Responses of isolated pulmonary arteries to the C5a anaphylatoxin

The anaphylatoxin C5a possesses spasmogenic activity in smooth muscle tissues. In this study, we examined the effect of C5a on isolated rabbit pulmonary artery (PA) ring segments under a variety of experimental conditions. C5a (1-100 nM) caused transient constriction of PA at resting tension. C5a-induced PA constriction was not affected by the histamine H1-receptor antagonist pyrilamine (1 microM) but was significantly decreased by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (1 microM). Disruption of the endothelial layer of the vessel had no effect on C5a activity in resting PA. PA, which had been preconstricted with norepinephrine (5 microM), exhibited a different response to C5a than PA at resting tension, however. C5a (1-10 nM) induced a biphasic response in preconstricted PA, initially causing further constriction followed by a greater degree of relaxation resulting in an overall decrease in PA tension. All responses of preconstricted PA to C5a were completely eliminated by indomethacin and significantly depressed by endothelial disruption. These data indicate that C5a interacts directly with isolated rabbit PA, but the nature of the PA response to this peptide depends on several variables including the presence or absence of active PA tension and cyclooxygenase metabolites, and the presence of intact endothelium.