Neurophysiological effects of substance P in primate hypertension models. Preliminary report

Peripheral administration of the neuropeptide Substance P (SP) in rhesus monkeys and baboons caused a long lasting decrease in blood pressure, accompanied by a gradual normalization function of stress-induced bioelectrical activity changes in brain structures, relevant for cardiovascular regulation (frontal cortex, ncl. raphe, locus coeruleus). In addition, SP was found to normalize the disturbed interaction of brain structures of both hemispheres. Use of SP as a putative agent to treat essential hypertension in humans needs further studies.