Structural and functional consequence of neonatal sympathectomy on the blood vessels of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Neonatal sympathectomy of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and control Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) was performed by a combined treatment with antiserum to nerve growth factor and guanethidine during the first 4 weeks after birth. The development of hypertension was completely prevented in the treated SHR: at 28 to 30 weeks of age, systolic blood pressure of treated SHR was 139 +/- 2 mm Hg as compared with 195 +/- 8 mm Hg in untreated SHR. The …