Data were sampled at 12 bits with a 1000 Hz-sampling rate. The mean arterial pressure (MAP) and the heart rate (HR) were calculated from

pulsatile arterial pressure (PAP). The recording protocol consisted of 20 min before TsTX injection, immediately followed by recording until death of the animals. After the recordings, animals were sacrificed and Evans blue dye (1 μL) was injected i.c.v. to confirm to site of injection. The brains were excised, labeled, and kept in 10% formaldehyde for at least 48 h, after which they were sliced in a cryostat (50 μm thickness). The slices were mounted on glass slides. After drying, the slides were stained with Neutral Red and visualized in an optical microscope for confirmation of ventricular injection. Rats without confirmed histology were discarded from the study. Each analyzed period of the recordings corresponds to the mean of values during one minute see more (Basal and TsTX periods). Three samples of recording values were collected in the TsTX period: t1 – one minute past injection; t2 – half and t3 – end of each record. As each animal died in a specific time, these periods are temporally different between animals. The survival time was defined as the time between TsTX injection and death. Death was determined as an apnea period higher than 30 s. Selleck mTOR inhibitor Prism 5.0 (GraphPad Software, La Jolla, CA, USA) was used to analyze all data.

Data were expressed as Mean ± Standard Error of Mean (Mean ± SEM) or Median: first/third quartiles (Med: Q1/Q3). Unpaired student’s t-test was used for the analysis Farnesyltransferase of independent groups. Two-way ANOVA was used for analysis of more than two groups considering the influence of time and treatment, followed by Bonferroni post-hoc. Kaplan and Meyer estimative, with the log-rank test, was used to compare the survival time curves. The significance level was fixed at 5%. The protein restriction reduced the body weight in the malnourished group, when compared

to control group (79 ± 3 g vs 254 ± 3 g; p < 0.0001; Table 1). Interestingly, the weight of the brain of malnourished rats was statistically similar to that observed for control animals (1.16 ± 0.02 g vs 1.24 ± 0.03 g; p > 0.05; Table 1). Also, the relative weight of the brain (brain weight/body weight × 100) of malnourished rats was much greater than in control rats (1.65 ± 0.05 vs 0.47 ± 0.01; p < 0.0001; Table 1). The i.c.v injection of TsTX evoked a biphasic effect on arterial pressure of control and malnourished groups (Fig. 1A – see Supplementary material for additional details). Initially, there was an increase in MAP in both groups: control (Basal: 115 ± 4 mmHg; t1: 169 ± 4 mmHg, t2: 176 ± 4 mmHg; p < 0.0001; Table 1-Supplementary material); and malnourished animals (Basal: 115 ± 4 mmHg; t1: 134 ± 4 mmHg; t2: 141 ± 8 mmHg; p < 0.0001; Table 1-Supplementary material).