Sex differences in blood pressure regulation - elucidation of the central mechanisms of hypotension in females -

2017 Fiscal Year Final Research Report

• Project/Area Number: 15K08201
• Research Category: Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research (C)
• Allocation Type: Multi-year Fund
• Section: 一般
• Research Field: Environmental physiology(including physical medicine and nutritional physiology)
• Research Institution: Ochanomizu University
• Principal Investigator: Gouraud Sabine お茶の水女子大学, 理学部, 学部教育研究協力員 (30453179)
• Co-Investigator(Kenkyū-buntansha): 和気 秀文 順天堂大学, スポーツ健康科学部, 教授 (50274957) ; 宮本 泰則 お茶の水女子大学, ヒューマンライフイノベーション研究所, 准教授 (50272737)
• Project Period (FY): 2015-04-01 – 2018-03-31
• Keywords: blood pressure / SHR / NTS / transcriptomics / sex difference / TRPV4 / 4alpha-PDD

Outline of Final Research Achievements

Female Spontaneous Hypertensive Rats (SHRs) exhibit a lower arterial pressure (AP) than age-matched males but the molecular mechanisms are not well understood. We hypothesized that a different neuronal function between male and female at the level of the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), a pivotal region for regulating the set-point of AP, could contribute to the sex difference in cardiovascular homeostasis.Transcriptomic techniques revealed that the transcript of TRPV4 (Transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 4) was significantly up-regulated in the NTS of female SHRs compared to males. Estradiol treatment of ovariectomized females did not affect its expression. The channel was localized in both neurons and glia. TRPV4 agonist 4 alpha-PDD microinjected into the NTS decreased AP and heart rate in both genders. Thus, our results suggest that TRPV4 might be involved in the gender differences of AP in SHRs.

Free Research Field

basic biology