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Biomedical subjects

R J Roman

Publications and source records attributed to R J Roman.

At least 91 records · Page 5Linked to original sources

Identification of a putative microvascular oxygen sensor.

The vascular response to changes in oxygen levels in the blood and tissue is a highly adaptive physiological response that functions to match tissue oxygen supply to metabolic demand. Defining the cellular mechanisms that can sense physiologically relevant changes in PO2 and adjust vascular diameter are vital to our understanding of this process. A cytochrome P450 (P450) enzyme of the 4A family of omega-hydroxylases was localized in renal microvessels, renal cortex, and a striated muscle microvascular bed (cremaster) of the rat. In the presence of molecular oxygen, this P450 enzyme catalyzes formation of 20-HETE from arachidonic acid (AA). Prior studies have shown that 20-HETE potently contracts renal and cerebral arteries and arterioles. The present study demonstrates that 20-HETE constricts striated muscle arterioles as well. In both intact renal microvessels and enriched renal cortical microsomal enzyme preparations, the formation of 20-HETE was linearly dependent on PO2 between 20 and 140 mm Hg. Homogenates of cremaster tissue produced 20-oxygen HETE when incubated with AA. They also expressed message for P450 4A enzyme, as determined by Southern and Western blots. Administration of 17-octadecynoic acid (17-ODYA), which is a P450 4A inhibitor, attenuated the constriction of third-order cremasteric arterioles in response to elevation of superfusion solution PO2 from approximately equal to 3 to 5 mm Hg to approximately equal to 35 mm Hg. 17-ODYA had no effect on basal vascular tone or response of cremaster arterioles to vasoactive compounds. These results demonstrate the existence of P450 omega-hydroxylase activity and 20-HETE formation in the vasculature and parenchyma of at least two microvascular beds. Our data suggest that a P450 enzyme of the 4A family has the potential to function as an oxygen sensor in mammalian microcirculatory beds and to regulate arteriolar caliber by generating 20-HETE in an oxygen-dependent manner.

Animals↗

Molecular characterization of an arachidonic acid epoxygenase in rat brain astrocytes.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Brain parenchymal tissue metabolizes arachidonic acid (AA) via the cytochrome P450 (P450) epoxygenase to epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs). EETs dilate cerebral arterioles and enhance K+ current in vascular smooth muscle cells from large cerebral arteries. Because of the close association between astrocytes and the cerebral microcirculation, we hypothesized that brain epoxygenase activity originates from astrocytes. This study was designed to identify and localize an AA epoxygenase in rat brain astrocytes. We also tested the effect of EETs on whole-cell K+ current in rat cerebral microvascular smooth muscle cells. METHODS: A functional assay was used to demonstrate endogenous epoxygenase activity of intact astrocytes in culture. Oligonucleotide primers derived from the sequence of a known hepatic epoxygenase, P450 2C11, were used in reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction of RNA isolated from cultured rat astrocytes. The appropriate size reverse transcription/polymerase chain reaction product was cloned into a plasmid vector and sequenced. A polyclonal peptide antibody was raised against P450 2C11 and used in Western blotting and immunocytochemical staining of cultured astrocytes. A voltage-clamp technique was used to test the effect of EETs on whole-cell K+ current recorded from rat cerebral microvascular muscle cells. RESULTS: Based on elution time of known standards and inhibition by miconazole, an inhibitor of P450 AA epoxygenase, cultured astrocytes produce 11,12- and 14,15-EETs when incubated with AA. The sequence of a cDNA derived from RNA isolated from cultured rat astrocytes was 100% identical to P450 2C11. Immunoreactivity to glial fibrillary acidic protein, a marker for astrocytes, colocalized with 2C11 immunoreactivity in double immunochemical staining of cultured astrocytes. EETs enhanced outward K+ current in muscle cells from rat brain microvessels. CONCLUSIONS: Our results demonstrate that a P450 2C11 mRNA is expressed in astrocytes and may be responsible for astrocyte epoxygenase activity. Given the vasodilatory effect of EETs, our findings suggest a role for astrocytes in the control of cerebral microcirculation mediated by P450 2C11-catalyzed conversion of AA to EETs. The mechanism of EET-induced dilation of rat cerebral microvessels may involve activation of K+ channels.

8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid↗

Actions of epoxygenase metabolites on the preglomerular vasculature.

Epoxygenase metabolites of arachidonic acid are produced by the kidney and have been implicated in the control of renal blood flow. This study examined the preglomerular actions of various epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EET). By use of the in vitro blood-perfused juxtamedullary nephron preparation, interlobular and afferent arteriolar diameter responses to 5,6-EET, 8,9-EET, 11,12-EET, and 14,15-EET were determined. Diameters of interlobular and afferent arterioles preconstricted with 0.5 microM norepinephrine averaged 24 +/- 1 microns (N = 27) and 17 +/- 1 microns (N = 32), respectively, at a renal perfusion pressure of 100 mm Hg. Superfusion with 0.01 to 100 nM 11,12-EET caused graded increases in diameters of the interlobular and afferent arterioles. At a dose of 100 nM, 11,12-EET increased the diameters of the interlobular and afferent arterioles by 18 +/- 2% (N = 10) and 20 +/- 3% (N = 9), respectively. The vasodilatory response to 11,12-EET was stereoselective because 11,12(R,S)-EET but not 11,12(S,R)-EET increased the diameters of the interlobular and afferent arterioles. 14,15-EET had a much smaller effect and increased the diameters of the these vessels by 10%; 8,9-EET did not significantly affect vascular diameters. In contrast, 5,6-EET constricted the interlobular and afferent arterioles by 16 +/- 3% (N = 6) and 21 +/- 3% (N = 7), respectively. The corresponding diols, 5,6-DIHETE and 11,12-DIHETE, had no effect on diameters of the interlobular and afferent arterioles at concentrations up to 1 microM. The vasodilatory response to 11,12-EET was not affected by removal of the endothelium or by inhibition of cyclooxygenase with indomethacin. In contrast, the vasoconstrictor response to 5,6-EET was abolished by both removal of the endothelium or cyclooxygenase inhibition. The thromboxane/ enderoperoxide receptor inhibitor, SQ 29,548, resulted in a 60% attenuation of the afferent arteriolar vasconstriction to 5,6-EET. These results indicate that the preglomerular vasoconstriction to 5,6-EET is cyclooxygenase dependent and requires an intact endothelium, whereas the vasodilation to 11,12-EET is stereoselective and is the result of direct action of the epoxide on the preglomerular vascular smooth muscle.

8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid↗

Spontaneous self-descriptions and ethnic identities in individualistic and collectivistic cultures.

The Twenty Statements Test (TST) was administered in Seoul and New York, to 454 students from 2 cultures that emphasize collectivism and individualism, respectively. Responses, coded into 33 categories, were classified as either abstract or specific and as either autonomous or social. These 2 dichotomies were more independent in Seoul than in New York. The New York sample included Asian American whose spontaneous social identities differed. They either never listed ethnicity-nationality on the TST, or listed it once or twice. Unidentified Asian Americans' self-concepts resembled Euro-Americans' self-concepts, and twice identified Asian Americans' self-concepts resembled Koreans' self-concepts, in both abstractness-specificity and autonomy-sociality. Differential acculturation did not account for these results. Implications for social identity, self-categorization, and acculturation theory are discussed.

Acculturation↗

Role of changes in renal hemodynamics and P-450 metabolites of arachidonic acid in the reversal of one-kidney, one clip hypertension.

OBJECTIVE: To examine the role of changes in renal hemodynamics and P-450 metabolites of arachidonic acid in the reversal of one-kidney, one clip (1-K,1C) hypertension in rats. DESIGN: The stimulus for the release of an antihypertensive lipid from the kidney is not known. This study examined whether cortical or papillary blood flow is altered after removal of the clip from the renal artery of 1-K,1C hypertensive rats, and the effects of blockade of the renal metabolism of arachidonic acid by P-450 with 17-octadecynoic acid (17-ODYA) on the fall in blood pressure. METHODS: Cortical and medullary blood flows were measured using laser-Doppler flowmetry. 17-ODYA (33 nmol/min) was infused directly into the renal artery to examine the effect of inhibition of renal P-450 activity on reversal of 1-K,1C hypertension. The renal metabolism of arachidonic acid in control and in 1-K,1C hypertensive rats was assessed by incubating microsomes with [14C]-arachidonic acid, the metabolites formed being measured using reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. The antihypertensive effects of these P-450 metabolites of arachidonic acid were compared with those of medullipin I after intravenous administration in conscious spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). RESULTS: Cortical and papillary blood flow increased significantly and arterial pressure fell after unclipping the renal artery in the 1-K,1C hypertensive rats. 17-ODYA prevented the fall in blood pressure after unclipping. The production of epoxy- and dihydroxy-eicosatrienoic acids was elevated in microsomes prepared from the renal cortex of the 1-K,1C hypertensive rats. However, intravenous administration of these metabolites did not mimic the effect of medullipin I to lower arterial pressure in SHR. CONCLUSION: Elevations in renal cortical or papillary blood flow, or both, may stimulate the release of a P-450-derived antihypertensive lipid from the kidney after unclipping of the renal artery in 1-K,1C hypertensive rats. However, it is unlikely that this substance is a P-450 metabolite of arachidonic acid.

Animals↗

Control of renal medullary blood flow by vasopressin V1 and V2 receptors.

Experiments were performed in anesthetized renal-denervated rats to determine the contribution of renal medullary vasopressin V1 and V2 receptor stimulation in the regulation of renal medullary blood flow. Renal medullary interstitial infusion of the selective V1 agonist [Phe2,Ile3,Orn8]vasopressin (2 ng.kg-1.min-1) significantly decreased outer medullary blood flow by 15% and inner medullary blood flow by 35%, as measured with implanted optical fibers for laser-Doppler flowmetry. Medullary interstitial infusion of equimolar doses of arginine vasopressin (AVP) also decreased outer medullary blood flow by 15% but decreased inner medullary blood flow by only 17%, a decrease significantly less than that during the infusion of the V1 agonist. These results were confirmed in videomicroscopy experiments on the exposed papilla, which demonstrated that the V1 agonist and AVP decreased descending and ascending vasa recta capillary red blood cell velocity and calculated blood flow, with greater decreases during infusion of the V1 agonist. In further laser-Doppler flowmetry studies, stimulation of V2 receptors by medullary interstitial infusion of 1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (2 ng.kg-1.min-1) or AVP in rats pretreated with the vasopressin V1 receptor antagonist d(CH2)5[Tyr(Me)2,Ala-NH2]AVP increased renal medullary blood flow by 16 +/- 3 and 27 +/- 8%, respectively. The present experiments indicate that vasopressin V1 receptor stimulation serves to decrease renal medullary blood flow while V2 receptor stimulation appears to increase renal medullary blood flow; however, the net effect of AVP is to decrease renal medullary blood flow.

Animals↗

The renal medulla and hypertension.

We review evidence supporting the conclusion that renal dysfunction underlies the development of all forms of hypertension in humans and experimental animals. Indexes of global renal function are generally normal in the early stages of most genetic forms of hypertension, but renal function is clearly impaired in long-established hypertension. Studies in our laboratory over the past decade summarized below have established that the renal medulla plays an important role in sodium and water homeostasis and in the long-term control of arterial pressure. Development of implanted optical fibers for measurement of cortical and medullary blood flows with laser-Doppler flowmetry and techniques for delivery of vasoactive compounds into the medullary interstitial space enabled us to examine determinants of medullary flow (nitric oxide, atrial natriuretic peptides, kinins, eicosanoids, vasopressin, renal sympathetic nerves, etc). We have shown in spontaneously hypertensive rats that the initial changes of renal function begin as a reduction of medullary blood flow in the absence of changes of cortical flow. Long-term medullary interstitial infusion of captopril, which preferentially increased medullary blood flow, resulted in a lowering of arterial pressure. In normal Sprague-Dawley rats, selective reduction of medullary flow with medullary interstitial or intravenous infusion of small amounts of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester resulted in hypertension. These and other studies we review show that although blood flow to the inner renal medulla comprises less than 1% of the total renal blood flow, changes in flow to this region can have a major effect on sodium and water homeostasis and on the long-term control of arterial blood pressure.

Animals↗

Pressurization of isolated renal arteries increases inositol trisphosphate and diacylglycerol.

Inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) and 1,2-diacylglycerol (DAG) concentrations were measured in isolated, cannulated dog renal arteries under control conditions (0 mmHg) and in response to step elevations in transmural pressure. There was a pressure-dependent increase in IP3 at 60 and 120 mmHg, reaching significance at 120 mmHg (P < 0.05) and a significant increase in DAG at both 60 and 120 mmHg measured after maintaining pressure for 15 min. Similarly, IP3 measurements made 90 s after a step increase in transmural pressure also exhibited a pressure-dependent profile, again reaching significance at 120 mmHg. Calculation of active tension demonstrated these renal arteries developed pressure-dependent myogenic tone. To assess the role of the endothelium in this regard, IP3 was measured before and after endothelial removal at 0 and 60 mmHg. Pressure-dependent myogenic tone was still present upon endothelial removal. In the absence of the endothelium, we observed a significant increase in total IP3 at 60 compared with 0 mmHg; furthermore, the increase in IP3 in the absence of the endothelium was significantly greater than that observed when the endothelium was intact. Given that the primary source of IP3 is via the actions of phospholipase C (PLC) on phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate, these biochemical data directly demonstrate that elevation of transmural pressure in dog renal arteries activates PLC.

Analysis of Variance↗

Cytochrome P-450 inhibitors alter afferent arteriolar responses to elevations in pressure.

The present study evaluated the effects of cytochrome P-450 inhibitors on the response of the renal microvasculature to changes in renal perfusion pressure and on autoregulation of glomerular capillary pressure using the rat juxtamedullary nephron microvascular preparation perfused in vitro with a cell-free perfusate containing 5% albumin. The basal diameters of the proximal and distal afferent arterioles averaged 28 +/- 1 (n = 32) and 18 +/- 1 micron (n = 23), respectively, at a control perfusion pressure of 80 mmHg. The diameters of these vessels decreased by 8% when perfusion pressure was elevated from 80 to 160 mmHg. After addition of cytochrome P-450 inhibitors (either 17-octadecynoic acid, 20 microM; 7-ethoxyresorufin, 10 microM; or miconazole, 20 microM) to the perfusate, the diameters of the proximal and distal afferent arterioles increased by 6% in response to the same elevation in perfusion pressure. Control glomerular capillary pressure averaged 43 +/- 1 mmHg (n = 32) at a renal perfusion pressure of 80 mmHg and increased by only 9 +/- 1 mmHg when perfusion pressure was elevated to 160 mmHg. Autoregulation of glomerular capillary pressure was impaired after addition of the cytochrome P-450 inhibitors, and it increased by 18 +/- 2 mmHg when perfusion pressure was varied over the same range. These results indicate that cytochrome P-450 inhibitors attenuate the vasoconstrictor response of afferent arterioles to elevations in renal perfusion pressure and impair autoregulation of glomerular capillary pressure, suggesting a possible role for cytochrome P-450 metabolites of arachidonic acid in these responses.

8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid↗

Direct measurement of renal medullary blood flow in the dog.

We studied the responses of total renal blood flow (RBF) and renal medullary blood flow (RMBF) to changes in renal perfusion pressure (RPP) within and below the range of renal autoregulation in the anesthetized dog (n = 7). To measure RMBF, we developed a technique in which the medulla is exposed by excising a section of infarcted cortex and a multiple optical fiber flow probe, connected to a laser-Doppler flowmeter, is placed on the medulla. At the baseline RPP of 120 +/- 1 mmHg, RBF was 2.58 +/- 0.33 ml.min-1.g perfused kidney wt-1, and RMBF was 222 +/- 45 perfusion units. RPP was then decreased in consecutive 20-mmHg steps to 39 +/- 1 mmHg. At 80 +/- 1 mmHg, RBF remained at 89 +/- 4% of the baseline value; however, RMBF had decreased significantly (P < 0.05) to 73 +/- 4% of its baseline value. The efficiency of autoregulation of RBF and of RMBF within the RPP range of 120 to 80 mmHg was determined by calculating an autoregulatory index (AI) for each parameter using the formula AI = (%delta blood flow)/(%delta RPP). An AI of 0 indicates perfect autoregulation, and an index of 1 indicates a system with a fixed resistance. The AI for RBF averaged 0.33 +/- 0.12 over this pressure range and showed a significantly greater (P < 0.05) autoregulatory ability than did the RMBF (0.82 +/- 0.13). Decreasing perfusion pressure < 80 mmHg produced significant decreases in both RBF and RMBF.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Altered renal P-450 metabolism of arachidonic acid in Dahl salt-sensitive rats.

The renal metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA) was compared in male and female prehypertensive Dahl salt-sensitive (SS/Jr) and salt-resistant (SR/Jr) rats maintained on a low- (0.3%) sodium chloride diet. Renal cortical microsomes incubated with AA produced 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE), 14,15- and 11,12-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids, and a new metabolite of AA, 11,12-epoxy-20-hydroxyeicosatrienoic acid. The production of 20-HETE was similar in cortical microsomes of female SS/Jr and SR/Jr rats maintained on a low-salt diet (72 +/- 5 vs. 66 +/- 3 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1); however, the formation of epoxygenase metabolites was significantly less in SS/Jr than in SR/Jr rats (45 +/- 2 vs. 70 +/- 3 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1). Outer medullary microsomes produced primarily 20-HETE, and the formation of this compound was significantly lower in SS/Jr than in SR/Jr female rats fed a low-salt diet (8 +/- 2 vs. 18 +/- 3 pmol.min-1.mg protein-1). Renal papillary microsomes produced prostaglandin E2 and F2 alpha, and the formation of these compounds was similar in female SS/Jr and SR/Jr rats fed a low-salt diet. Similar differences in the metabolism of AA by P-450 were observed in microsomes prepared from the renal cortex and outer medulla of male SS/Jr and SR/Jr rats. These results indicate that the renal metabolism of AA by P-450 is altered in prehypertensive Dahl SS/Jr rats; however, the functional significance of this system in resetting renal function and in the development of hypertension in this model remains to be established.

8,11,14-Eicosatrienoic Acid↗

Inhibition of renal vascular 20-HETE production impairs autoregulation of renal blood flow.

The present study evaluated the role of endogenous P-450 metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA) on autoregulation of renal blood flow in rats. Whole kidney and cortical blood flows were well autoregulated when renal perfusion pressure was varied from 150 to 100 mmHg. Infusion of 17-octadecynoic acid (17-ODYA) into the renal artery (33 nmol/min) increased cortical and papillary blood flows by 12.6 +/- 2.5 and 26.5 +/- 4.6%, respectively. After 17-ODYA, autoregulation of whole kidney and cortical blood flows was impaired. Intrarenal infusion of miconazole (8 nmol/min) had no effect on autoregulation of whole kidney, cortical, or papillary blood flows. 17-ODYA (1 microM) inhibited the formation of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) and 11,12- and 14,15-epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) by renal preglomerular microvessels in vitro by 83.7 +/- 7.4% and 89.0 +/- 4.9%, respectively. Miconazole (1 microM) reduced the formation of EETs by 86.4 +/- 5.7%, but it had no effect on the production of 20-HETE. These results suggest that endogenous P-450 metabolites of AA, particularly 20-HETE, may participate in the autoregulation of renal blood flow.

Animals↗

Effect of P-450 omega-hydroxylase metabolites of arachidonic acid on tubuloglomerular feedback.

The role of endogenous P-450 metabolites of arachidonic acid (AA) on the tubuloglomerular feedback (TGF) response was examined. Under control conditions stop-flow pressure (SFP) fell by 17.0 +/- 2.1 mmHg when the perfusion rate of the loop of Henle was increased from 0 to 50 nl/min. Addition of AA (50 microM) to the perfusate lowered basal SFP by 11.4 +/- 1.1 mmHg and potentiated the TGF response. This effect was blocked by addition of a P-450 inhibitor, 17-octadecynoic acid (17-ODYA) (10 microM), to the perfusate. Perfusion of the loop of Henle with 17-ODYA elevated basal SFP by 3.7 +/- 0.3 mmHg and reduced the TGF response by 80%. After blockade of endogenous P-450 activity with 17-ODYA, addition of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE, 10 microM) to the perfusate produced a flow rate-dependent fall in SFP. The effect of 20-HETE was not altered by pretreating the animal with meclofenamate (2 mg/kg iv) or by perfusing the nephron segment with furosemide (50 microM). These results indicate that endogenous P-450 metabolites of AA, particularly 20-HETE, may play a role in TGF and the regulation of renal vascular tone.

Animals↗

Genetic contamination of Dahl SS/Jr rats. Impact on studies of salt-sensitive hypertension.

The Dahl salt-sensitive rat (SS/Jr) is a widely used animal model of salt-sensitive hypertension. SS/Jr rats are believed to be highly inbred and uniformly sensitive to the hypertensinogenic effects of sodium chloride, but we have recently observed that SS/Jr rats from Harlan Sprague Dawley, Inc, exhibit considerable variability in their blood pressure response to supplemental dietary salt. To test the possibility that commercially available SS/Jr rats are genetically contaminated and therefore no longer fully inbred, we performed molecular genetic studies and blood pressure measurements in several groups of SS/Jr rats purchased from Harlan Sprague Dawley. We found molecular evidence of heterozygosity and/or atypical allelic variants involving loci on at least five different chromosomes. Many of the rats also failed to exhibit a salt-sensitive blood pressure phenotype. We conclude that SS/Jr rats being sold by the only commercial vendor of Dahl rats in the United States are genetically contaminated and resistant to the hypertensinogenic effects of salt. These findings raise serious questions about the interpretation of research conducted with SS/Jr rats obtained from Harlan Sprague Dawley.

Animals↗

Abnormal pressure-natriuresis in transgenic renin gene rats.

OBJECTIVE: Pressure-diuresis-natriuresis relationships were compared in rats made transgenic by implantation of the mouse salivary gland renin gene [TGR(mRen-2)27 rats] and Sprague-Dawley/Hannover rats to determine whether resetting of renal function contributes to the development of hypertension in these rats. METHODS: Differences in the neural and hormonal background were minimized by denervating the kidney and holding plasma vasopressin, aldosterone, cortisol and norepinephrine levels constant by intravenous infusion. RESULTS: In Hannover rats (n = 9), urine flow and sodium excretion increased from 26.4 +/- 6.2 to 86.8 +/- 8.6 microliters/min per g kidney weight and from 5.1 +/- 0.8 to 15.3 +/- 1.0 mumol/min per g kidney weight as renal perfusion pressure (RPP) was increased from 107 to 153 mmHg. The renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) were well-autoregulated and averaged 6.6 and 1.5 ml/min per g kidney weight throughout the range of pressures studied. In TGR (n = 10), urine flow and sodium excretion increased from 30.0 +/- 6.1 to 59.7 +/- 7.2 microliters/min per g kidney weight and from 3.8 +/- 0.9 to 8.5 +/- 1.3 mumol/min per g kidney weight in response to an elevation in RPP from 170 to 212 mmHg. The RBF and GFR were about 20% lower in TGR than in Hannover rats and averaged 4.1 and 1.0 ml/min per g kidney weight, respectively. CONCLUSION: The results show that the pressure-diuresis-natriuresis relationship is shifted to higher pressure levels in TGR and that this is associated with enhanced tubular reabsorption.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

Effects of 17-octadecynoic acid, a suicide-substrate inhibitor of cytochrome P450 fatty acid omega-hydroxylase, on renal function in rats.

This study evaluated the ability of 17-octadecynoic acid (17-ODYA) to inhibit the metabolism of arachidonic acid by cytochrome P450 in renal cortical microsomes of rats, and characterized the effects of intrarenal infusion of this substance on renal hemodynamics and the excretion of water and electrolytes. 17-ODYA was a potent inhibitor (IC50 < 100 nM) of the formation of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid, epoxyeicosatrienoic acids and dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids by rat renal cortical microsomes incubated with arachidonic acid. Infusion of 17-ODYA (16.5 nmol/min; n = 8) directly into the renal cortical interstitium of rats produced a diuresis and a natriuresis which were associated with an increase in renal papillary blood flow in the absence of changes in renal blood flow, cortical blood flow or glomerular filtration rate. 17-ODYA inhibited the omega-hydroxylation of arachidonic acid by microsomes prepared from the infused kidney by 61.3 +/- 9.2% (n = 7) relative to that observed in the contralateral kidney, whereas infusion of vehicle (n = 6) or palmitate (n = 4) had no effect on renal metabolism of arachidonic acid by cytochrome P450. Infusion of 17-ODYA (33 nmol/min) into the renal artery of rats also increased urine flow and sodium excretion, whereas renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate were not significantly altered. Papillary blood flow increased 36% during infusion of 17-ODYA into the renal artery, and renal interstitial hydrostatic pressure increased from 8.7 +/- 1.1 to 13.8 +/- 1.5 mm Hg. These results suggest that endogenous cytochrome P450 metabolites of arachidonic acid influence renal medullary hemodynamics and the excretion of water and electrolytes.

Animals↗

Modulation of vascular tone in renal microcirculation by erythrocytes: role of EDRF.

The effect of erythrocytes (red blood cells, RBC) on vascular tone in the renal microcirculation was examined using the juxtamedullary nephron microvascular preparation perfused in vitro with a physiological salt solution containing 5% albumin. The basal diameters of the arcuate, interlobular, proximal, and distal afferent arterioles averaged 444 +/- 24, 74 +/- 3, 29 +/- 1, and 19 +/- 1 micron, respectively, when perfused with a cell-free solution at a pressure of 80 mmHg. The diameters of the arcuate and interlobular arteries increased by 14 +/- 4 and 13 +/- 4%, respectively, whereas the diameter of the proximal and distal portions of the afferent arterioles decreased by 7 +/- 2% when perfusion pressure was elevated from 80 to 160 mmHg. The addition of RBC to the perfusate reduced the basal diameters of interlobular and afferent arterioles by 11 +/- 4 and 15 +/- 3%, respectively. The maximal vasoconstrictor response was seen after the addition of only 1% RBC to the perfusate. Removal of platelets did not block the vasoconstrictor response to addition of RBC to the perfusate. The role of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) in the vasoconstrictor response to RBC was studied by addition of nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 100 microM) to the perfusate. L-NNA reduced the basal diameters of interlobular and afferent arterioles by 7 +/- 3 and 9 +/- 3%, respectively, and abolished the vasoconstrictor response to RBC. L-NNA had no effect on the pressure-diameter relationships of the preglomerular vasculature when added to perfusates already containing RBC.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗

pH-induced calcium transients in type II alveolar epithelial cells.

Although both intracellular pH (pHi) and intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) are highly regulated and have important metabolic effects in alveolar epithelial cells, little is known about the interrelationship between these two ions in alveolar epithelial cells. The present study examined changes in [pH]i and [Ca2+]i in isolated alveolar epithelial cells using the fluorescent dyes SNARF-1 and fura-2. Basal pHi values in freshly isolated and cultured alveolar epithelial cells were 7.27 and 7.24, respectively. Resting [Ca2+]i values in freshly isolated cells (53 +/- 5 nM) were lower than those in cultured type II cells (107 +/- 21 nM). pHi increased rapidly after addition of 25 mM NH4Cl in both cultured and freshly isolated cells and then decreased back toward baseline over the following 10 min. The rise in pHi was associated with a transient increase in [Ca2+]i. Resuspension of cells in an NH4Cl-free solution resulted in rapid intracellular acidification, which recovered over the subsequent 10 min. Removal of sodium or addition of 1 mM amiloride to the external solution slowed the rate of recovery from intracellular acidification, consistent with the participation of Na(+)-H+ exchanger in this process. In freshly isolated cells, [Ca2+]i increased following acidification and then decreased as the cells recovered from an acid load. In cultured cells, [Ca2+]i also increased following acidification but then remained elevated over the subsequent 10 min. The recovery of [Ca2+]i toward baseline values in fresh cells following acidification was dependent on the presence of external sodium. These data demonstrate that both increases and decreases in pHi of alveolar epithelial cells are associated with increases in [Ca2+]i and suggest that some of the metabolic effects of altering pHi may be secondary to increases in [Ca2+]i. The dependency of [Ca2+]i recovery following acidification on external sodium raises the possibility that freshly isolated type II cells have Na(+)-Ca2+ exchangers that contribute to the regulation of [Ca2+]i.

Amiloride↗