Abstract

We previously reported that ATP, but not adenosine, administered i.v. attenuates the baroreflex-mediated increase in sympathetic nerve activity in response to arterial hypotension by a vagal afferent mechanism. It was not elucidated in that study which vagal afferent endings are involved. Mongrel dogs were anesthetized with α-chloralose, thoracotomy was performed and a 27-gauge hypodermic needle was inserted into the left circumflex coronary artery. The left renal sympathetic nerves were isolated and placed on a bipolar silver electrode for measurement of renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA). Dose-response effects of intracoronary or i.v. infusion of ATP (100, 200 or 400 μg/kg/min) on RSNA and mean arterial pressure were studied in neuraxis-intact and cervically vagotomized dogs. RSNA was increased dose-dependently with decreasing mean arterial pressure during the i.v. ATP infusion. Elevation of RSNA was attenuated by higher intracoronary ATP infusion rates, despite the fact that mean arterial pressure was decreased dose-dependently. Left ventricular end-diastolic pressure, however, remained unchanged. This suppression of RSNA by the intracoronary ATP infusion was completely abolished by bilateral cervical vagotomy. Our data suggest that ATP attenuates reflex increases in sympathetic nerve activity by possibly stimulating ventricular chemoreceptors with cardiac vagal afferents.