Training-induced pressure fall in spontaneously hypertensive rats is associated with reduced angiotensinogen mRNA expression within the nucleus tractus Solitarii

Knowing that exercise training reduces arterial pressure in hypertensive individuals and that pressure fall is accompanied by blockade of brain renin-angiotensin system, we sought to investigate whether training (T) affects central renin-angiotensin system. Spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto controls (WKY) were submitted to training or kept sedentary (S) for 3 months. After functional recordings, brain was removed and processed for autoradiography (brain stem sequential slices hybridized with 35S-oligodeoxynucleotide probes for angiotensinogen [Aogen] and angiotensin II type 1 [AT(1A)] receptors). Resting arterial pressure and heart rate were higher in SHRS (177 +/- 2 mm Hg, 357 +/- 12 bpm versus 121 +/- 1 mm Hg, 320 +/- 9 bpm in WKYS; P < 0.05). Training was equally effective to enhance treadmill performance and to cause resting bradycardia (-10%) in both groups. Training-induced blood pressure fall (-6.3%) was observed only in SHRT. In SHRS (versus WKYS) AT(1A) and Aogen mRNA expression were significantly increased within the NTS and area postrema (average of +67% and + 41% for AT(1A) and Aogen, respectively; P < 0.05) but unchanged in the gracilis nucleus. Training did not change AT(1A) expression but reduced NTS and area postrema Aogen mRNA densities specifically in SHRT (P < 0.05 versus SHRS, with values within the range of WKY groups). In SHRs, NTS Aogen mRNA expression was correlated with resting pressure (y = 5.95x + 41; r = 0.55; P < 0.05), with no significant correlation in the WKY group. Concurrent training-induced reductions of both Aogen mRNA expression in brain stem cardiovascular-controlling areas and mean arterial pressure only in SHRs suggest that training is as efficient as the renin-angiotensin blockers to reduce brain renin-angiotensin system overactivity and to decrease arterial pressure.