eprintid: 1516682 rev_number: 33 eprint_status: archive userid: 608 dir: disk0/01/51/66/82 datestamp: 2016-09-24 22:48:59 lastmod: 2021-10-10 23:00:06 status_changed: 2016-09-24 22:48:59 type: article metadata_visibility: show creators_name: Turlejski, T creators_name: Humoud, I creators_name: Desai, R creators_name: Smith, KJ creators_name: Marina, N title: Immunohistochemical evidence of tissue hypoxia and astrogliosis in the rostral ventrolateral medulla of spontaneously hypertensive rats ispublished: pub divisions: UCL divisions: B02 divisions: C07 divisions: D07 divisions: F87 divisions: C10 divisions: D17 divisions: FI5 keywords: Science & Technology, Life Sciences & Biomedicine, Neurosciences, Neurosciences & Neurology, Hypoxia, Arterial hypertension, Sympathetic nervous system, Astrogliosis, SYMPATHETIC-NERVOUS-SYSTEM, NOREPINEPHRINE TURNOVER, BLOOD-PRESSURE, CONTRIBUTES, MECHANISMS, RESISTANCE, INFARCTION, DISEASE, Hypoxia, Arterial hypertension, Sympathetic nervous system, Astrogliosis note: © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Inc. This is an open access article under the CC BY license (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/). abstract: Increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system has been highlighted as a key factor that contributes to the development and maintenance of arterial hypertension. However, the factors that precipitate sustained increases in sympathetic activity remain poorly understood. Resting tissue oxygen partial pressure (PtO2) in the brainstem of anesthetized spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) has been shown to be lower than in normotensive rats despite normal levels of arterial PO2. A hypoxic environment in the brainstem has been postulated to activate astroglial signalling mechanisms in the rostral ventrolateral medulla (RVLM) which in turn increase the excitability of presympathetic neuronal networks. In this study, we assessed the expression of indirect markers of tissue hypoxia and astroglial cell activation in the RVLM of SHRs and age-matched normotensive Wistar rats. Immunohistochemical labelling for hypoxia-induced factor-1α (HIF-1α) and bound pimonidazole adducts revealed the presence of tissue hypoxia in the RVLM of SHRs. Double immunostaining showed co-localization of bound pimonidazole labelling in putative presympathetic C1 neurons and in astroglial cells. Quantification of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) immunofluorescence showed relatively higher number of astrocytes and increased GFAP mean grey value density, whilst semi-quantitative analysis of skeletonized GFAP-immunoreactive processes revealed greater % area covered by astrocytic processes in the RVLM of adult SHRs. In conclusion, the morphological findings of tissue hypoxia and astrogliosis within brainstem presympathetic neuronal networks in the SHR support previous observations, showing that low brainstem PtO2 and increased astroglial signalling in the RVLM play an important role in pathological sympathoexcitation associated with the development of arterial hypertension. date: 2016-11-01 date_type: published publisher: ELSEVIER SCIENCE BV official_url: http://dx.doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2016.09.012 oa_status: green full_text_type: pub language: eng primo: open primo_central: open_green article_type_text: Article verified: verified_manual elements_id: 1159348 doi: 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.09.012 language_elements: ENG lyricists_name: Desai, Roshni lyricists_name: Marina-Gonzalez, Nephtali lyricists_name: Smith, Kenneth lyricists_id: RDESA67 lyricists_id: NGMAR80 lyricists_id: KJSMI17 full_text_status: public publication: Brain Research volume: 1650 pagerange: 178-183 pages: 6 issn: 0006-8993 citation: Turlejski, T; Humoud, I; Desai, R; Smith, KJ; Marina, N; (2016) Immunohistochemical evidence of tissue hypoxia and astrogliosis in the rostral ventrolateral medulla of spontaneously hypertensive rats. Brain Research , 1650 pp. 178-183. 10.1016/j.brainres.2016.09.012 <https://doi.org/10.1016/j.brainres.2016.09.012>. Green open access document_url: https://discovery.ucl.ac.uk/id/eprint/1516682/1/1-s2.0-S0006899316306205-main.pdf