AngII and Nrf2 in the hypothalamus during hypertension in rodents

This dataset contains quantitative measurements of Nrf2 (nuclear factor erythroid 2–related factor 2) protein expression in neurons and astrocytes within the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of the hypothalamus from normotensive and hypertensive rat models. Data were generated during an American Heart Association–funded project investigating the role of Angiotensin II signaling in oxidative stress regulation within central cardiovascular control nuclei.Nrf2 protein expression was assessed using immunofluorescence and confocal microscopy, with cell-type identification based on NeuN (neurons) and GFAP/S100B (astrocytes) labeling. Quantitative analyses were performed using ImageJ, with Nrf2 signal quantified as background-corrected integrated density within manually defined regions of interest. Measurements include whole-cell, nuclear, and cytoplasmic compartments. All analysis parameters were held constant across experimental groups.Experimental groups include normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) rats, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), and SHR treated with either the angiotensin II type 1 receptor blocker losartan or the vasodilator hydralazine. Representative confocal images are provided for visualization and documentation of experimental methods. Quantitative data are provided in tabular format.This repository includes a curated subset of datasets generated during the award period that support findings previously reported in conference abstracts.