Abstract

The purpose of our study was to determine whether clonidine exerts its centrally mediated hypotensive action at three sites that influence arterial pressure located in the medulla, specifically associated with the intermediate area of the ventrolateral medulla. The "intermediate area" lies approximately 1.5 mm caudal to the border of the trapezoid body (caudal border) and 4 mm lateral to the midline. One of the sites that influence arterial pressure lies in the nucleus reticularis rostroventrolateralis. The second site lies in close proximity to the rostral part of the nucleus reticularis lateralis (rLRN) and also near the A1 area. The third site lies in the most rostral area and medial to the nucleus reticularis rostroventrolateralis, that is in the nucleus paragigantocellularis lateralis. Unilateral microinjections of 0.22 and 0.43 nmol of clonidine into the rLRN produced dose-dependent decreases in arterial pressure. The 0.43 nmol dose of clonidine had no effect when unilaterally or bilaterally microinjected into either the nucleus reticularis rostroventrolateralis or into the nucleus paragigantocellularis lateralis. Microinjection of the alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist, idazoxan (16.6 nmol), unilaterally into rLRN had no effect per se, but prevented the hypotensive effect of a subsequent microinjection of clonidine. Similarly, bilateral microinjection of idazoxan into rLRN counteracted the hypotensive effect of i.v. administered clonidine. These data indicate that clonidine acts at alpha-2 adrenoceptors in the rLRN to produce hypotension.