Central α2-adrenoceptors and the pontine lateral parabrachial nucleus (LPBN) are involved in the control of sodium and water intake. Bilateral injections of moxonidine (α2-adrenergic/imidazoline receptor agonist) or noradrenaline into the LPBN strongly increases 0.3 M NaCl intake induced by a combined treatment of furosemide plus captopril. Injection of moxonidine into the LPBN also increases h...

There is convincing evidence for a specific BP-independent effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors and angiotensin II receptor blockers on albuminuria in glomerular disease. Because progression of glomerular disease is not consistently halted by these agents, there is a need to explore potential renoprotective effects of other drugs. Recent animal work documented that nonhypotensive ...

Imidazoline receptors are divided into I(1) and I(2) subtypes. I(1)-imidazoline receptors are distributed in the heart and are upregulated during hypertension or heart failure. The aim of this study was to define the possible role of I(1)-imidazoline receptors in the regulation of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) release in hypertrophied atria. Experiments were performed on isolated, perfused, ...

Numerous studies have addressed the antihypertensive properties of I(1)-imidazoline receptor agonists such as moxonidine, but very few authors examined their cardiac antiarrhythmic potency. Due to the important role of the sympathetic nervous system in the genesis of neurogenic cardiac arrhythmias, we investigated the antiarrhythmic effects of moxonidine and compared them to those of propranolo...

Chronic stimulation of sympathetic nervous activity contributes to the development and maintenance of hypertension, leading to left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH), arrhythmias and cardiac death. Moxonidine, an imidazoline antihypertensive compound that preferentially activates imidazoline receptors in brainstem rostroventrolateral medulla, suppresses sympathetic activation and reverses LVH. We h...

ABSTRACT.: A potential role of the sympathetic nervous system in progression of renal failure has received little attention. This study examined whether nonhypotensive doses of moxonidine, an agent that reduces sympathetic activity, affects glomerulosclerosis, urine albumin excretion, and indices of renal handling of norepinephrine (NE) in subtotally nephrectomized (SNX) rats. Sprague Dawley ra...

BACKGROUND Systemic hypertension often accompanies chronic renal failure and can accelerate its progression to end-stage renal disease (ESRD). Adjunctive moxonidine appeared to have benefits versus adjunctive nitrendipine, in a randomised double-blind six-month trial in hypertensive patients with advanced renal failure. To understand the longer term effects and costs of moxonidine, a decision a...

Moxonidine is a centrally acting antihypertensive agent with high affinity to the imidazolinI1 receptor which induces peripheral sympathetic inhibition reflected by lowering of blood pressure and heart rate (Ernsberger et al. 1993). To a lesser extent it also binds to the α2-receptors whose activation is responsible for side-effects of central antihypertensive drugs such as sedation and dry mou...

Moxonidine is a second-generation centrally acting antihypertensive drug that has a high affinity for I(1)-imidazoline receptors (I(1)R). The caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM), an important region involved in cardiovascular activity, contains binding sites for centrally acting drugs. Our study aimed to determine the effects of moxonidine injected into the CVLM on cardiovascular activity in an...

Bilateral injections of moxonidine, an α2-adrenoceptor and imidazoline receptor agonist, into the lateral parabrachial nuclei (LPBN) enhance sodium appetite induced by extracellular dehydration. In the present study, we examined whether LPBN moxonidine treatments change taste reactivity to hypertonic NaCl solution administered into the mouth by intra-oral (IO) cannula. Male Holtzman rats prepar...