Rapid permissive action of dexamethasone on the regulation of blood pressure in a rat model of septic shock

Abstract Glucocorticoids (GCs) play a vital role in the regulation of blood pressure by their permissive effects in potentiating vasoactive responses to catecholamines through glucocorticoid receptors. GCs achieve this function by controlling vascular smooth muscle tone. Clinically, low to moderate doses of GCs are generally used in the treatment of septic shock in recent years. GCs are now known to have both genomic and non-genomic effects. While genomic effects of GCs were well studied, few non-genomic effects were reported, much less the non-genomic mechanisms. One of the most important characters of their non-genomic effects is short latency. The aim of this study was to determine whether GCs can rapidly regulate blood pressure by their permissive action on norepinephrine (NE). Adrenalectomized rats were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture to induce septic shock. The septic rats displayed a significant decrease in the blood pressure response to NE. Dexamethasone (DEX) rapidly restores this hyporeactivity to NE in adrenalectomized septic rats. Further studies showed that DEX potentiates the NE-induced shrinkage and actin cytoskeleton rearrangement of single cell from mesenteric arteries in a short time. These findings suggest that GCs probably exert their permissive actions on the pressure response to NE through rapid non-genomic mechanisms. In this article, we found that as an adjunctive therapy for septic shock, the use of GCs may involve a rapid permissive action, and non-genomic effects of GCs may be involved in these processes.