Abstract-AlthoughMg 2ϩ contributes to blood pressure regulation partly in terms of vasodilator action, its sympatholytic effect may also play an important role to control blood pressure. Thus, in the present study, we investigated the effect of Mg 2ϩ on sympathetic tone and blood pressure. We studied its actions on the blood pressure response to hydralazine, a direct vasodilator, in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs), and to electrical stimulation in the pithed Sprague-Dawley rat; catecholamine release by peripheral sympathetic nerve endings; and the N-type
MethodsFor a detailed Methods section, please see http://hyper.hypertensionaha.org.All protocols in this study were approved by the ethics committee of our institution, and rats were handled in our accredited facility in accordance with the institutional animal care policies of the University of Tokyo. All research protocols conformed to the guiding principles for animal experimentation as enunciated by the Ethics Committee on Animal Research of the University of Tokyo, Faculty of Medicine.
Protocol 1: Sympatholytic Effect of Mg 2؉ and Blood Pressure Changes In VivoMale spontaneously hypertensive rats were used in this experiment. The rats were divided into 2 groups: Mg 2ϩ group (nϭ8) and a control group (nϭ7). In the Mg 2ϩ group, MgSO 4 (3ϫ10 Ϫ6 mol/kg body weight/min) was infused, and in the control group saline was infused. Responses to hydralazine (1, 3, and 6ϫ10Ϫ5 g/kg body weight) were observed. A 100 L blood sample was drawn before and after saline or MgSO 4 infusion to measure the serum Mg level. The nadir mean