Effect of insulin on regional vascular resistances in conscious rats

In the rat, but not in humans and other mammals, chronic administration of insulin produces hypertension. The present aim was to determine the effect of acute insulin infusion on regional vascular resistances and to determine the neurogenic contribution to the response. Conscious rats were infused with insulin (2 or 6 mU/min) before and after ganglionic blockade with chlorisondamine (5 mg/kg). The low dose of insulin produced an increase in arterial pressure and hindquarter vascular resistance; the high dose produced a gradual decrease in arterial pressure and renal resistance. After ganglionic blockade, the hindquarter vasoconstriction produced by the low dose was abolished. The high dose of insulin produced both hindquarter and renal vasodilation. Thus the low dose of insulin had a selective neurogenic vasoconstrictor effect in rat skeletal muscle vascular beds. With higher doses, direct vasodilatory effects in both skeletal muscle and renal vascular beds appeared. This greater sensitivity of the sympathoexcitatory effects of insulin in rats may explain the ability of chronic insulin infusions to increase blood pressure in this species.