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Research progress of nucleus tractus solitarius involved in central regulation of hypertension

TIAN Yu¹, LI Na¹, ZHANG Yi^1,2, WANG Hong-Jie^1,3,4,*

¹College of Basic Medical Sciences, Hebei University, Baoding 071000, China；²Department of Physiology, Hebei Medical University, Shijiazhuang 050017, China；³College of Clinical Medicine, Hebei University, Baoding 071000, China；⁴Hebei Provincial Key Laboratory of Skeletal Metabolic Physiology of Chronic Kidney Disease, Baoding 071000, China

Abstract

The nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS) is the primary brain region for receiving and integrating cardiovascular afferent signals. It plays a crucial role in maintaining balance of autonomic nervous system and regulating blood pressure through cardiovascular reflexes. Neurons within the NTS form complex synaptic connections and interact reciprocally with other brain regions. The NTS regulates autonomic nervous system activity and arterial blood pressure through modulating baroreflex, sympathetic nerve activity, renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system, and oxidative stress. Dysfunctions in NTS activity may contribute to hypertension. Understanding the NTS' role in centrally regulating blood pressure and alterations of neurotransmission or signaling pathways in the NTS may provide rationale for new therapeutic strategies of prevention and treatment. This review summarizes the research findings on autonomic nervous system regulation and arterial blood pressure control by NTS, as well as unresolved questions, in order to provide reference for future investigation.

Key words: Nucleus tractus solitarius; autonomic nervous; hypertension; baroreflex; sympathetic nerve outflow; oxidative stress

Received: 　　Accepted:

Corresponding author: 王红杰　　E-mail:

DOI: 10.13294/j.aps.2025.0020

Citing This Article：

TIAN Yu, LI Na, ZHANG Yi, WANG Hong-Jie. Research progress of nucleus tractus solitarius involved in central regulation of hypertension. Acta Physiol Sin 2025; 77 (1): 85-94 (in Chinese with English abstract).