The prolactin family hormones regulate vascular tone through NO and prostacyclin production in isolated rat aortic rings

Prostacyclin and nitric oxide (NO) are produced by the endothelium in response to physical forces such as shear stress. Consequently, both NO and prostacyclin may increase during exercise and contribute to metabolic vasodilation. Conversely, NO has been hypothesized to inhibit prostacyclin production. We therefore investigated the effect of cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition on exercise-induced vasodilation of the porcine systemic, pulmonary, and coronary beds before and after inhibition of NO production. Swine were studied at rest and during treadmill exercise at 1–5 km/h, before and after COX inhibition with indomethacin (10 mg/kg iv), and in the absence and presence of NO synthase inhibition with Nω-nitro-l-arginine (l-NNA; 20 mg/kg iv). COX inhibition produced systemic vasoconstriction at rest, which waned during exercise. The systemic vasoconstriction by COX inhibition was enhanced after l-NNA, particularly at rest. In the coronary circulation, COX inhibition also resulted in vasoconstriction at rest and during exercise. However, vasoconstriction was not modified by pretreatment with l-NNA. In contrast, COX inhibition had no effect on the pulmonary circulation, either at rest or during exercise. Moreover, a prostanoid influence in the pulmonary circulation could not be detected after l-NNA. In conclusion, endogenous prostanoids contribute importantly to systemic and coronary tone in awake swine at rest but are not mandatory for exercise-induced vasodilation in these beds. Endogenous prostanoids are not mandatory for the regulation of pulmonary resistance vessel tone. Finally, NO blunts the contribution of prostanoids to vascular tone regulation in the systemic but not in the coronary and pulmonary beds.

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Up4A stimulates endothelium-independent contraction of isolated rat pulmonary artery

AJP Lung Cellular and Molecular Physiology ◽

10.1152/ajplung.00403.2007 ◽

2008 ◽

Vol 294 (4) ◽

pp. L733-L738 ◽

Cited By ~ 31

Author(s):

Yu Gui ◽

Michael P. Walsh ◽

Vera Jankowski ◽

Joachim Jankowski ◽

Xi-Long Zheng

Keyword(s):

Pulmonary Artery ◽

Vascular Tone ◽

Rho Kinase ◽

P2y Receptors ◽

Extracellular Nucleotides ◽

Dependent Manner ◽

Concentration Dependent Manner ◽

P2x And P2y Receptors ◽

Potent Vasoconstrictor ◽

Isolated Rat

Extracellular nucleotides, such as ATP, UDP, and UTP, regulate pulmonary vascular tone through P2X and P2Y receptors. Recently, uridine adenosine tetraphosphate (Up4A) was reported as a novel endothelium-derived vasoconstrictive factor. Up4A contains both purine and pyrimidine moieties, which potentially activate P2X and P2Y receptors. The present study examined the effect of Up4A on contractility of isolated rat pulmonary artery. Up4A at 1–100 μM stimulated contraction in a concentration-dependent manner. Up4A was equipotent as UTP and UDP in the endothelium-denuded artery while much more effective than UTP and UDP in endothelium-intact preparations. The vasoconstrictor effect of Up4A was inhibited by suramin but not IP5I or desensitization of P2X receptors with α,β-methylene-ATP (α,β-Me-ATP). Up4A-induced contraction was also inhibited by pretreatment with thapsigargin, nitrendipine, or EGTA but unaffected by H1152. Furthermore, unlike ATP and UTP, Up4A did not induce relaxation of endothelium-intact preparations precontracted with phenylephrine. These results suggest that Up4A is a potent vasoconstrictor, but not a vasodilator, of the rat pulmonary artery. Up4A likely acts through a suramin-sensitive P2Y receptor. The contractile effect of Up4A involves the entry of extracellular Ca2+ and release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores but not Ca2+ sensitization via the RhoA/Rho kinase pathway. Up4A, therefore, potentially plays an important role in the regulation of pulmonary vascular tone.

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