Cardiovascular and steroid responses to graded haemorrhage in rats with adrenal regeneration hypertension

Abstract Blood pressure (BP) and plasma steroid responses to haemorrhage (2 ml + 1 ml + 1 ml at 20-min intervals) were assessed in sham-operated (SO) rats and in rats with adrenal regeneration hypertension (ARH). Experiments were carried out between 0700 and 1000 h (a.m.) and between 1400 and 1700 h (p.m.), because rats with ARH have BPs that are higher a.m. than p.m. There were no differences in the BP responses following haemorrhage in SO or ARH rats either a.m. or p.m., although ARH rats were unable to increase their plasma steroid levels. Pretreatment with captopril alone, d(CH(2))(5) DAVP alone, or captopril and d(CH(2))(5)DAVP augmented the early hypotensive responses to haemorrhage but did not influence the later compensated levels of BP in either group of rats. There were no clear-cut a.m. to p.m. differences in the changes in BP in any of the drug-treated groups of SO or ARH rats. Under all conditions studied, the compensated level of systolic BP in ARH rats, 20 min after the final bleed, remained higher a.m. than p.m., indicating that this difference was not dependent on the renin-angiotensin system and vasopressin and suggesting that the sympathetic nervous system and/or other factors might be involved.