The Possible Role of Brain Angiotensin II in the Reduced Growth of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats

Authors

Daniel R. Jensen, Brigham Young University
Dr. James P. Porter, Brigham Young University

Keywords

brain angiotensin II, ANG II, hypertensive rats, intracerebroventricularly, ICV

College

Life Sciences

Department

Physiology and Developmental Biology

Abstract

The “Spontaneously Hypertensive Rat” strain (SHR) was bred to be innately hypertensive. This hypertension arises in part from over-activity of the brain Renin-Angiotensin system.1 Interestingly, the mean body weight of SHR is significantly reduced compared with the normotensive Wistar-Kyoto strain from which it originates. There are indications that high levels of exogenous Angiotensin II (ANG II) introduced in the brains of normotensive rats inhibit weight gain, and in some cases promote weight loss and/or wasting.2 The mechanism of this effect is not clearly understood, though some studies have shown that high levels of exogenous ANG II can induce anorexia or increase thermogenic activity in the brown adipose tissue (BAT.)3 SHR presents an ideal model for the study of this phenomenon because the elevated brain ANG II levels are endogenous, whereas previous studies have focused on exogenous, artificially high levels of ANG II, introduced intracerebroventricularly (ICV) into normotensive rats, generally Sprague Dawley. To our knowledge, the role of endogenous brain ANG II in control of body weight has never been investigated.

Recommended Citation

Jensen, Daniel R. and Porter, Dr. James P. (2013) "The Possible Role of Brain Angiotensin II in the Reduced Growth of Spontaneously Hypertensive Rats," Journal of Undergraduate Research: Vol. 2013: Iss. 1, Article 1394.
Available at: https://scholarsarchive.byu.edu/jur/vol2013/iss1/1394