Sleep deprivation reduces the baroreflex sensitivity through elevated angiotensin (Ang) II subtype 1 receptor expression in the nucleus tractus solitarii

Ling-Feng Liu; Yu-Wan Wang; Jia-Cen Sun; Yang-Kai Wang; Xing Tan; Wei-Zhong Wang

doi:10.3389/fnins.2024.1401530

Sleep deprivation reduces the baroreflex sensitivity through elevated angiotensin (Ang) II subtype 1 receptor expression in the nucleus tractus solitarii

Front Neurosci. 2024 Apr 29:18:1401530. doi: 10.3389/fnins.2024.1401530. eCollection 2024.

Authors

Ling-Feng Liu^#^{1

2}, Yu-Wan Wang^#^{2

3}, Jia-Cen Sun^#², Yang-Kai Wang², Xing Tan², Wei-Zhong Wang^{1

2}

Affiliations

¹ School of Medicine, Shanghai University, Shanghai, China.
² Department of Marine Biomedicine and Polar Medicine, Naval Medical Center, Naval Medical University (Second Military Medical University), Shanghai, China.
³ Key Laboratory of Medical Electrophysiology of Ministry of Education, Medical Electrophysiology Key Lab of Sichuan Province, Institute of Cardiovascular Research, Southwest Medical University, Luzhou, China.

^# Contributed equally.

Abstract

Introduction: Sleep insufficiency has been linked to an increased risk of high blood pressure and cardiovascular diseases. Emerging studies have demonstrated that impaired baroreflex sensitivity (BRS) is involved in the adverse cardiovascular effects caused by sleep deprivation, however, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. Therefore, the present study aims to clarify the role of abnormal renin-angiotensin system in the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) in impaired BRS induced by sleep deprivation.

Methods: Rats were randomly divided into two groups: normal sleep (Ctrl) and chronic sleep deprivation (CSD) group. Rats were sleep deprived by an automated sleep deprivation system. The blood pressure, heart rate, BRS, the number of c-Fos positive cells and the expression of angiotensin (Ang) II subtype 1 receptors (AT1R) in the NTS of rats were assessed.

Results: Compared to Ctrl group, CSD group exhibited a higher blood pressure, heart rate, and reduced BRS. Moreover, the number of c-Fos positive cells and local field potential in the NTS in CSD group were increased compared with the Ctrl group. It was shown that the expression of the AT1R and the content of Ang II and the ratio of Ang II to Ang-(1-7) were increased in the NTS of rats in CSD group compared to Ctrl group. In addition, microinjection of losartan into the NTS significantly improved the impaired BRS caused by sleep deprivation.

Discussion: In conclusion, these data suggest that the elevated AT1R expression in the NTS mediates the reduced BRS induced by chronic sleep deprivation.

Keywords: AT1R; NTS; baroreflex sensitivity; cardiovascular diseases; sleep deprivation.

Grants and funding

The author(s) declare that financial support was received for the research, authorship, and/or publication of this article. This work was sponsored by Excellent Talent Program of Naval Medical Center (21TPQN0801), Natural Science Foundation of Shanghai (22ZR1478400), and the National Natural Science Foundation of China (Nos. 82270467 and 81970354).