Vascular reactivity in perinatally undernourished rats

Adult rats submitted to perinatal protein deprivation (from day 14 of fetal life till 50 days of age) followed by a longer phase of nutritional recovery on balanced laboratory chow, showed a significant decrease of the pressor response elicited by noradrenaline and adrenaline, an effect that persisted after ganglionic blockade by hexamethonium. However, the effects of serotonin, acetylcholine, angiotensin II and vasopressin on blood pressure did not differ from those in the controls. Cumulative dose-response curves to noradrenaline and methoxamine on the circular contraction of isolated iliac arteries showed a significant shift to the right, together with a reduction in the maximal contraction. No significant difference in the maximal contraction elicited by Ba2+ was observed in experimental preparations as compared with controls. These results suggest the development of a specific subsensitivity to sympathetic drugs in the vascular bed as a consequence on undernutrition during perinatal life.