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Biomedical subjects

R Busse

Publications and source records attributed to R Busse.

At least 163 records · Page 9Linked to original sources

Potentiation by ACE inhibitors of the dilator response to bradykinin in the coronary microcirculation: interaction at the receptor level.

1. To examine the possibility that angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors modulate the action of bradykinin at the receptor level, their effect on the dilator response to bradykinin was studied in the isolated saline-perfused heart of the rabbit. 2. Continuous infusion of bradykinin (10 nM) elicited a transient decrease in coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) and increased prostacyclin (PGI2) release which returned to baseline values within 30 min. 3. Subsequent co-infusion of ramiprilat (> or = 10 nM) or moexiprilat, but not of the less potent ACE inhibitor n-octyl-ramipril (RA-octyl), caused another fall in CPP and an increase in PGI2 release, the magnitude and time course of which were almost identical to the first response to bradykinin. No change in CPP or PGI2 release was observed when the ACE inhibitors were administered in the absence of exogenous bradykinin. 4. Infusion of D-Arg[Hyp3]-bradykinin (10 nM), a specific B2-receptor agonist which was significantly more resistant to degradation by ACE than bradykinin, produced virtually identical changes in CPP and PGI2 release when compared to bradykinin. Subsequent co-infusion of ramiprilat was similarly effective in restoring the fall in CPP and increase in PGI2 release elicited by D-Arg[Hyp3]-bradykinin as in the presence of bradykinin. 5. In concentrations which should block the degradation of bradykinin by ACE in the coronary vascular bed, two ACE substrates, hippuryl-L-histidyl-L-leucine (0.2 mM) and angiotensin I (0.3 microM), were unable to elicit a significant change in CPP or PGI2 release while ramiprilat and another ACE inhibitor, quinaprilat, were still active in the presence of these substrates. 6. To reveal the potential B2-receptor action of ramiprilat, its effect on the constrictor response to bradykinin was studied in the rabbit isolated jugular vein. Ramiprilat (0.1 MicroM), but not RA-octyl (1 MicroM),potentiated the endothelium-independent, B2-receptor-mediated constrictor response to bradykinin, but not that to the thromboxane-mimetic U46619 (9,11-dideoxy-ll alpha,9 alpha-epoxymethano-prostaglandin F2.).Moreover, ramiprilat but not RA-octyl caused a concentration-dependent, B2-receptor antagonist sensitive increase in tone when administered alone.7. These findings suggest that an interaction of ACE inhibitors with the B2-receptor or its signal transduction pathway rather than an accumulation of bradykinin within the vascular wall is responsible for the restoration of the endothelial response to bradykinin (dilatation, PGI2 release) in the coronary vascular bed of the rabbit.

15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5↗

Release of nitric oxide by angiotensin-(1-7) from porcine coronary endothelium: implications for a novel angiotensin receptor.

The angiotensin I (AI) metabolite, A(1-7), elicited a concentration-dependent dilator response (ED50 > or = 2 microM) in porcine coronary artery rings which was markedly attenuated by the nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine, and abolished after removal of the endothelium. This effect of the heptapeptide was not mimicked by AII, AIII or A(3-8) at comparable concentrations. The A(1-7)-induced relaxation was not affected by AT1 or AT2 receptor blockade or cyclo-oxygenase inhibition, but was attenuated by the B2 receptor antagonist, Hoe 140, and augmented by the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor, quinaprilat. These findings suggest that the relaxation to A(1-7) was mediated by the release of NO from the coronary endothelium through activation of an, as yet unidentified, AT receptor, the occupation of which also seems to stimulate the release of vasoactive kinins. Since A(1-7) accumulates during ACE inhibition, this mechanism may contribute to the coronary dilator effect of ACE inhibitors in vivo.

Amino Acid Sequence↗

Display of the characteristics of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor by a cytochrome P450-derived arachidonic acid metabolite in the coronary microcirculation.

1. In addition to nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2) an endothelium-derived factor, which hyperpolarizes vascular smooth muscle cells via activation of K+ channels, contributes to the dilator effect of bradykinin in different vascular beds. Since this so-called endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) also seems to play an important role in the coronary circulation, we investigated its nature and mechanism of action in the rat isolated perfused heart (Langendorff preparation). 2. Bolus injections of bradykinin (1, 10, and 100 pmol) elicited a transient dose-dependent dilator response (e.g., 12 +/- 2% decrease in coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) at 10 pmol bradykinin, n = 41). Administration of the cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor, diclofenac (1 microM), augmented the bradykinin-induced dilation approximately twofold (n = 9 P < 0.01). Combined treatment with the NO synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine (30 microM) and diclofenac (1 microM) significantly reduced the duration, but increased the amplitude of the dilator response to bradykinin (27 +/- 2% decrease in CPP, n = 24, P < 0.01). 3. The abolition of this NG-nitro-L-arginine/diclofenac-insensitive dilator response to bradykinin by tetrabutylammonium (0.3 mM), an inhibitor of Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channels (4 +/- 1% decrease in CPP, n = 6, P < 0.01), supports the view that the dilator compound released in the coronary microcirculation is EDHF. 4. This EDHF-type dilation was reversibly inhibited by the phospholipase A2 inhibitor, quinacrine (3 microM, 9 +/- 3% decrease in CPP, n = 6, P < 0.01) and by the cytochrome P450 inhibitor SKF525a (3 microM, 6 +/- 1% decrease in CPP, n = 6, P < 0.01). 5. Tetrabutylammonium, quinacrine or SKF 525a did not affect the endothelium-independent dilator response to sodium nitroprusside (1 nmol), indicating that these compounds did not affect smooth muscle relaxation in a non-specific manner.6. These findings suggest that in the coronary microcirculation bradykinin stimulates the release of a cytochrome P450-derived arachidonic acid metabolite, which exhibits the characteristic features of EDHF.

15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5↗

CGRP enhances induction of NO synthase in vascular smooth muscle cells via a cAMP-dependent mechanism.

Experiments were designed to examine whether calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), a potent adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP)-dependent vasodilator, affects the production of NO evoked by interleukin-1 beta) (IL-1 beta) in cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells (SMC). CGRP, in a concentration-dependent manner, enhanced the release of nitrite (a stable oxidation product of NO) and the formation of L-citrulline from L-arginine caused by IL-1 beta. Two cAMP-dependent vasodilators, forskolin and isoproterenol, and the activator of the cAMP-dependent protein kinase, Sp-cAMPS, also enhanced the release of nitrite and the formation of L-citrulline evoked by IL-1 beta. The enhancing effect of isoproterenol required the presence of the vasodilator during the induction of NO synthase (NOS). IL-1 beta-treated vascular SMC inhibited the aggregation of indomethacin-treated platelets. Inhibition of platelet aggregation was more marked with SMC exposed to a combination of IL-1 beta and either CGRP or isoproterenol than with cells exposed to IL-1 beta alone. This inhibition was prevented by methylene blue and oxyhemoglobin. IL-1 beta induced the expression of inducible NOS mRNA in vascular SMC, which was enhanced by coincubation of IL-1 beta with either CGRP, isoproterenol, or forskolin. These observations indicate that CGRP via a cAMP-dependent mechanism potentiates the IL-1-beta-induced production of NO by enhancing the expression of inducible NOS. Therefore CGRP may contribute to the substantial production of NO in the vasculature during septic shock, which accounts, at least in part, for the collapse of the vascular system.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗

Insulin-like growth factor I inhibits induction of nitric oxide synthase in vascular smooth muscle cells.

Experiments were designed to examine whether or not insulin-like growth factor I (IGF-I), which is produced by vascular cells in response to injury, affects the production of nitric oxide evoked by the inducible nitric oxide synthase in cultures of smooth muscle cells from the rat aorta. Nitric oxide production was assessed indirectly by the measurement of nitrite accumulation and nitric oxide synthase activity by determining the formation of L-citrulline from L-arginine. Nitric oxide synthase was induced in vascular smooth muscle cells that had been exposed to interleukin-1 beta (IL-1 beta) or tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha). IGF-I inhibited, in a concentration-dependent manner, the production of nitrite and L-citrulline evoked by IL-1 beta or TNF-alpha. The inhibition caused by IGF-I required the presence of the growth factor during the induction of nitric oxide synthase. Two IGF-I-related proteins, IGF-II and insulin, also inhibited, but to a smaller extent, the release of nitrite and the formation of L-citrulline stimulated by IL-1 beta. Under bioassay conditions, the perfusates from columns containing IL-1 beta-treated smooth muscle cells relaxed rings of rat aorta without endothelium that had been contracted with phenylephrine; these relaxations were reversed by nitro-L-arginine. Addition of IL-1 beta-treated vascular smooth muscle cells to indomethacin-treated platelets inhibited their aggregation to thrombin; methylene blue prevented this inhibition. Control smooth muscle cells or cells exposed to IGF-I alone did not have such effects.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗

Intracellular alkalinization induced by bradykinin sustains activation of the constitutive nitric oxide synthase in endothelial cells.

The transient increase in [Ca2+]i in endothelial cells after stimulation with bradykinin can account for the initiation but not the sustained production of nitric oxide (NO). Therefore, we investigated whether this sustained activation of the constitutive NO synthase (cNOS) could be mediated by an increase in pHi, which is induced by an activation of the Na(+)-H+ exchanger rather than an increase in [Ca2+]i. Cultured human endothelial cells grown on coverslips were loaded with either C.SNAFL-2 or fura 2-AM for fluorometric analysis of either pHi or [Ca2+]i. NO release was assayed by the ability of effluent from endothelial cells to stimulate purified soluble guanylyl cyclase. The pH dependence of a microsomal cNOS preparation was determined by assay of L-[3H]citrulline formation from L-[3H]arginine. Bradykinin (10 nmol/L) induced a biphasic change in endothelial pHi consisting of an initial acidification followed by a prolonged alkalinization above resting values. Inhibition of the Na(+)-H+ exchanger using HOE 694 (10 mumol/L) prevented this increase in pHi. The L-citrulline assay revealed a twofold increase in cNOS activity on increasing pH from 6.7 to 7.4, an optimum at pH 7.5, and a complete abolition of activity at pH 8.6. Endothelial production of NO 15 minutes after starting the infusion of bradykinin was maintained at significantly higher levels in control cells compared with cells pretreated with HOE 694. The latter effect cannot be accounted for by an increase in intracellular Ca2+, since [Ca2+]i levels were not significantly different between the two groups.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗

Inducible nitric oxide synthase in vascular smooth muscle.

Nitric oxide is a multifunctional regulator of the vascular system. In healthy blood vessels, nitric oxide is produced from L-arginine by the constitutive nitric oxide synthase in endothelial cells. In addition, vascular injury or inflammation cause the production of nitric oxide in most types of vascular cells, including vascular smooth muscle. This response to injury is due to the induction of a second type of nitric oxide synthase by cytokines such as interleukin-1 beta or tumor necrosis factor-alpha. Factors derived from blood (thrombin, plasmin) and from vascular cells (platelet-derived growth factor, transforming growth factor beta, insulin-like growth factor, epidermal growth factor and basic fibroblast growth factor), regulate the induction of nitric oxide synthesis in vascular smooth muscle cells. The endogenous production of nitric oxide by vascular smooth muscle at sites of injury may contribute to the local control of blood flow, vascular tone and blood fluidity. It may participate also to the remodeling of the injured blood vessel wall.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗

Mechanisms involved in the angiotensin II-independent hypotensive action of ACE inhibitors.

1. The blood pressure-lowering and cardioprotective actions of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are thought to be based primarily on a reduction in vascular angiotensin II (Ang-II) formation. However, since ACE also degrades the potent endothelium-dependent vasodilator bradykinin, it has been proposed that the local accumulation of this peptide represents an additional mechanism by which ACE inhibitors exert their cardiovascular effects. 2. Incubation of endothelial cells with ACE inhibitors indeed causes an enhanced formation of nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2) which can be completely blocked by the B2-kinin receptor antagonist Hoe 140, suggesting that the vascular endothelium is capable of generating vasoactive kinins from an endogenous source. 3. Moreover, ACE inhibitors not only prevent the breakdown of bradykinin but, by virtue of an as yet unidentified mechanism, also enhance the potency of bradykinin at the receptor level and reverse the desensitization of the B2-kinin receptor following continuous exposure to bradykinin. Both of these effects may enhance or sustain the bradykinin-induced formation of NO and PGI2 by the endothelium. 4. Furthermore, ACE inhibition leads to the accumulation of Ang-I which can be metabolised to Ang-(1-7) by another endothelial enzyme, neutral endopeptidase 24.11. By activating an as yet unidentified angiotensin receptor, Ang-(1-7), but not other known angiotensin peptides, stimulates endothelial NO release in porcine coronary arteries as well as in the isolated perfused rat heart. This effect is, albeit to a different degree, dependent on the release of vasoactive kinins from the endothelium. The shift in Ang-I metabolism towards an enhanced formation of Ang-(1-7) in the presence of an ACE inhibitor may thus contribute to the hypotensive action of this class of compounds as well.

Angiotensin II↗

[Endothelial mechanisms in vasomotor effects of ACE inhibitors].

The beneficial cardiovascular effects of ACE inhibitors are thought to be based primarily on a reduction in vascular angiotensin II formation. However, since ACE also degrades the potent endothelium-dependent vasodilator bradykinin, it has been proposed that the local accumulation of this peptide in the vascular wall represents an additional mechanism by which ACE inhibitors exert their cardiovascular effects. In this context it has been demonstrated that incubation of cultured endothelial cells with ACE inhibitors leads to an enhanced formation of nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2). This effect is believed to be the consequence of an accumulation of endothelium-derived bradykinin in the vicinity of the endothelial cells. Moreover, by virtue of an as yet unidentified mechanism, ACE inhibitors may also enhance the potency of bradykinin at the receptor level and/or activate the B2-kinin receptor following pre-exposure to bradykinin. Both of these effects may enhance or sustain the bradykinin-induced formation of NO and PGI2 by the endothelium. ACE inhibition also leads to the accumulation of angiotensin I which can be metabolized to angiotensin-(1-7) by another endothelial enzyme, the neutral endopeptidase 24.11. Activating an as yet unidentified receptor, angiotensin-(1-7) (but not other known angiotensin peptides) stimulates endothelial NO release in coronary arteries from different species as well as in the isolated perfused rat heart. This effect also seems to involve the release of vasoactive kinins from the endothelium. The shift in angiotensin I metabolism towards an enhanced formation of angiotensin-(1-7) in the presence of an ACE inhibitor may thus also contribute to the hypotensive action of this class of compounds.

Angiotensin I↗

Long-term tocolysis with combined intravenous terbutaline and magnesium sulfate: a 10-year study of 1000 patients.

OBJECTIVE: To determine whether long-term intravenous (IV) tocolysis using combined terbutaline and magnesium sulfate is safe and effective. METHODS: One thousand consecutive women in preterm labor were treated with combination IV tocolytic therapy. Terbutaline was initiated with an infusion rate of 1.75 micrograms/minute and increased to a maximum of 80 micrograms/minute. Magnesium sulfate was infused at 2 g/hour without any bolus and increased to maintain a serum level of 6.5-7.5 mg/dL. Tocolysis was continued until fetal lung maturity was achieved or delivery occurred. RESULTS: Combination tocolytic therapy prolonged pregnancy by a mean (+/- standard deviation) of 61 +/- 23.6 days in 751 women with intact membranes and by 20.5 +/- 17.4 days in 249 with ruptured membranes. The longest durations of continuous IV tocolysis were 123 days in a patient with intact membranes and 77 days in one with ruptured membranes. The most common side effects were nausea and vomiting, followed by chest tightness and shortness of breath. CONCLUSION: Long-term IV tocolysis appeared to be safe and to have acceptable side effects, allowing patients to receive combined terbutaline and magnesium sulfate until delivery.

Adult↗

Control of nitric oxide and prostacyclin synthesis in endothelial cells.

Endothelial cells produce a variety of factors involved in the control of vascular tone, platelet activation and cell growth, the most important being nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2). Although continuously produced in small amounts, synthesis and release of these autacoids are enhanced by mechanical (e.g. fluid shear stress) and humoral stimuli (e.g. acetylcholine, bradykinin, histamine). By counteracting neuro- and myogenic vasoconstriction, the continuous release of NO and PGI2 from the vascular endothelium represents a sensitive and highly effective local system for the maintenance of an adequate blood flow to the organs. This overview resumes current knowledge concerning the intracellular pathways which link endothelial cell activation by receptor-dependent and -independent stimuli to the formation of NO and PGI2.

Animals↗

Formation and release of dinitrosyl iron complexes by endothelial cells.

The release of dinitrosyl non-heme iron complexes from cytotoxic macrophages accounts for NO-mediated iron loss. We have now investigated whether or not a similar mechanism operates in endothelial cells. Following stimulation with bradykinin or calcium ionophore A23187 NO and intracellular dinitrosyl iron complexes were detected by ESR spectroscopic analysis of frozen cells. In addition, endothelial cells released dinitrosyl iron complexes which bound to extracellular albumin. In transferrin and iron-free medium stimulation of endothelial cells by bradykinin or thimerosal resulted in a loss of non-heme iron. These effects were prevented by inhibition of NO synthase. Thus NO generated by the constitutive NO synthase appears to be incorporated into dinitrosyl iron complexes, which potentially account for endothelium-dependent relaxation.

Animals↗

Diethyldithiocarbamate inhibits induction of macrophage NO synthase.

We investigated whether sodium diethyldithiocarbamate (DETC), an inhibitor of the nuclear transcription factor kappa B (NFkappa B), modulates induction of NO synthase (NOS) in murine bone marrow-derived macrophages. A short exposure (between 1 and 16 h) of L929-cell medium-preconditioned macrophages to E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS) significantly increased the level of NOS mRNA, and elicited NO formation as detected by electron spin resonance spectroscopy and by the release of nitrite. DETC (0.1-1 mM) present during stimulation with LPS prevented the increase in NOS mRNA and the expression of NOS activity. These findings suggest that NFkappa B is involved in the signal transduction pathway linking stimulation of macrophages by LPS with transcription of the gene encoding inducible NOS.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗

Modulation of endothelial autacoid release by protein kinase C: feedback inhibition or non-specific attenuation of receptor-dependent cell activation?

Receptor-mediated elevations of intracellular Ca2+ in endothelial cells may be controlled by a negative feedback mechanism through activation of protein kinase C (PKC). To test this hypothesis, we studied the effects of an activation or inhibition of PKC on the release of nitric oxide (NO) and prostacyclin (PGI2) from cultured bovine and porcine aortic endothelial cells (EC). Preincubation with the PKC activators phorbol-12-myristate-13-acetate (PMA) (3-300 nM) or 1-oleyl-2-acetyl-glycerol (OAG) (30 microM) significantly attenuated the release of NO and PGI2 from EC stimulated with bradykinin (0.3-30 nM), whereas phorbol-12,13-didecanoate (PDD) (30-300 nM), which does not activate PKC, had no effect. UCN-01 (10 nM), a specific PKC inhibitor, significantly augmented the bradykinin-stimulated release of NO from EC. These effects were correlated with a reduced (PMA) or enhanced (UCN-01) elevation of intracellular Ca2+ in response to bradykinin in both types of EC. Neither the PKC activators nor the inhibitor had any effect on resting intracellular Ca2+ or basal endothelial autacoid release. Several isoforms of PKC (namely PKC alpha, PKC delta, PKC epsilon, and PKC zeta) were detected in bovine, human, and porcine EC by immunoblotting analysis with isotype-specific anti-PKC antibodies, which, except PKC epsilon, were predominantly located in the cytosol. Incubation of bovine EC with PMA elicited a significant increase in membrane-bound PKC alpha immunoreactivity, whereas there was no translocation of PKC alpha from the cytosolic to the membrane fraction with bradykinin. As determined by histone phosphorylation, PKC activity was similarly reduced in the cytosol, but increased in the membrane fraction of bovine EC exposed to PMA, whereas bradykinin had no significant effect. These findings indicate that endothelial autacoid release can be modulated by activators and inhibitors of PKC. However, stimulation of EC with bradykinin does not lead to a detectable activation of PKC, suggesting that PKC does not exert a negative feedback in the signal transduction pathway of this receptor-dependent agonist.

Autacoids↗

Dual action of angiotensin II on coronary resistance in the isolated perfused rabbit heart.

We studied the functional role of angiotensin II (AII) receptor subtypes and vasodilatory endothelial autacoid release in response to AII in isolated perfused rabbit hearts. AII infusion induced biphasic changes in coronary perfusion pressure (CPP): an initial increase was followed by a decrease until a plateau was reached. At higher concentrations of AII (> or = 10 nmol/l) this plateau phase was lower than the initial CPP level. AII infusion elicited inverse changes in peak left ventricular pressure (LVP): coronary constriction was associated with a transient decline, and during the plateau phase LVP was clearly increased. AII also moderately augmented prostacyclin (PGI2) release from the coronary vascular bed. The AII-induced changes in CPP, LVP, and PGI2 release were effectively inhibited by the AT1 receptor subtype antagonist ICI D8731 (30 nmol/l), but not by the AT2 receptor antagonist CGP 42112 (30 nmol/l). The adenosine A1 receptor antagonist 8-phenyltheophylline (0.1 mumol/l) attenuated the decline in CPP following the constriction phase without affecting the changes in LVP during AII infusion. The cyclooxygenase inhibitor diclofenac (1 mmol/l) had no effect on the AII-induced changes in CPP, whereas the nitric oxide-synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine (30 mumol/l) markedly potentiated the vasoconstriction but was without effect on the plateau phase of the response. In contrast to AII, the thromboxane analogue U46619 elicited sustained increases in CPP which were associated with slight decreases in LVP.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗

Enzymic and nonenzymic release of NO accounts for the vasodilator activity of the metabolites of CAS 936, a novel long-acting sydnonimine derivative.

The molecular mechanism(s) underlying the vasodilator activity of CAS 936 (3-(cis-2,6-dimethylpiperidino)-N-(4-methoxybenzoyl)-sydn oni mine) and its metabolites 3-(cis-2,6-dimethylpiperidino)-sydnonimine (C87 3754) and N-(cis-2,6-dimethylpiperidino)-N-nitroso-2-aminoacetonitrile (C873786) was investigated. These compounds were tested for their relaxant activity in isolated rabbit arterial segments, activation of purified soluble guanylyl cyclase and release of nitric oxide (NO) in vitro and in vivo. C873754 and C873786 inhibited the noradrenaline-induced contraction and increased the cyclic GMP content of endothelium-denuded rabbit aortic and femoral segments, whereas CAS 936 was without effect. Similarly, both metabolites, but not CAS 936, activated purified soluble guanylyl cyclase (EC50 about 30 microM) and released NO in buffered aqueous solutions, as detected by electron spin resonance (esr) spectrometry. Both in vitro and in vivo an accumulation of NO was detected by esr spectrometry in vascular tissues exposed to the metabolites of CAS 936, whereas a significant release of NO from CAS 936 was only detected in the isolated rabbit liver, but not in vascular tissue. It is conceivable, therefore, that the metabolites of CAS 936 appearing in the systemic circulation after hepatic biotransformation induce vasodilatation by release of NO and activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase in vascular smooth muscle. Moreover, the activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase in vitro by the metabolites of CAS 936 was significantly enhanced by co-incubation with certain particulate fractions from bovine aortic endothelial and smooth muscle cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Arterial size determines the enhancement of contractile responses after suppression of endothelium-derived relaxing factor formation.

We studied the effect of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) on norepinephrine-induced contractile responses and on the tissue guanosine-3',5'-phosphate (cGMP) concentration of isolated rabbit arteries with an increasing endothelium to smooth muscle cell ratio (aorta, femoral and mesenteric arteries). After suppression of EDRF formation (either by NG-nitro-L-arginine or, in mesenteric arteries, by saponin), contractions elicited by cumulative doses of norepinephrine were unaltered in aorta but were enhanced by 22.5% in femoral arteries and by 44.3% in mesenteric arteries (at the highest norepinephrine concentration). The cGMP concentration (pmol/mg protein) of unstimulated, endothelium-intact vessels decreased after suppression of EDRF formation from 1.09 +/- 0.24 to 0.74 +/- 0.28 in aortic, from 2.86 +/- 0.4 to 0.61 +/- 0.19 in femoral and from 6.3 +/- 0.9 to 0.7 +/- 0.15 in mesenteric arterial segments. The basal cGMP concentration did not differ in endothelium-denuded segments of these arteries, suggesting a similar basal activity of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC). A higher sensitivity of sGC may have contributed to the higher cGMP concentration observed in the smaller arteries, since in the presence of sodium nitroprusside the cGMP concentration of endothelium-denuded segments increased 1.8-fold in aortic, 2.9-fold in femoral and 2.4-fold in mesenteric arterial segments. However, these differences in sGC activation cannot be solely responsible for the high basal cGMP concentration in endothelium-intact mesenteric arteries. The greater ratio of endothelium to smooth muscle cell layers in the smaller arteries might result in a higher EDRF concentration in the vascular wall and subsequently in a higher cGMP concentration.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Selective inhibition of agonist-induced but not shear stress-dependent release of endothelial autacoids by thapsigargin.

1. The effects of the Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor, thapsigargin, on the shear stress-dependent and on the agonist-stimulated release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor, i.e. nitric oxide (NO), and prostacyclin (PGI2) were studied in bovine and human cultured endothelial cells as well as in endothelium-intact arterial segments of the rabbit. 2. Preincubation with thapsigargin (1 microM for 10 min) had no effect on the shear stress-dependent release of NO from bovine aortic endothelial cells grown on beads, but abolished the release of NO induced by ADP, bradykinin, ionomycin or poly-L-lysine. Similarly, thapsigargin completely abrogated the agonist-stimulated PGI2 release from these cells, but had no effect on the shear stress-dependent release of PGI2. 3. The acetylcholine-induced release of NO from the luminally perfused thoracic aorta and femoral artery of the rabbit was suppressed by pretreatment with thapsigargin (1 microM). In contrast, thapsigargin did not affect the shear stress-dependent release of NO from the femoral artery. 4. Administration of thapsigargin to these vascular preparations or to cultured endothelial cells alone produced a substantial release of both NO and PGI2. This release declined towards previous values after washout of thapsigargin. 5. In human and bovine cultured endothelial cells, thapsigargin (1-1000 nM) caused a dose-dependent sustained rise in [Ca2+]i, an effect that was abolished in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. Stimulation of these cells with bradykinin, histamine, ADP or ionomycin after previous exposure to thapsigargin (30-1000 nM) no longer caused an increase in [Ca2+]i. of the release of these endothelial autacoids caused by shear stress or receptor-dependent and independent agonists.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗