Blood pressure regulation in baroreceptor-denervated rats

1. Arterial baroreceptor denervation produces acute hypertension, but chronically denervated animals have an average arterial pressure that is similar to that of baroreceptor intact animals. 2. Although cardiopulmonary baroreceptors and renal compensations have been suggested to mediate the restoration of a normal average arterial pressure in sino-aortic denervated rats, such mechanisms are inconsistent with the available data. 3. At present the processes involved in the restoration and long-term maintenance of a normal average arterial pressure in chronic baroreceptor denervated animals are not known. An understanding of the regulation of arterial pressure that occurs in the absence of arterial baroreceptor reflexes may provide important new insights into the mechanisms underlying the long-term regulation of arterial pressure.