Cardiovascular responses to V1-vasopressinergic antagonism in conscious versus anesthetized rats

Experiments were performed to compare the possible effect of endogenous arginine vasopressin on renal hemodynamics between anesthetized, surgically stressed rats and conscious rats. Animals were instrumented with arterial and venous catheters as well as with a pulsed Doppler flow probe on the left renal artery. The rats were studied under the following conditions: (1) conscious and unrestrained; (2) anesthetized only; (3) anesthetized with minor surgical stress; and (4) anesthetized with major surgical stress. Two anesthetic agents were also compared, a mixture of ketamine (110 mg/kg i.m.) and acepromazine (1 mg/kg i.m.), and sodium pentobarbital (50 mg/kg i.p.). Baseline mean arterial blood pressure was significantly higher in pentobarbital-anesthetized rats following surgical stress compared with conscious animals, but blood pressure was not affected by ketamine-acepromazine anesthesia. After baseline measurements of blood pressure, heart rate, and renal blood flow, a specific V1-vasopressinergic antagonist (d(CH2)5Tyr(Me) arginine vasopressin, 10 mg/kg i.v.) was administered to each group. Mean arterial blood pressure, heart rate, and renal blood flow were monitored for an additional 15 min. Mean arterial blood pressure and renal blood flow decreased after V1 antagonism in ketamine-acepromazine-anesthetized rats with major surgical stress, but were not affected in pentobarbital-anesthetized animals. Heart rate and renal vascular resistance were not affected following V1 blockade with either anesthetic agent. These data suggest that arginine vasopressin plays a role in maintaining blood pressure and renal perfusion in ketamine-acepromazine-anesthetized rats following surgical stress, but does not have a significant effect on renal hemodynamics under pentobarbital anesthesia.