Adrenomedullin microinjection into the area postrema increases blood pressure

Adrenomedullin (ADM) circulates in the blood at concentrations comparable to other vasoactive peptides with established roles in cardiovascular regulation. Intravenously administered ADM produces a clear hypotensive effect, whereas intracerebroventricular microinjections result in increases in blood pressure (BP). Recently, we demonstrated that ADM influences neurons of the area postrema (AP), a central nervous system site implicated in cardiovascular control. However, to address directly the physiological significance of the actions of ADM at the AP, an in vivo microinjection study was undertaken. ADM, at two concentrations (1 and 10 microM), in volumes of 50, 100, and 200 nl, was microinjected into the AP or NTS of 21 urethan-anesthetized male Sprague-Dawley rats. Microinjection of 10 microM ADM (100 nl) resulted in significant transient (2-5 min) increases in BP [120 s area under the curve (AUC): 684.3 +/- 268.6 mmHg/s (P < 0.05)], and heart rate (HR) [AUC: 12.5 +/- 4.5 beats/min (P < 0.05)]. The lower...