Role of renin-angiotensin system in response to hemorrhage in fetal sheep

During fetal life, the autonomic nervous system is not fully mature, and it is likely that hormonal mechanisms play an important role in controlling cardiovascular function. In chronically instrumented fetal sheep, hemorrhage increased plasma renin activity and plasma angiotensin concentration significantly from 6.7 +/- 2.5 to 15.2 +/- 3.1 ng.ml-1.h-1 and from 74 +/- 19 to 182 +/- 43 pg/ml, respectively. Both mean arterial and venous blood pressures decreased initially from 45 to 35 Torr and from 3.5 to 2.5 Torr, respectively; then both returned to control values. Fetal heart rate decreased initially from 174 beats/min and then increased to 186 beats/min. To determine whether angiotensin had a role in mediating these responses to hemorrhage, we hemorrhaged a second group of fetuses before and during infusion of saralasin, a competitive antagonist of angiotensin. Hemorrhage during infusion of saralasin decreased heart rat from 170 to 145 beats/min and further decreased mean arterial pressure to 30 Torr. Cardiac output decreased from 436 +/- 25 to 368 +/- 30 ml.min-1.kg-1, and umbilical-placental blood flow decreased from 205 +/- 20 to 145 +/- 10 ml.min-1.kg-1. We conclude that the renin-angiotensin system plays a major role in the response to hemorrhage in fetal sheep.