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(Reference retrieved automatically from Web of Science through information on FAPESP grant and its corresponding number as mentioned in the publication by the authors.)

Cardiovascular effects of histamine in three widely diverse species of reptiles

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Author(s):
Skovgaard, Nini [1, 2] ; Abe, Augusto S. [1] ; Taylor, Edwin W. [1, 3] ; Wang, Tobias [1, 2]
Total Authors: 4
Affiliation:
[1] UNESP, Ctr Aquicultura, Dept Zool, Rio Claro - Brazil
[2] Aarhus Univ, Dept Biosci, Zoophysiol, C-F Mollers Alle 3, Bldg 1131, DK-8000 Aarhus C - Denmark
[3] Univ Birmingham, Sch Biosci, Birmingham, W Midlands - England
Total Affiliations: 3
Document type: Journal article
Source: JOURNAL OF COMPARATIVE PHYSIOLOGY B-BIOCHEMICAL SYSTEMIC AND ENVIRONMENTAL; v. 188, n. 1, p. 153-162, JAN 2018.
Web of Science Citations: 3
Abstract

The cardiovascular system of vertebrates is regulated by a vast number of regulatory factors, including histamine. In pythons, histamine induces a strong tachycardia and dilates the systemic vasculature, which resembles the cardiovascular response to the elevated metabolic rate during digestion. In fact, there is an important role of increased histaminergic tone on the heart during the initial 24 h of digestion in pythons. Whilst the cardiovascular effects of histamine are well studied in pythons, little is known about the effects in other groups of reptiles. The histaminergic effects on the heart vary among species and histamine may exert either pressor and depressor effects by causing either constrictive or dilatory vascular responses. Here, we investigated the cardiovascular effects of histamine in three species of reptiles with very different cardiovascular and pulmonary morphologies. Experiments were performed on both anesthetized and recovered animals. We show a species-dependent effect of histamine on the systemic vasculature with dilation in rattlesnakes and constriction in turtles and caimans but no effect on the pulmonary circulation. The histamine-induced dilation in rattlesnakes was mediated through an activation of H-2-receptors, whereas the histamine-induced constriction in caimans was mediated through both adrenergic signaling and H-1-receptors activation. In all three species, histamine-induced tachycardia by direct stimulation of histaminergic receptors as well as an indirect activation of adrenoreceptors. This finding highlights a more complex mechanism underlying the action of histamine than previously recognized in reptiles. (AU)

FAPESP's process: 12/06938-8 - Development of neural control of the cardiovascular system in reptiles
Grantee:Augusto Shinya Abe
Support Opportunities: Research Grants - Visiting Researcher Grant - International