Effective diffusion distance of nitric oxide in the microcirculation

1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (5) ◽  
pp. H1705-H1714 ◽  
Author(s):  
Mark W. Vaughn ◽  
Lih Kuo ◽  
James C. Liao
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
Effective Diffusion ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Systemic Hypertension ◽  
No Production ◽  
Diffusion Distance ◽  
Degradation Rates

Despite its well-documented importance, the mechanism for nitric oxide (NO) transport in vivo is still unclear. In particular, the effect of hemoglobin-NO interaction and the range of NO action have not been characterized in the microcirculation, where blood flow is optimally regulated. Using a mathematical model and experimental data on NO production and degradation rates, we investigated factors that determine the effective diffusion distance of NO in the microcirculation. This distance is defined as the distance within which NO concentration is greater than the equilibrium dissociation constant (0.25 μM) of soluble guanylyl cyclase, the target enzyme for NO action. We found that the size of the vessel is an important factor in determining the effective diffusion distance of NO. In ∼30- to 100-μm-ID microvessels the luminal NO concentrations and the abluminal effective diffusion distance are maximal. Furthermore, the model suggests that if the NO-erythrocyte reaction rate is as fast as the rate reported for the in vitro NO-hemoglobin reaction, the NO concentration in the vascular smooth muscle will be insufficient to stimulate smooth muscle guanylyl cyclase effectively. In addition, the existence of an erythrocyte-free layer near the vascular wall is important in determining the effective NO diffusion distance. These results suggest that 1) the range of NO action may exhibit significant spatial heterogeneity in vivo, depending on the size of the vessel and the local chemistry of NO degradation, 2) the NO binding/reaction constant with hemoglobin in the red blood cell may be much smaller than that with free hemoglobin, and 3) the microcirculation is the optimal site for NO to exert its regulatory function. Because NO exhibits vasodilatory function and antiatherogenic activity, the high NO concentration and its long effective range in the microcirculation may serve as intrinsic factors to prevent the development of systemic hypertension and atherosclerotic pathology in microvessels.

scholarly journals A theoretical model of nitric oxide transport in arterioles: frequency- vs. amplitude-dependent control of cGMP formation

2004 ◽  
Vol 286 (3) ◽  
pp. H1043-H1056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Nikolaos M. Tsoukias ◽  
Mahendra Kavdia ◽  
Aleksander S. Popel
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Endothelial Cells ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Soluble Guanylate Cyclase ◽  
Muscle Tone ◽  
Muscle Relaxation ◽  
Smooth Muscle Relaxation ◽  
No Production ◽  
Cgmp Formation

Nitric oxide (NO) plays many important physiological roles, including the regulation of vascular smooth muscle tone. In response to hemodynamic or agonist stimuli, endothelial cells produce NO, which can diffuse to smooth muscle where it activates soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), leading to cGMP formation and smooth muscle relaxation. The close proximity of red blood cells suggests, however, that a significant amount of NO released will be scavenged by blood, and thus the issue of bioavailability of endothelium-derived NO to smooth muscle has been investigated experimentally and theoretically. We formulated a mathematical model for NO transport in an arteriole to test the hypothesis that transient, burst-like NO production can facilitate efficient NO delivery to smooth muscle and reduce NO scavenging by blood. The model simulations predict that 1) the endothelium can maintain a physiologically significant amount of NO in smooth muscle despite the presence of NO scavengers such as hemoglobin and myoglobin; 2) under certain conditions, transient NO release presents a more efficient way for activating sGC and it can increase cGMP formation severalfold; and 3) frequency-rather than amplitude-dependent control of cGMP formation is possible. This suggests that it is the frequency of NO bursts and perhaps the frequency of Ca2+ oscillations in endothelial cells that may limit cGMP formation and regulate vascular tone. The proposed hypothesis suggests a new functional role for Ca2+ oscillations in endothelial cells. Further experimentation is needed to test whether and under what conditions in silico predictions occur in vivo.

TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma induce expression of nitric oxide synthase in cultured rat medullary interstitial cells

1995 ◽  
Vol 269 (2) ◽  
pp. F212-F217 ◽  
Author(s):  
K. S. Lau ◽  
O. Nakashima ◽  
G. R. Aalund ◽  
L. Hogarth ◽  
K. Ujiie ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Vascular Smooth Muscle ◽  
Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
Tnf Alpha ◽  
No Production ◽  
Ifn Gamma ◽  
Oxide Synthase

Cytokines increase the expression of the inducible (type II) nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in macrophages, liver, and renal epithelial cells. Previously, we found that cultured rat medullary interstitial cells (RMIC) contain high levels of soluble guanylyl cyclase. To determine whether these cells can also produce NO, we studied the effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) and interferon-gamma (IFN-gamma) on NO production, NOS II mRNA, and NOS II protein expression. Both TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma, in the presence of a low concentration of the other cytokine, caused dose-dependent increases in NO production. Exposure to TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma stimulated the production of NOS II mRNA, as determined by Northern blotting. Restriction mapping of reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction products indicated that normal cells contained macrophage NOS II, whereas cytokine-stimulated cells contained primarily vascular smooth muscle NOS II and some macrophage NOS II. The appearance of NOS II protein was demonstrated by Western blotting. RMIC cell guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate accumulation increased 129-fold in response to the cytokines. NOS inhibitors decreased nitrite production. We conclude that 1) TNF-alpha and IFN-gamma induce the expression of vascular smooth muscle NOS II and production of NO in RMIC, and 2) NO acts as an autocrine activator of the soluble guanylyl cyclase in RMIC.

Short-term exposure to homocysteine depresses rat aortic contractility by an endothelium-dependent mechanism

2000 ◽  
Vol 78 (6) ◽  
pp. 500-506 ◽  
Author(s):  
S Wang ◽  
G Wright ◽  
J Harrah ◽  
R Touchon ◽  
W McCumbee ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Contractile Response ◽  
Fold Increase ◽  
No Production ◽  
Short Term ◽  
Short Term Exposure ◽  
Oxide Synthase

The effect of short-term exposure to homocysteine (Hcy) on the contractile characteristics of rat aortic tissue was assessed both in vitro and in vivo. The contractile response of Hcy-treated aortic rings in culture for 1 or 4 days was unchanged from control responses. By comparison, aortic rings from animals injected with Hcy showed marked attenuation of response compared with controls injected with saline, cysteine or methionine. The contractile response to K+ was decreased within 24 hours of Hcy injection, whereas the response to both K+ (-27%) and noradrenaline (-56%) was significantly decreased by 4 days. In contrast, the contractile response to phorbol-12,13-dibutyrate was not different between Hcy and control groups. Intimal rubbing completely restored the responsiveness of Hcy-treated tissue to K+ and noradrenaline. By comparison, L-NAME only partially restored contractile responsiveness, while the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin had no effect on contractile attenuation induced by Hcy. Western blot analysis showed a 2-fold increase of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and a 3-fold increase in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) protein expression in the aortic endothelial cells from Hcy-injected rats. The results indicate an early detectable effect of Hcy on the in vivo contractile properties of vascular smooth muscle. The effect is endothelium-mediated and may vary depending on the agonist studied. The mechanism is uncertain but appears to involve increased nitric oxide (NO) production. Finally, the data suggest that attenuation of contraction may not be due to a direct effect of Hcy but that the compound is modified or acts indirectly in vivo.Key words: nitric oxide, nitric oxide synthase, in vivo, smooth muscle.

Nitric oxide-independent activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase contributes to endotoxin shock in rats

1998 ◽  
Vol 275 (4) ◽  
pp. H1148-H1157 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chin-Chen Wu ◽  
Shiu-Jen Chen ◽  
Mao-Hsiung Yen
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Specific Inhibitor ◽  
Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
Treated Group ◽  
Cgmp Level ◽  
Vascular Hyporeactivity

We investigated whether a complete inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) formation caused by bacterial endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) in vivo prevents the hypotension and restores the vascular hyporeactivity to normal in vivo and ex vivo. The combination of dexamethasone (Dex; 3 mg/kg at 30 min before LPS) plus aminoguanidine (AG; 15 mg/kg at 2 h after LPS) inhibited the overproduction of nitrate (an indicator of NO) in the plasma and aortic smooth muscle and also prevented the development of the delayed hypotension in rats treated with LPS for 6 h. However, the vascular hyporeactivity to norepinephrine (NE) was only partially improved either in vivo or ex vivo in endotoxemic rats treated with Dex plus AG. Pretreatment of aortic rings with N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) or 1 H-[1,2,4]oxidazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) enhanced the contraction to NE in rings obtained from LPS-treated rats, but not in those from Dex plus AG-treated endotoxemic rats. Methylene blue, an inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase (GC), completely restored contractions to NE and aortic cGMP levels to normal either in LPS-treated rats or in Dex plus AG-treated endotoxemic rats, whereas the cGMP level was partially inhibited by ODQ in LPS-treated rats only. These results suggest that non-NO mediator(s) also activates soluble GC during endotoxemia. Interestingly, we found that in the presence of tetraethylammonium (an inhibitor of K+ channels) plusl-NAME or charybdotoxin [a specific inhibitor of large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+(KCa) channels] plus ODQ, the vascular hyporeactivity to NE in the LPS-treated group was also completely restored to normal. In addition, in the presence ofl-NAME or ODQ, the vascular hyporeactivity to high K+ was abolished in rings from the LPS-treated group. These results suggest that LPS causes the production of other mediator(s), in addition to NO, which also stimulates soluble GC (i.e., increases the formation of cGMP) and then activates the large-conductance KCa channels in the vascular smooth muscle causing vascular hyporeactivity.

Enhanced nitric oxide production associated with airway hyporesponsiveness in the absence of IL-10

2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (5) ◽  
pp. L868-L873 ◽  
Author(s):  
Bill T. Ameredes ◽  
Jigme M. Sethi ◽  
He-Liang Liu ◽  
Augustine M. K. Choi ◽  
William J. Calhoun
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Airway Smooth Muscle ◽  
Tracheal Ring ◽  
No Production ◽  
Muscle Contractility ◽  
Smooth Muscle Contractility ◽  
Nos Inhibitors

Interleukin (IL)-10 is an anti-inflammatory cytokine implicated in the regulation of airway inflammation in asthma. Among other activities, IL-10 suppresses production of nitric oxide (NO); consequently, its absence may permit increased NO production, which can affect airway smooth muscle contractility. Therefore, we investigated airway reactivity (AR) in response to methacholine (MCh) in IL-10 knockout (−/−) mice compared with wild-type C57BL/6 (C57) mice, in which airway NO production was measured as exhaled NO (ENO), and NO production was altered with administration of either NO synthase (NOS)-specific inhibitors or recombinant murine (rm)IL-10. AR, measured as enhanced pause in vivo, and tracheal ring tension in vitro were lower in IL-10−/− mice by 25–50%, which was associated with elevated ENO levels (13 vs. 7 ppb). Administration of NOS inhibitors NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (8 mg/kg ip) or l- N6-(1-iminoethyl)-lysine (3 mg/kg ip) to IL-10−/− mice decreased ENO by an average of 50%, which was associated with increased AR, to levels similar to C57 mice. ENO in IL-10−/− mice decreased in a dose-dependent fashion in response to administered rmIL-10, to levels similar to C57 mice (7 ppb), which was associated with a 30% increment in AR. Thus increased NO production in the absence of IL-10, decreased AR, which was reversed with inhibition of NO, either by inhibition of NOS, or with reconstitution of IL-10. These findings suggest that airway NO production can modulate airway smooth muscle contractility, resulting in airway hyporesponsiveness when IL-10 is absent.

Vasoconstrictors and nitrovasodilators reciprocally regulate the Na+-K+-2Cl−cotransporter in rat aorta

1999 ◽  
Vol 276 (6) ◽  
pp. C1383-C1390 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fatma Akar ◽  
Elizabeth Skinner ◽  
Janet D. Klein ◽  
Madhumita Jena ◽  
Richard J. Paul ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Vascular Smooth Muscle ◽  
Muscle Tone ◽  
Smooth Muscle Contraction ◽  
Rat Aorta ◽  
Regulatory Function ◽  
Ang Ii ◽  
Vascular Smooth Muscle Tone

Little is known about the function and regulation of the Na+-K+-2Cl−cotransporter NKCC1 in vascular smooth muscle. The activity of NKCC1 was measured as the bumetanide-sensitive efflux of86Rb+from intact smooth muscle of the rat aorta. Hypertonic shrinkage (440 mosmol/kgH2O) rapidly doubled cotransporter activity, consistent with its volume-regulatory function. NKCC1 was also acutely activated by the vasoconstrictors ANG II (52%), phenylephrine (50%), endothelin (53%), and 30 mM KCl (54%). Both nitric oxide and nitroprusside inhibited basal NKCC1 activity (39 and 34%, respectively), and nitroprusside completely reversed the stimulation by phenylephrine. The phosphorylation of NKCC1 was increased by hypertonic shrinkage, phenylephrine, and KCl and was reduced by nitroprusside. The inhibition of NKCC1 significantly reduced the contraction of rat aorta induced by phenylephrine (63% at 10 nM, 26% at 30 nM) but not by KCl. We conclude that the Na+-K+-2Cl−cotransporter in vascular smooth muscle is reciprocally regulated by vasoconstrictors and nitrovasodilators and contributes to smooth muscle contraction, indicating that alterations in NKCC1 could influence vascular smooth muscle tone in vivo.

Free nitric oxide diffusion in the bronchial microcirculation

2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (6) ◽  
pp. H2660-H2670 ◽  
Author(s):  
Peter Condorelli ◽  
Steven C. George
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Mass Transfer ◽  
Smooth Muscle ◽  
Vascular Smooth Muscle ◽  
Soluble Guanylate Cyclase ◽  
Vascular Endothelial Cells ◽  
Surrounding Tissue ◽  
No Production ◽  
Transfer Rates

Theoretical mass transfer rates and concentration distributions were determined for transient diffusion of free nitric oxide (NO) generated in vivo from vascular endothelial cells. Our analytical framework is typical of the bronchial circulation in the human pulmonary system but is applicable to the microvascular circulation in general. We characterized mass transfer rates in terms of the fractional mass flux across a boundary relative to the total endothelial NO production rate. NO concentration in the tissue surrounding blood vessels was expressed in terms of fractional soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) activity. Our results suggest that endothelium-derived free NO is capable of vascular smooth muscle dilation despite its rapid consumption by hemoglobin in blood. An optimal blood vessel radius of 20 μm was estimated for NO signaling. We hypothesize intermittent generation of endothelial NO as a possible mechanism for sGC activation in vascular smooth muscle. This mechanism enhances the efficacy of NO-modulated vascular smooth muscle dilation while minimizing NO losses to blood and surrounding tissue.

scholarly journals Effects of chitosan on nitric oxide production and inducible nitric oxide synthase activity and mRNA expression in weaned piglets

2018 ◽  
Vol 60 (No. 8) ◽  
pp. 359-366
Author(s):  
J. Li ◽  
B. Shi ◽  
S. Yan ◽  
L. Jin ◽  
Y. Guo ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Mrna Expression ◽  
Inducible Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
No Production ◽  
Weaned Piglets ◽  
Inos Activity ◽  
Oxide Synthase ◽  
Inducible Nitric Oxide

The effects of chitosan on nitric oxide (NO) production and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) activity and gene expression in vivo or vitro were investigated in weaned piglets. In vivo, 180 weaned piglets were assigned to five dietary treatments with six replicates. The piglets were fed on a basal diet supplemented with 0 (control), 100, 500, 1000, and 2000 mg chitosan/kg feed, respectively. In vitro, the peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) from a weaned piglet were cultured respectively with 0 (control), 40, 80, 160, and 320 µg chitosan/ml medium. Results showed that serum NO concentrations on days 14 and 28 and iNOS activity on day 28 were quadratically improved with increasing chitosan dose (P < 0.05). The iNOS mRNA expressions were linearly or quadratically enhanced in the duodenum on day 28, and were improved quadratically in the jejunum on days 14 and 28 and in the ileum on day 28 (P < 0.01). In vitro, the NO concentrations, iNOS activity, and mRNA expression in unstimulated PBMCs were quadratically enhanced by chitosan, but the improvement of NO concentrations and iNOS activity by chitosan were markedly inhibited by N-(3-[aminomethyl] benzyl) acetamidine (1400w) (P < 0.05). Moreover, the increase of NO concentrations, iNOS activity, and mRNA expression in PBMCs induced by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) were suppressed significantly by chitosan (P < 0.05). The results indicated that the NO concentrations, iNOS activity, and mRNA expression in piglets were increased by feeding chitosan in a dose-dependent manner. In addition, chitosan improved the NO production in unstimulated PBMCs but inhibited its production in LPS-induced cells, which exerted bidirectional regulatory effects on the NO production via modulated iNOS activity and mRNA expression.

Maturational changes in the regulation of pulmonary vascular tone by nitric oxide in neonatal rats

2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (5) ◽  
pp. L1261-L1270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis G. Chicoine ◽  
Michael L. Paffett ◽  
Mark R. Girton ◽  
Matthew J. Metropoulus ◽  
Mandar S. Joshi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
Vascular Tone ◽  
Age Groups ◽  
Soluble Guanylyl Cyclase ◽  
No Production ◽  
Sprague Dawley ◽  
No Donor ◽  
Early Postnatal Development ◽  
Old Rats

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important regulator of vasomotor tone in the pulmonary circulation. We tested the hypothesis that the role NO plays in regulating vascular tone changes during early postnatal development. Isolated, perfused lungs from 7- and 14-day-old Sprague-Dawley rats were studied. Baseline total pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) was not different between age groups. The addition of KCl to the perfusate caused a concentration-dependent increase in PVR that did not differ between age groups. However, the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor Nω-nitro-l-arginine augmented the K+-induced increase in PVR in both groups, and the effect was greater in lungs from 14-day-old rats vs. 7-day-old rats. Lung levels of total endothelial, inducible, and neuronal NOS proteins were not different between groups; however, the production rate of exhaled NO was greater in lungs from 14-day-old rats compared with those of 7-day-old rats. Vasodilation to 0.1 μM of the NO donor spermine NONOate was greater in 14-day lungs than in 7-day lungs, and lung levels of both soluble guanylyl cyclase and cGMP were greater at 14 days than at 7 days. Vasodilation to 100 μM of the cGMP analog 8-(4-chlorophenylthio)guanosine-3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate was greater in 7-day lungs than in 14-day lungs. Our results demonstrate that the pulmonary vascular bed depends more on NO production to modulate vascular tone at 14 days than at 7 days of age. The observed differences in NO sensitivity may be due to maturational increases in soluble guanylyl cyclase protein levels.

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