Caffeine Enhances the Slow - Pressor Response to Angiotensin 11 in Rats

The purpose of this study was to determine if caffeine augments the slow-pressor response to chronic low-dose infusions of angiotensin II (All) or the rapid-pressor response to acute infusions of All. All was infused (125 ng/min i.p.) for 12 d via miniosmotic pumps in four groups of rats: group I, intact rats not treated with caffeine (n = 9); group II, intact rats treated with caffeine (0.1% in dinking water, n = 9, group IlL rats previously sympathectomized with 6-hydroxydopamine, but not treated with caffeine (n = 10); and group IV, rats previously sympathectomized with 6-hydroxydopamine and treated with caffeine (n = 10). Chronic low-dose All infusions slowly elevated systolic blood pressure in all groups. Caffeine greatly augmented this slowpressor response to All in intact animals; however, caffeine failed to enhance AII-induced hypertension in sympathectomized rats. Caffeine pretreatment did not enhance the rapid-pressor response to acute intravenous infusions of All. We conclude that caffeine augmented the slow-pressor effect of chronic low-dose infusions of All via a mechanism that involved the sympathetic nervous