Cochlear blood flow autoregulation in Wistar-Kyoto rats

Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) were intra-arterially infused with angiotensin II (AII) or phenylephrine for 10 min. Both vasoactive compounds produced an initial increase in cochlear blood flow (CoBF) as measured by laser Doppler flowmetry, followed by a slow steady return to baseline, despite sustained elevations in systemic blood pressure. These results suggest autoregulation of CoBF in the WKY rat. In a second experiment. All was infused directly into the anterior inferior cerebellar artery (AICA) which feeds the cochlear artery. Significant reductions in CoBF were noted without changes in systemic blood pressure. Pretreatment with the specific angiotensin-receptor antagonist, sarthran (Sar1, Thr8-AII), diminished subsequent AII-induced reductions in CoBF. These results indicate that AII binding to vascular receptors may induce vasoconstriction in the supplying vessels of the cochlea, and thus, the interaction of blood-borne AII and vascular angiotensin receptors may participate in the autoregulation of CoBF.