抄録
We have previously demonstrated that both nNOS activity and its protein amount were increased specifically in the brainstem of hypertensive Dahl salt-sensitive (DS) rats compared to that of normotensive DS rats. Immunohistochemical study revealed that the number of nNOS containing neurons (nNOS neurons) in the brainstem was greater in hypertensive DS rats than in normotensive DS rats. In this study, we specified the localization of nNOS neurons in the hypothalamus although the overall nNOS activity in the diencepharons has found not to be significantly different between the two groups. The DS rats were divided into two groups: one fed 8% NaCl food (hypertensive DS rats) and the other fed 0.4% NaCl food (normotensive DS rats). Immunohistochemical study showed that nNOS neurons localized in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) and supraoptic nucleus (SON) within the diencephalons of both hypertensive and normotensive DS rats. The number of nNOS neurons in the SON was greater in hypertensive DS rats that in normotensive DS rats, while it was no significant difference in the number of nNOS neurons in the PVN between the two rat groups. These results indicated that the nNOS neuronal system in the diencephalons was partly amplified in hypertensive Dahl S rats. [Jpn J Physiol 54 Suppl:S196 (2004)]
