Preliminary Observations on the Role of the Sympathetic Nervous System in Development and Maintenance of Experimental Renal Hypertension.

The influence of the sympathetic nervous system upon the course of experimental renal hypertension was examined in normal and immunologically sympathec-tomized rats. Blood pressures were recorded directly in the unanesthetized animal through indwelling catheters in the abdominal aorta. Immunological sympathectomy did not prevent the development of the acute phase of renal hypertension. Blood pressures of the hypertensive sympathectomized animals returned to normotensive levels 4-5 weeks following renal artery clamping, while untreated animals remained hypertensive at the termination of the experiment. It was concluded that the sympathetic nervous system is not required for development of renal hypertension, but may play a role in maintaining the chronic phase of the hypertensive state.