Stress may change vascular function. The aim of this report was to study the sensitivity to phenylephrine (PHE) in the thoracic aorta from rats submitted to forced-swim. Male Wistar rats (200-250 g) were submitted to three swimming sessions, one session/day (15, 30 and 30 min, respectively). Immediately after the last swimming session, the animals were sacrificed and thoracic aorta was isolated. Aortic rings (3-5 mm), with and without endothelium, were carefully obtained and were main-tained in Krebs-Henseleit solution (95% O2- 5% CO2, 37 ºC). Endothelial integrity was assessed by relaxation to acetylcholine (10 µM) in pre-contracted rings (PHE 0.1 µM). Concentration-effect curves to PHE were obtained (n = 5/group). There was no difference between control and stress groups in the maximum response to PHE of aortic rings with and without endothelium (p>0.05). Forced-swim induced subsensitivity to PHE in aortic rings with endothelium isolated from stressed rats (pD2 = 6.89 ± 0.07; p<0.05) compared to the control group (pD2 = 7.39 ± 0.06), without changes in aortic rings without endothelium. The in vitro inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis cancelled this subsensitivity. It is concluded that forced swim-induced-subsensitivity to PHE in thoracic aorta from rats seems to be caused by an increase in the activity of the endothelial nitric oxide system.
Stress; Phenylephrine; Subsensitivity; Aorta; Endothelium; Swimming
