The efficacy of renal
denervation in the treatment of resistant
hypertension has been controversial, and new strategies for its
therapy are urgently needed. We performed the celiac ganglia neurolysis (CGN) or
sham surgery on both spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) and Dahl salt-sensitive rat models of
hypertension. Following CGN surgery in both strains, systolic blood pressure, diastolic blood pressure and mean arterial pressure were all lower than the levels in the respective
sham surgery rats, which were maintained until the end of the study, 18 weeks postoperatively in SHRs and 12 weeks postoperatively in Dahl rats. CGN
therapy destroyed
ganglion cell structure and significantly inhibited celiac ganglia nerve viability. Four and twelve weeks after CGN, the plasma
renin,
angiotensin II and
aldosterone levels were markedly attenuated, and the
nitric oxide content was significantly increased in the CGN group compared with the respective
sham surgery rats. However, CGN did not result in statistical difference in
malondialdehyde levels compared with
sham surgery in both strains. The CGN has efficacy in reducing
high blood pressure and may be an alternative for resistant
hypertension. Minimally invasive endoscopic ultrasound-guided celiac ganglia neurolysis (EUS-CGN) and percutaneous CGN are safe and convenient treatment approaches. Moreover, for hypertensive patients who need surgery due to abdominal disease or
pain relief from
pancreatic cancer, intraoperative CGN or EUS-CGN will be a good choice for
hypertension therapy. The graphical abstract of
antihypertensive effect of CGN.