The chromogranin A- derived N-terminal peptide vasostatin-I: In vivo effects on cardiovascular variables in the rabbit.

This study is the first to report on vascular effect of the chromogranin A derived Vasostatin-I (CgA(1-76)) in vivo. Cardiovascular parameters were recorded in 29 rabbits with sympathetically decentralized right carotid vascular bed. The recombinant human STA CgA(1-78) (VS-1) was infused at 480 µg/kg over 25 min. Group I was kept awake while groups II-V were anesthetized with Ketamine-xylazine. VS-1 was given alone in groups I-II while in presence of either phentolamine, phentolamine plus propranolol or hexamethonium in groups III-V. Serum VS-1 peaked at 2 µg/ml (200 nM) before onset of vascular effects and declined rapidly to ~200 ng/ml within 30 min. In all groups but III and IV VS-1 induced a brief vasoconstriction, being larger in intact than in sympathetically decentralized beds. The VS-1 induced vasoconstriction was not altered by hexamethonium but was abolished by phentolamine. In presence of the α-adrenergic blocker a long lasting vasodilatation, unaffected by propranolol, was apparent on both innervated and decentralized sides. In conclusion, VS-1 induced an α-adrenoceptor-mediated vasoconstriction presumably brought about by noradrenaline release from sympathetic nerves when infused at a dose giving an initial serum concentration of ~200 nM. This initial vasoconstriction masked a persistent adrenoceptor-independent vasodilatation, consistent with previous reports from in vitro models.

Acute stress reduces blood flow in the orofacial area, in conscious rabbits.

In the complex neurovascular control of the orofacial area, the only vasoconstrictor action is mediated by the sympathetic nervous system; however, its functional role is still unclear as little evidence exists of vasoconstrictor responses to physiological stimuli in both animal and human models. Aim of the present study was to investigate, orofacial vascular responses to acute stress in conscious rabbits. Twenty rabbits, implanted with chronic perivascular flow probes on the facial artery and with a telemetric probe for arterial blood pressure, were subjected to different alerting/stress stimuli, i.e., noise, taps on the rabbit's box, air jet, noxious cutaneous stimuli. Smaller groups of animal also underwent electromyographic (EMG) activity recording from the masseter muscle, unilateral section of the cervical sympathetic nerve (n=8), and alpha-adrenergic blockade with phentolamine (n=6). On average, all stressors evoked a pressor response accompanied by variable changes in heart rate and induced a marked, short-latency reduction in facial artery blood flow, corresponding to a decrease of 37-50% in vascular conductance of the facial artery. Local sympathetic denervation abolished the short-latency (<15s) vasoconstrictor response to all stressors and attenuated the late (>15s) phase of the long-lasting response to the air jet. All vasoconstrictor effects were blocked by phentolamine. Increases in blood flow were observed only in concomitance with masseter EMG activity either during masticatory activity or in the form of brief occasional spontaneous contractions. This study provides evidence of an effective vasoconstrictor control by the sympathetic system in the orofacial area under stress conditions.

Modulation operated by the sympathetic nervous system on jaw reflexes and masticatory movement.

The sympathetic nervous system (SNS), that is activated under condition of physical, psychological and psychosocial stress, affects force production and fatigability of muscles by controlling both muscle blood flow and the intracellular contractile mechanism. In addition SNS may affect motor function by modulating afferent activity from muscle spindles that are highly concentrated in jaw-closing muscles. Possible implications of these actions on masticatory function and myofascial pain are discussed.

Influence of sympathetic nervous system on sensorimotor function: whiplash associated disorders (WAD) as a model.

There is increasing interest about the possible involvement of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in initiation and maintenance of chronic muscle pain syndromes of different aetiology. Epidemiological data show that stresses of different nature, e.g. work-related, psychosocial, etc., typically characterised by SNS activation, may be a co-factor in the development of the pain syndrome and/or negatively affect its time course. In spite of their clear traumatic origin, whiplash associated disorders (WAD) appear to share many common features with other chronic pain syndromes affecting the musculo-skeletal system. These features do not only include symptoms, like type of pain or sensory and motor dysfunctions, but possibly also some of the pathophysiological mechanisms that may concur to establish the chronic pain syndrome. This review focuses on WAD, particular emphasis being devoted to sensorimotor symptoms, and on the actions exerted by the sympathetic system at muscle level. Besides its well-known action on muscle blood flow, the SNS is able to affect the contractility of muscle fibres, to modulate the proprioceptive information arising from the muscle spindle receptors and, under certain conditions, to modulate nociceptive information. Furthermore, the activity of the SNS itself is in turn affected by muscle conditions, such as its current state of activity, fatigue and pain signals originating in the muscle. The possible involvement of the SNS in the development of WAD is discussed in light of the several positive feedback loops in which it is implicated.