NaCl-induced renal vasoconstriction in salt-sensitive African Americans: antipressor and hemodynamic effects of potassium bicarbonate. (1/5901)

In 16 African Americans (blacks, 14 men, 2 women) with average admission mean arterial pressure (MAP, mm Hg) 99.9+/-3.5 (mean+/-SEM), we investigated whether NaCl-induced renal vasoconstriction attends salt sensitivity and, if so, whether supplemental KHCO3 ameliorates both conditions. Throughout a 3-week period under controlled metabolic conditions, all subjects ate diets containing 15 mmol NaCl and 30 mmol potassium (K+) (per 70 kg body wt [BW] per day). Throughout weeks 2 and 3, NaCl was loaded to 250 mmol/d; throughout week 3, dietary K+ was supplemented to 170 mmol/d (KHCO3). On the last day of each study week, we measured renal blood flow (RBF) and glomerular filtration rate (GFR) using renal clearances of PAH and inulin. Ten subjects were salt sensitive (SS) (DeltaMAP >+5%) and 6 salt resistant (SR). In NaCl-loaded SS but not SR subjects, RBF (mL/min/1.73 m2) decreased from 920+/-75 to 828+/-46 (P<0.05); filtration fraction (FF, %) increased from 19. 4+/- to 21.4 (P<0.001); and renal vascular resistance (RVR) (10(3)xmm Hg/[mL/min]) increased from 101+/-8 to 131+/-10 (P<0.001). In all subjects combined, DeltaMAP varied inversely with DeltaRBF (r =-0.57, P=0.02) and directly with DeltaRVR (r = 0.65, P=0.006) and DeltaFF (r = 0.59, P=0.03), but not with MAP before NaCl loading. When supplemental KHCO3 abolished the pressor effect of NaCl in SS subjects, RBF was unaffected but GFR and FF decreased. The results show that in marginally K+-deficient blacks (1) NaCl-induced renal vasoconstrictive dysfunction attends salt sensitivity; (2) the dysfunction varies in extent directly with the NaCl-induced increase in blood pressure (BP); and (3) is complexly affected by supplemented KHCO3, GFR and FF decreasing but RBF not changing. In blacks, NaCl-induced renal vasoconstriction may be a pathogenetic event in salt sensitivity.  (+info)

Nitric oxide in the endometrium. (2/5901)

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important mediator of paracrine interactions, especially within the vascular system. It is a powerful inhibitor of platelet aggregation and a potent vasodilator. NO is also a neurotransmitter and it plays a role in cell-mediated cytotoxicity. NO-generating enzymes (nitric oxide synthases, NOS) have been described in the endometrium of a number of species, suggesting that NO might be involved in endometrial function. In human endometrium, endothelial NOS and inducible NOS have been localized to glandular epithelium in the non-pregnant uterus. Weak inducible NOS immunoreactivity has been observed in decidualized stromal cells. NO might participate in the initiation and control of menstrual bleeding. Furthermore, it may play a part in the inhibition of platelet aggregation within the endometrium, where menstrual haemostasis is thought to occur primarily by vasoconstriction rather than clot organization. Endometrially derived NO could also suppress myometrial contractility. Recent attention has focused on the part that NO might play in maintaining myometrial quiescence during pregnancy. NO also appears to relax the non-pregnant myometrium, an action which could be exploited for the medical treatment of primary dysmenorrhoea.  (+info)

Relaxation of endothelin-1-induced pulmonary arterial constriction by niflumic acid and NPPB: mechanism(s) independent of chloride channel block. (3/5901)

We investigated the effects of the Cl- channel blockers niflumic acid, 5-nitro-2-(3-phenylpropylamino)-benzoic acid (NPPB) and 4, 4'-diisothiocyanatostilbene-2,2'-disulphonic acid (DIDS) on endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced constriction of rat small pulmonary arteries (diameter 100-400 microm) in vitro, following endothelium removal. ET-1 (30 nM) induced a sustained constriction of rat pulmonary arteries in physiological salt solution. Arteries preconstricted with ET-1 were relaxed by niflumic acid (IC50: 35.8 microM) and NPPB (IC50: 21.1 microM) in a reversible and concentration-dependent manner. However, at concentrations known to block Ca++-activated Cl- channels, DIDS (+info)

O-raffinose cross-linking markedly reduces systemic and renal vasoconstrictor effects of unmodified human hemoglobin. (4/5901)

The hemodynamic effects of a 20% exchange-transfusion with different solutions of highly purified human hemoglobin A-zero (A0) were evaluated. We compared unmodified hemoglobin with hemoglobin cross-linked with O-raffinose. Unmodified hemoglobin increased systemic vascular resistance and mean arterial pressure more than the O-raffinose cross-linked hemoglobin solution (by approximately 45% and approximately 14%, respectively). Unmodified hemoglobin markedly reduced cardiac output (CO) by approximately 21%, whereas CO was unaffected by the O-raffinose cross-linked hemoglobin solution. Unmodified and O-raffinose cross-linked hemoglobin solutions increased mean arterial pressure to comparable extents ( approximately 14% and approximately 9%, respectively). Unmodified hemoglobin increased renal vascular resistance 2-fold and reduced the glomerular filtration rate by 58%. In marked contrast, the O-raffinose cross-linked hemoglobin had no deleterious effect on the glomerular filtration rate, renal blood flow, or renal vascular resistance. The extents to which unmodified and O-raffinose cross-linked hemoglobin solutions inactivated nitric oxide also were compared using three separate in vitro assays: platelet nitric oxide release, nitric oxide-stimulated platelet cGMP production, and endothelium-derived relaxing factor-mediated inhibition of platelet aggregation. Unmodified hemoglobin inactivated or oxidized nitric oxide to a greater extent than the O-raffinose cross-linked hemoglobin solutions in all three assays. In summary, O-raffinose cross-linking substantially reduced the systemic vasoconstriction and the decrease in CO induced by unmodified hemoglobin and eliminated the deleterious effects of unmodified hemoglobin on renal hemodynamics and function. We hypothesize that O-raffinose cross-linking reduces the degree of oxidation of nitric oxide and that this contributes to the reduced vasoactivity of this modified hemoglobin.  (+info)

Protective effect of dietary tomato against endothelial dysfunction in hypercholesterolemic mice. (5/5901)

The effects of dietary ingestion of tomato were studied in mice that had been made hypercholesterolemic by feeding atherogenic diets. Mice which had been fed on the atherogenic diet without tomato for 4 months had significantly increased plasma lipid peroxide, and the vaso-relaxing activity in the aorta induced by acetylcholine (ACh) was harmed when compared with mice fed on a common commercial diet. On the other hand, mice which had been fed on the atherogenic diet containing 20% (w/w) lyophilized powder of tomato showed less increase in the plasma lipid peroxide level, and ACh-induced vaso-relaxation was maintained at the same level as that in normal mice. These results indicate that tomato has a preventive effect on atherosclerosis by protecting plasma lipids from oxidation.  (+info)

Blockade and reversal of endothelin-induced constriction in pial arteries from human brain. (6/5901)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Substantial evidence now implicates endothelin (ET) in the pathophysiology of cerebrovascular disorders such as the delayed vasospasm associated with subarachnoid hemorrhage and ischemic stroke. We investigated the ET receptor subtypes mediating vasoconstriction in human pial arteries. METHODS: ET receptors on human pial and intracerebral arteries were visualized with the use of autoradiography, and the subtypes mediating vasoconstriction were identified by means of wire myography. RESULTS: ET-1 was more potent than ET-3 as a vasoconstrictor, indicating an ETA-mediated effect. Similarly, the selective ETB agonist sarafotoxin S6c had no effect on contractile action at concentrations up to 30 nmol/L. The nonpeptide ETA receptor antagonist PD156707 (3 to 30 nmol/L) caused a parallel rightward shift of the ET-1-induced response, yielding a pA2 of 9.2. Consistent with these results, PD156707 (30 nmol/L) fully reversed an established constriction in pial arteries induced by 1 nmol/L ET-1, while the selective ETB receptor antagonist BQ788 (1 micromol/L) had little effect. The calcium channel blocker nimodipine (0.3 to 3 micromol/L) significantly attenuated the maximum response to ET-1 in a concentration-dependent manner without changing potency. In agreement with the functional data, specific binding of [125I]PD151242 to ETA receptors was localized to the smooth muscle layer of pial and intracerebral blood vessels. In contrast, little or no [125I]BQ3020 binding to ETB receptors was detected. CONCLUSIONS: These data indicate an important role for ETA receptors in ET-1-induced constriction of human pial arteries and suggest that ETA receptor antagonists may provide additional dilatory benefit in cerebrovascular disorders associated with raised ET levels.  (+info)

Cerebrovascular alterations in protein kinase C-mediated constriction in stroke-prone rats. (7/5901)

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Cerebrovascular pressure-dependent constriction may involve the smooth muscle production of diacylglycerol, which could facilitate constriction by activating protein kinase C (PKC). A dysfunctional PKC system could promote the loss of pressure-dependent constriction. We attempted to determine whether the alterations in pressure-dependent constriction in the middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) observed in relation to stroke development in Wistar-Kyoto stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRsp) were associated with defects in the ability of the arteries to constrict in response to PKC activation. METHODS: MCAs were sampled from SHRsp before and after stroke development and in stroke-resistant Wistar-Kyoto spontaneously hypertensive rats. A pressure myograph was used to test the ability of the arteries to constrict in response to a 100 mm Hg pressure step and subsequently to contract in response to phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate in the presence of nifedipine (3 micromol/L). RESULTS: Pressure-dependent constriction and constriction in response to phorbol dibutyrate in the MCAs were inhibited by PKC inhibitors (staurosporine [40 nmol/L], chelerythrine [12 micromol/L], bisindolylmaleimide [5 micromol/L]), declined with age before stroke development in SHRsp, and were absent after stroke. There was a significant relationship between pressure- and phorbol dibutyrate-induced constriction (r=0.815, P<0. 05). CONCLUSIONS: Phorbol esters interact with the same activation site as diacylglycerol to stimulate PKC. An inability to constrict in response to phorbol dibutyrate may reflect unresponsiveness to diacylglycerol and may contribute to the loss of pressure-dependent constriction associated with stroke in the MCAs of SHRsp. The loss of this autoregulatory function before stroke could increase the risk of cerebral hemorrhage.  (+info)

Spread of vasodilatation and vasoconstriction along feed arteries and arterioles of hamster skeletal muscle. (8/5901)

1. In arterioles of the hamster cheek pouch, vasodilatation and vasoconstriction can spread via the conduction of electrical signals through gap junctions between cells that comprise the vessel wall. However, conduction in resistance networks supplying other tissues has received relatively little attention. In anaesthetized hamsters, we have investigated the spread of dilatation and constriction along feed arteries and arterioles of the retractor muscle, which is contiguous with the cheek pouch. 2. When released from a micropipette, acetylcholine (ACh) triggered vasodilatation that spread rapidly along feed arteries external to the muscle and arterioles within the muscle. Responses were independent of changes in wall shear rate, perivascular nerve activity, or release of nitric oxide, indicating cell-to-cell conduction. 3. Vasodilatation conducted without decrement along unbranched feed arteries, yet decayed markedly in arteriolar networks. Thus, branching of the conduction pathway dissipated the vasodilatation. 4. Noradrenaline (NA) or a depolarizing KCl stimulus evoked constriction of arterioles and feed arteries of the retractor muscle that was constrained to the vicinity of the micropipette. This behaviour contrasts sharply with the conduction of vasodilatation in these microvessels and with the conduction of vasoconstriction elicited by NA and KCl in cheek pouch arterioles. 5. Focal electrical stimulation produced constriction that spread rapidly along feed arteries and arterioles. These responses were inhibited by tetrodotoxin or prazosin, confirming the release of NA along perivascular sympathetic nerves, which are absent from arterioles studied in the cheek pouch. Thus, sympathetic nerve activity co-ordinated the contraction of smooth muscle cells as effectively as the conduction of vasodilatation co-ordinated their relaxation. 6. In the light of previous findings in the cheek pouch, the properties of vasoconstriction and vasodilatation in feed arteries and arterioles of the retractor muscle indicate that substantive differences can exist in the nature of signal transmission along microvessels of tissues that differ in structure and function.  (+info)