are reduced by ETA receptor antagonists. These results indicate that PAG-ET-1 system via an action on ETA receptors is involved in the OUA effects.

Changes in brain Na, K-ATPase isoform expression and enzymatic activity after aortic constriction

The objective of the present study was to test the hypothesis that brain Na, K-ATPase expression and/or activity is altered following an increase in blood pressure produced by constriction of the abdominal aorta just proximal to the renal arteries. A suprarenal constriction (SRC) was made to conform to the diameter of a 19-gauge (19-G) or 20-gauge (20-G) needle, while in a sham-operated group (Sham) the aorta was exposed surgically but not constricted. Within 1 week of SRC, mean arterial pressure was increased and remained elevated at 4 weeks post surgery. At 1 week, whole-brain Na, K-ATPase mRNA levels were depressed for all isoforms (alpha1 approximately beta1>alpha2>alpha3). No changes were observed in the hypothalamus. At 4 weeks, the mRNA levels of all alpha isoforms were significantly increased in the whole brain and these changes were paralleled by an increase of alpha2 and alpha3 transcript in the hypothalamus. beta1 mRNA expression was increased in the hypothalamus only. The alpha-isoform protein expression generally changed in the same direction as mRNA changes at both 1 and 4 weeks, as did alpha1 enzyme activity at 1 week and the combined alpha2/alpha3 enzyme activities at 4 weeks. Since inhibition of brain Na, K-ATPase increases sympathetic nervous system (SNS) activity and blood pressure, the decreases in brain Na, K-ATPase expression and activity at 1 week post SRC may contribute to the hypertension during its developmental phase, while the increase in the alpha2/alpha3 brain expression and activity at 4 weeks may be a compensatory response to established hypertension.

Marinobufagenin (MBG) suppression of ethanol-seeking behavior is associated with inhibition of brain cortex Na/K-ATPase in mice

In the present study the hypothesis was tested that sodium pump ligands (SPL) can modulate alcohol-seeking behavior and that this effect is related to changes in Na/K-ATPase activity in the central nervous system. Mice were tested for initiation of ethanol intravenous self-administration (IVSA) following i.p. pretreatment with vehicle or the endogenous SPL, marinobufagenin (MBG). Drug- and experimentally-naive mice acquired IVSA of 2% ethanol during a single 30-min session. MBG was found to dose-dependently attenuate (1.25-2.5 microg/kg) initiation of ethanol IVSA producing a decrease in the ratio and in the difference between operant responses of response-dependent and yoked animals as well as a decrease in percentage of mice demonstrating ethanol-seeking behavior. Attenuation of the reinforcing effect of ethanol resulting from MBG was associated with brain levels of this steroid capable of concurrently inhibiting Na/K-ATPase in the brain cortex. We hypothesize that endogenous digitalis-like factors could modulate the reinforcing effect of ethanol.

Endogenous digitalis-like ligands of the sodium pump: possible involvement in mood control and ethanol addiction

This review addresses possible involvement of endogenous digitalis-like sodium pump ligands (SPL) in the mood control and ethanol addiction. Endogenous SPL include cardenolide and bufadienolide classes. Multiple SPL and multiple isoforms of the Na/K-ATPase, one of the key membrane enzymes, comprise a complex regulatory system. In the nervous system, pattern of expression of Na/K-ATPase is based on multiple alpha/beta isoform combinations. Clinical studies demonstrate changes in the activity of Na/K-ATPase in patients with bipolar and unipolar mood disorders. The effects of ethanol on the Na/K-ATPase are concentration-dependent and are associated with both inhibition and activation of enzyme activity. Reinforcing effect of ethanol as well as its voluntary consumption may be affected by digitalis glycosides and endogenous SPL.

The hypothalamus and hypertension

Most forms of hypertension are associated with a wide variety of functional changes in the hypothalamus. Alterations in the following substances are discussed: catecholamines, acetylcholine, angiotensin II, natriuretic peptides, vasopressin, nitric oxide, serotonin, GABA, ouabain, neuropeptide Y, opioids, bradykinin, thyrotropin-releasing factor, vasoactive intestinal polypeptide, tachykinins, histamine, and corticotropin-releasing factor. Functional changes in these substances occur throughout the hypothalamus but are particularly prominent rostrally; most lead to an increase in sympathetic nervous activity which is responsible for the rise in arterial pressure. A few appear to be depressor compensatory changes. The majority of the hypothalamic changes begin as the pressure rises and are particularly prominent in the young rat; subsequently they tend to fluctuate and overall to diminish with age. It is proposed that, with the possible exception of the Dahl salt-sensitive rat, the hypothalamic changes associated with hypertension are caused by renal and intrathoracic cardiopulmonary afferent stimulation. Renal afferent stimulation occurs as a result of renal ischemia and trauma as in the reduced renal mass rat. It is suggested that afferents from the chest arise, at least in part, from the observed increase in left auricular pressure which, it is submitted, is due to the associated documented impaired ability to excrete sodium. It is proposed, therefore, that the hypothalamic changes in hypertension are a link in an integrated compensatory natriuretic response to the kidney's impaired ability to excrete sodium.

Identification of endogenous ouabain in culture supernatant of PC12 cells

OBJECTIVE

Ouabain-like factor (OLF), assayed as ouabain-like immunoreactivity (OLI), is thought to represent an endogenous digitalis-like factor. We found increased plasma OLI during the surgical removal of a pheochromocytoma. The elution volume of the OLI extracted from plasma and the pheochromocytoma tissue was the same as that for authentic ouabain, using reverse phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The present study was performed to characterize OLF from the culture supernatant of a rat pheochromocytoma cell line, PC12 cells.

DESIGN

OLI from culture supernatant and chromatographic fractions were assayed by a sensitive enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay for ouabain. PC12 cells, subcultured in RPMI 1640 with 10% horse serum and 5% fetal bovine serum, were washed, and then cultured in Iscove's modified Dulbecco's medium (Life Technologies, Rockville, Maryland, USA) with 0.4% bovine serum albumin (without serum). Progesterone was added to augment the production or secretion of OLI. The conditioned medium was acidified to dissociate the binding protein, and OLI was purified by five steps of octadecylsilane (ODS) column chromatography. The structural identity of this OLI was determined by liquid chromatography and mass spectrometry (LC/MS).

RESULTS

OLI in the culture medium increased after addition of progesterone in a dose-dependent manner. The concentration in the culture medium was approximately double of that in homogenized PC12 cells. After five rounds of ODS column chromatography, approximately 100 ng of OLI was purified from 21 of culture supernatant, without fetal calf serum, in the presence of progesterone. The molecular size of purified OLI was found to be identical to authentic ouabain, based on analysis by LC/ MS.

CONCLUSION

Mammalian cells originating from a rat pheochromocytoma cell line were found to produce and/or secrete OLF by the addition of progesterone.

Brain renin-angiotensin system and ouabain-induced sympathetic hyperactivity and hypertension in Wistar rats

In Dahl salt-sensitive rats on a high salt diet or normotensive rats with chronic central infusion of sodium, increased brain "ouabain" results in sympathetic hyperactivity and hypertension, possibly by activating the brain renin-angiotensin system. In the present study, we tested whether the hypertension caused by exogenous ouabain also depends on activation of brain renin-angiotensin system. In Wistar rats, ouabain (50 micrograms/d) was infused subcutaneously for 14 days with the use of osmotic minipumps. Concomitantly, in one group, the angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker losartan (1 mg/kg per day) was infused intracerebroventricularly. On day 15, mean arterial pressure, heart rate, central venous pressure, and renal sympathetic nerve activity were recorded in conscious rats at rest and in response to air-jet stress, intracerebroventricular injection of the alpha(2)-agonist guanabenz (25 and 75 micrograms) or angiotensin II (30 ng), acute volume expansion, and ramp changes of blood pressure by +/-50 mm Hg with phenylephrine and nitroprusside. Compared with control rats, in rats treated with ouabain, resting mean arterial pressure was significantly increased (111+/-4 versus 93+/-3 mm Hg; P<0.05), and increases or decreases in mean arterial pressure, heart rate, and renal sympathetic nerve activity in response to air stress or guanabenz were enhanced significantly. These effects of ouabain were prevented when losartan was given concomitantly. Maximal slopes of arterial baroreflex control of renal sympathetic nerve activity and heart rate tended to be decreased in ouabain-treated versus control rats and were significantly increased in ouabain-treated rats with versus without losartan. No differences in cardiopulmonary baroreflex function were detected. It seems that by day 14 to 15, the central effect of ouabain on baroreflex control prevails over its peripheral sensitizing effect on baroreceptors, leading to a tendency of desensitization. These results indicate that chronic administration of ouabain activates the brain renin-angiotensin system, resulting in decreased sympathoinhibition and increased sympathoexcitation, impairment of baroreflex function, and hypertension.

Ouabain- and central sodium-induced hypertension depend on the ventral anteroventral third ventricle region

To examine the role of the ventral anteroventral third ventricle (vAV3V) in the hypertension induced by chronic subcutaneous ouabain and intracerebroventricular hypertonic saline, neurons in this area were destroyed by microinjection of an excitotoxin, ibotenic acid. Sham-operated or lesioned Wistar rats were administered ouabain (50 microgram/day) or placebo for 3 wk from subcutaneously implanted controlled release pellets or artificial cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) or CSF containing 0.8 mol/l NaCl (5 microliter/h) infused intracerebroventricularly for 2 wk. At the end of the experiment, mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate at rest and in response to ganglionic blockade by intravenous hexamethonium (30 mg/kg) were assessed. In rats infused with hypertonic saline, responses to air jet stress were also assessed. Baseline MAP in sham-operated rats receiving intracerebroventricular hypertonic saline or subcutaneous ouabain was significantly higher than in control rats (115 +/- 1 vs. 97 +/- 3 and 121 +/- 3 vs. 103 +/- 3 mmHg, respectively). vAV3V lesions abolished the increase in MAP elicited by chronic infusion of hypertonic saline or administration of ouabain. Sham-operated rats treated with hypertonic saline or ouabain exhibited significantly enhanced decreases in MAP to hexamethonium, but lesioned rats did not. Rats infused with hypertonic saline demonstrated enhanced responses to air jet stress that were similar in sham-operated and lesioned rats. These results demonstrate that neurons in the vAV3V are essential for the hypertension induced by intracerebroventricular hypertonic saline and subcutaneous ouabain, possibly by increasing sympathetic tone. Cardiovascular responses to air jet stress appear not to be mediated by the vAV3V.

Both brain angiotensin II and "ouabain" contribute to sympathoexcitation and hypertension in Dahl S rats on high salt intake

-Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl S) and salt-resistant (Dahl R) rats from 5 to 9 weeks of age received a regular or high salt diet and concomitantly an intracerebroventricular infusion of the angiotensin type 1 blocker losartan (1 mg. kg-1. d-1) or antibody Fab fragments, which bind ouabain and related steroids with high affinity, or gamma-globulins as control (200 microg/d for both). At 9 weeks of age, blood pressure (BP), heart rate (HR), central venous pressure, and renal sympathetic nerve activity were recorded in conscious rats at rest and in response to air stress and to intracerebroventricular alpha2-agonist guanabenz (50 microg) and ouabain (0.5 microg). Baroreflex function was assessed by acute volume expansion with intravenous 5% dextrose and ramp changes of BP by +/-50 mm Hg induced by intravenous phenylephrine and sodium nitroprusside. In Dahl S but not R rats, high salt significantly increased BP and HR; enhanced BP, HR, and renal sympathetic nerve activity responses to air stress and guanabenz; and attenuated cardiopulmonary and arterial baroreflex control of renal sympathetic nerve activity and HR. Both losartan and Fab fragments prevented these responses to high salt to a similar extent in Dahl S rats but had no effect in Dahl R rats on high salt. Sympathoexcitatory responses to ouabain were attenuated in Dahl S on high versus regular salt and were abolished in Dahl R or S treated with losartan or Fab fragments. Consistent with previous studies in SHR, the present data indicate that in Dahl S on high salt, both brain "ouabain" and angiotensin II contribute to decreased sympathoinhibition and increased sympathoexcitation, impairment of baroreflex, and therefore hypertension.

Pattern of neuronal activation in rats with CHF after myocardial infarction

To identify neuronal populations possibly contributing to the sympathetic hyperactivity in rats with congestive heart failure (CHF) after myocardial infarction (MI), immunohistochemical detection of Fra-like immunoreactivity (Fra-LI) was used as a marker of long-term neuronal activation. In adult Wistar rats, 2 and 4 wk after left coronary artery ligation, left ventricular (LV) peak systolic pressure and LV end-diastolic pressure were measured, immediately followed by transcardial perfusion and removal of the heart and brain. The brains were processed using an antibody that recognizes Fos, FosB, Fra-1, and Fra-2 for the detection of Fra-LI and using an antibody that only recognizes Fos-like immunoreactivity (Fos-LI). At both 2 and 4 wk after large MI, LV peak systolic pressure was significantly decreased and LV end-diastolic pressure increased. At 2 wk post-MI or sham surgery, Fra-LI was observed in several areas of either group but was significantly higher in the MI versus the sham group in the magnocellular division of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN), supraoptic nucleus (SON), subfornical organ, and caudal part of the nucleus of the solitary tract. At 4 wk after large MI, Fra-LI was clearly detected in the parvocellular and magnocellular divisions of the PVN, SON, and locus ceruleus. Modest expression was noted in these nuclei in rats with small MI, whereas Fra-like positive immunoreactive neurons were barely detectable in the sham group 4 wk postsurgery. In these nuclei, the extent of expression of Fra-LI correlated significantly with the LV end-diastolic pressure. Fos-LI was only noted in the cerebral cortex. These results indicate clear activation of neurons as identified by Fra-LI in specific cardiovascular control centers in rats with CHF 2 and 4 wk post-MI.

Role of endogenous brain "ouabain" in the sympathoexcitatory and pressor effects of sodium

Endogenous cardiac glycoside inhibitors of the Na, K-ATPase (called "ouabain" here) with structures similar to plant ouabain have been isolated in several tissues, including the adrenal cortex and the brain. Recent studies have demonstrated that "ouabain" in the anteroventral third ventricle (AV3V) region of the hypothalamus mediates the sympathoexcitatory and pressor responses to a high sodium diet in Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl-S) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats. Although the mechanisms regulating the biosynthesis, release and deactivation of CNS "ouabain" remain unknown, the discovery of the importance of brain "ouabain" in cardiovascular regulation creates a novel path for the development of antihypertensive pharmacopeia.

Chronic activation of brain areas by high-sodium diet in Dahl salt-sensitive rats

To map changes in neuronal activity in the brains of Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl S) vs. salt-resistant (Dahl R) rats by high-sodium diet, we used immunohistochemical detection of Fra-like proteins as a marker for long-term neuronal activation. Compared with Dahl R rats during regular sodium intake, Dahl S rats showed modestly higher expression of Fra-like immunoreactivity (Fra-LI) in the supraoptic nucleus, anterior hypothalamic area (AHA), central gray, and nucleus of solitary tract (NTS) at 5,6, and 9 wk of age but clearly elevated Fra-LI in the magnocellular part of the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) at 6 wk of age (but not at 5 and 9 wk). In the median preoptic nucleus (MnPO) Fra-LI was lower at 9 wk of age and no differences were observed in the parvocellular PVN and subfornical organ in Dahl S vs. Dahl R rats on regular sodium intake. Compared with Dahl S rats on a regular-sodium diet, Dahl S rats on a high-sodium diet from 4 to 9 wk of age had significantly increased blood pressure and experienced transient activation of magnocellular PVN and MnPO and virtually no changes in the activity of the parvocellular PVN, AHA, and NTS. In contrast, Dahl R rats showed marked activation in the magnocellular PVN after 1 and 2 wk on a high-sodium diet compared with Dahl R rats on a regular-sodium diet. The present study demonstrates that Dahl S rats show differential activation of brain areas participating in regulation of osmotic and cardiovascular homeostasis during development of sodium-sensitive hypertension.

Brain "ouabain", a neurosteroid, mediates sympathetic hyperactivity in salt-sensitive hypertension

This review addresses recent developments in the neurobiology of an endogenous inhibitor of brain Na+, K+ - ATPase, "ouabain". "Ouabain" is present in hypothalamic and medullary neurons and mediates sympathoexcitatory and pressor responses to acute and chronic increases in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) sodium concentration as well as mediates the sympathoexcitatory and pressor responses to high dietary sodium intake in SHR and Dahl-S rats, and sympathetic hyperactivity in the congestive heart failure. Some of these actions of "ouabain" in the CNS take place in the median preoptic nucleus and ventral part of the AV3V region. Despite recent advances in unveiling a biological role for "ouabain" its structure, biosynthetic and metabolic pathways as well as actual control mechanisms remain unresolved.

Blot analyses and immunocytochemistry of neural antigens with digoxigenylated primary and secondary antibodies

While the digoxigenin-anti-digoxigenin (DIG) method is currently the preferred tool for non-radioactive in situ hybridization this study extends its application field to Western blotting of proteins and summarizes advantageous properties of digoxigenylated antibodies in immunocytochemistry. An established protocol for the preparation of digoxigenylated primary antibodies is complemented by dot blot analyses confirming the high sensitivity of hapten-anti-hapten techniques based on primary digoxigenylated antibodies. The comparative Western blot analysis of calcium-binding proteins in nervous tissue is used as an example to show the highly specific detection of relevant antigens with unmodified primary antibodies, digoxigenylated secondary antibodies and anti-digoxigenin-peroxidase conjugates. The application of the DIG technology seems to be especially indicated in tissues containing high amounts of endogenous biotin-bearing proteins which might induce false-positive staining in conventional streptavidin/biotin techniques. Finally, the previously shown suitability of digoxigenylated antibodies for different immunocytochemical procedures is completed here by examples for sensitive single immunoperoxidase staining of neural markers in rat brain and for carbocyanine double immunofluorescence labelling of senile plaques in old rhesus monkeys.

Excitotoxic lesions of the ventral anteroventral third ventricle and pressor responses to central sodium, ouabain and angiotensin II

To clarify the role of neurones in the anteroventral third ventricle (AV3V) area in cardiovascular responses to CSF sodium, ouabain and angiotensin II (ANG II), we employed excitotoxic lesions of the ventral AV3V (vAV3V). In conscious lesioned Wistar rats with systemic vasopressin blockade, pressor and tachycardiac responses to intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) artificial CSF containing 0.3 M NaCl or ouabain were significantly attenuated by 26-32% whereas responses to ANG II were not affected. Thus, in rats with systemic blockade of vasopressin mechanisms, the vAV3V region partially mediates acute pressor responses to i.c.v. sodium and ouabain but not to ANG II.

Brain 'ouabain' in the median preoptic nucleus mediates sodium-sensitive hypertension in spontaneously hypertensive rats

Pressor responses to an acute increase in cerebrospinal fluid sodium and exaggeration of the hypertension and sympathetic hyperreactivity in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) by high sodium diet involve release of brain "ouabain" and subsequent activation of the brain renin-angiotensin system. In the present study, we determined whether release of "ouabain" in the median preoptic nucleus participates in these responses. In conscious Wistar rats, the pressor and heart rate responses to central hypertonic saline (0.3 mol/L NaCl, 3.8 microL/min over 10 minutes) and ouabain (0.6 microgram) were compared after median preoptic nucleus injection of either gamma-globulins or Fab fragments binding ouabain and brain "ouabain" with high affinity. Microinjection of Fab fragments into the median preoptic nucleus abolished the pressor and tachycardic responses to central hypertonic saline and significantly reduced the pressor response to central ouabain. In SHR on high sodium, microinjection of Fab fragments into the median preoptic nucleus significantly decreased baseline blood pressure to a level not different from that in SHR on regular sodium (149 +/- 7 versus 145 +/- 5 mm Hg), whereas the enhanced responses to air stress were not affected. Our results support the concept that blood pressure responses to central hypertonic saline and exaggeration of the hypertension in SHR by high sodium diet depend on release of brain "ouabain" in the median preoptic nucleus.

Digoxigenylated primary antibodies for sensitive dual-peroxidase labelling of neural markers

This study extends the application of the digoxigenin-anti-digoxigenin (DIG) technique to immunocytochemistry by using digoxigenin-tagged primary antibodies. Certain features of this technique when applied to non-radioactive in situ hybridization, such as the absence of endogeneous digoxigenin immunoreactivity in animal tissues, seem to be advantageous also for its application to immunocytochemistry. Thus, the present work is focused on dual-peroxidase staining experiments based on digoxigenylated antibodies directed against glial fibrillary acidic protein, parvalbumin, and calbindin, in a straightforward combination with conventional cytochemical methods. The protocols include the concomitant detection of two antigens, for which only primary antibodies from one animal species are available, with differently haptenized antibodies (e.g., biotinylated anti-calbindin and digoxigenylated anti-parvalbumin). The versatility of the DIG technique is exemplified by the combination of lectin and immunocytochemical procedures for the detection of astrocytes and microglia, and the simultaneous visualization of perineuronal nets and parvalbumin-containing neurons in the rat brain.

Brain lesions induced by specific and non-specific inhibitors of sodium-potassium ATPase

The cytotoxicity in the brain of potent selective and non-selective inhibitors of Na+/K+ ATPase has been assessed. Following injection of cardiac glycosides into the dorsal hippocampus of rats, the extent of neuronal loss roughly paralleled their potencies as inhibitors of the enzyme. Dihydroouabain was less potent than ouabain as a cytotoxin by an order of magnitude, similar to their relative affinities for Na+/K+ ATPase. The non-specific inhibitors, melittin, erythrosin B and zinc (chloride) were less neurocytotoxic than the selective inhibitors having equivalent potencies. The toxicity of a low dose of ouabain appeared to be selective for neuronal perikarya as staining for acetylcholinesterase (present on the nerve terminals of the afferent cholinergic innervation) was unaffected. A higher dose of ouabain caused a non-specific necrosis including damage to the neuropil and a loss of cholinesterase staining. Concurrently, there was an invasion of the tissue by cells resembling foaming macrophages. Other inhibitors of the enzyme caused a mixed pathology with both types of responses evident. It is suggested that the pathological response may depend on the relative degrees to which the glial and neuronal activities of the enzyme are affected.