Gender differences in the cytokines and chemokines gene expression profiles within the medulla oblongata of SHRs

Medulla oblongata is a region of the brain containing multiple blood pressure regulation centers, including the nucleus of the solitary tract (NTS), a pivotal region for regulating the set-point of arterial pressure. Our previous findings suggest that the NTS of male pre-hypertensive rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) exhibits abnormal inflammatory condition compared with that of normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Females of SHRs exhibit a lower blood pressure than their male counterpart but the molecular mechanism is not well described. To unveil the gender differences in the central regulation of blood pressure, we investigated the gene expression profile of cytokines and chemokines in the medulla oblongata of female SHRs compared to that of their male counterparts. The medulla oblongata from six adult SHRs (males=3, females=3) were dissected. Total RNAs were extracted from each tissue sample by using Trizol method. Equal amounts of total RNAs were submitted separately to qPCR gene expression profiling experiments by using the Rat Cytokines & Chemokines qPCR array and by following the manufacturer's recommendation.