Early life stress sensitizes rats to angiotensin II-induced hypertension and vascular inflammation in adult life

Maternal separation during early life is an established chronic behavioral model of early life stress in rats. It is known that perinatal adverse environments increase activity of the renin-angiotensin system, specifically angiotensin II (ang II), in adulthood. The aim of this study was to investigate whether the effects of early life stress augments the sensitivity of the ang II pathway. Using Wistar Kyoto rats, the maternal separation (MS) protocol was performed separating approximately half of the male pups from their mother 3 hs/day from day 2–14 of life. Pups remaining with the mother at all times were utilized as controls. Maternal separation did not influence the plasma basal parameters such blood glucose, insulin, ang II, ang 1–7 and PRA. Furthermore, body weight, blood pressure and heart rate were similar in MS and control rats. The acute pressor response to ang II was not different in anesthetized MS and control rats. However, the chronic infusion of ang II (65 ng/day, s.c.) elicited an exaggerated hypertensive response in MS compared to control rats (p<0.05). Surprisingly, HR was dramatically increased during the second week of ang II infusion in MS compared with control rats (p<0.05). This enhanced ang II sensitivity was accompanied by a greater vascular inflammatory response in MS vs. control rats. Chronic ang II-infusion increased vascular wall structure in both groups similarly. These data indicate that early life stress sensitizes rats to an increased hemodynamic and inflammatory response during ang II-induced hypertension