Injection of antisense oligos to nNOS into nucleus tractus solitarii increases blood pressure.

We investigated the cardiovascular effects of bilateral microinjection of antisense oligodeoxynucleotides (oligos) into the nucleus tractus solitarii (NTS) to neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) to suppress the expression of nNOS molecular biologically. In urethane-anesthetized, paralyzed Wistar-Kyoto rats, bilateral microinjection of nNOS antisense oligos (20 pmol in a 50nl volume) into the NTS produced a significant increase in mean arterial blood pressure at 30-60min after injection, compared with rats injected with nNOS sense or scrambled oligos. Immunohistochemical study demonstrated that nNOS immunoreactivity in the rat NTS was suppressed by nNOS antisense oligos. These results indicate that suppression of the nNOS gene using antisense in the NTS increases blood pressure.