Participation of galanin in baroreflex inhibition of heart rate by hypothalamic PVN in rat

We investigated the role of galanin (Gal) in the suppression of baroreceptor reflex (ERR) response by the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVN) in adult male Sprague-Dawley rats that were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium. Electrical stimulation (10-s train of 1-ms rectangular pulses at 20-40 mu A and 10-20 Hz) of, and microinjection of L-glutamate (1 nmol) into, the PVN significantly inhibited ERR response to transient hypertension induced by phenylephrine (5 mu g/kg iv). Such a PVN-induced ERR suppression was appreciably antagonized by local administration of Gal antiserum (1:20), but not heat-inactivated Gal antiserum (1:20), to the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) bilaterally. Microinjection of Gal (100 pmol) into the NTS bilaterally also resulted in a Gal antiserum-reversible inhibition of the ERR response. Immunohistochemical results demonstrated that the distribution of Gal-containing neurons in the parvocellular subnucleus of the PVN overlapped substantially with the hypothalamic loci on which electrical or chemical activation elicited suppression of the ERR response that was significantly blunted by microinjection of Gal antiserum into the NTS. These results suggest that the PVN may participate in central cardiovascular regulation by suppressing the ERR response via galaninergic neurotransmission at the NTS.