Bromocriptine-induced
tachycardia, persisting after
adrenalectomy, is mediated by central
dopamine D2 receptor stimulation through activation of the sympathetic outflow to the heart. The present study investigated the effects of
malnutrition during pregnancy on
bromocriptine-induced
tachycardia in adult conscious rats. Malnourished rats were obtained by feeding dams a multideficient diet (providing 8%
protein) during mating and pregnancy.
Birth weight was significantly reduced in malnourished rats when compared to control rats born to dams fed standard commercially diet (23%
protein) during mating and pregnancy. Baseline mean aortic pressure and heart rate in malnourished rats were comparable to those of well-nourished rats.
Tachycardia (33+/-9 beats/min.), but not the hypotensive response to intravenous
bromocriptine (150 microg/kg) was significantly reduced in malnourished rats, compared with control rats (70+/-10 beats/min.). In malnourished rats, pretreatment with intravenous
domperidone (500 microg/kg) blocked the
bromocriptine-
induced hypotension, without affecting the
tachycardia. Neither cardiac vagal (40+/-6 beats/min.) nor sympathetic tone (76+/-6 beats/min.) was significantly altered by multideficient diet-induced
malnutrition (51+/-6 and 67+/-10 beats/min., respectively). In isolated perfused heart preparations from malnourished rats, positive inotropic response to
isoproterenol (10-8 to 10-4 M) was not significantly different compared to that in control rats. In summary,
malnutrition during foetal life blunted the
bromocriptine-induced
tachycardia, an effect that could be related to central
dopamine D2 receptor desensitization rather than to impairment of autonomic regulation of the heart or cardiac beta-
adrenoceptor desensitization.