Contributions of nitric oxide synthase isozymes to exhaled nitric oxide and hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction in rabbit lungs

2003 ◽  
Vol 284 (5) ◽  
pp. L834-L843 ◽  
Author(s):  
David J. Vaughan ◽  
Thomas V. Brogan ◽  
Mark E. Kerr ◽  
Steven Deem ◽  
Daniel L. Luchtel ◽  
...  

We investigated the source(s) for exhaled nitric oxide (NO) in isolated, perfused rabbits lungs by using isozyme-specific nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors and antibodies. Each inhibitor was studied under normoxia and hypoxia. Only nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME, a nonselective NOS inhibitor) reduced exhaled NO and increased hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV), in contrast to 1400W, an inhibitor of inducible NOS (iNOS), and 7-nitroindazole, an inhibitor of neuronal NOS (nNOS). Acetylcholine-mediated stimulation of vascular endothelial NOS (eNOS) increased exhaled NO and could only be inhibited by l-NAME. Selective inhibition of airway and alveolar epithelial NO production by nebulized l-NAME decreased exhaled NO and increased hypoxic pulmonary artery pressure. Immunohistochemistry demonstrated extensive staining for eNOS in the epithelia, vasculature, and lymphatic tissue. There was no staining for iNOS but moderate staining for nNOS in the ciliated cells of the epithelia, lymphoid tissue, and cartilage cells. Our findings show virtually all exhaled NO in the rabbit lung is produced by eNOS, which is present throughout the airways, alveoli, and vessels. Both vascular and epithelial-derived NO modulate HPV.

2001 ◽  
Vol 91 (3) ◽  
pp. 1121-1130 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yasushi Yamamoto ◽  
Hitoshi Nakano ◽  
Hiroshi Ide ◽  
Toshiyuki Ogasa ◽  
Toru Takahashi ◽  
...  

The effects of hypercapnia (CO2) confined to either the alveolar space or the intravascular perfusate on exhaled nitric oxide (NO), perfusate NO metabolites (NOx), and pulmonary arterial pressure (Ppa) were examined during normoxia and progressive 20-min hypoxia in isolated blood- and buffer-perfused rabbit lungs. In blood-perfused lungs, when alveolar CO2concentration was increased from 0 to 12%, exhaled NO decreased, whereas Ppa increased. Increments of intravascular CO2levels increased Ppa without changes in exhaled NO. In buffer-perfused lungs, alveolar CO2 increased Ppa with reductions in both exhaled NO from 93.8 to 61.7 (SE) nl/min ( P < 0.01) and perfusate NOx from 4.8 to 1.8 nmol/min ( P < 0.01). In contrast, intravascular CO2 did not affect either exhaled NO or Ppa despite a tendency for perfusate NOx to decline. Progressive hypoxia elevated Ppa by 28% from baseline with a reduction in exhaled NO during normocapnia. Alveolar hypercapnia enhanced hypoxic Ppa response up to 50% with a further decline in exhaled NO. Hypercapnia did not alter the apparent K m for O2, whereas it significantly decreased the V max from 66.7 to 55.6 nl/min. These results suggest that alveolar CO2 inhibits epithelial NO synthase activity noncompetitively and that the suppressed NO production by hypercapnia augments hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, resulting in improved ventilation-perfusion matching.


1995 ◽  
Vol 73 (5) ◽  
pp. 665-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
W. Ross Tracey ◽  
Masaki Nakane ◽  
Fatima Basha ◽  
George Carter

Selective type II (inducible) nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors have several potential therapeutic applications, including treatment of sepsis, diabetes, and autoimmune diseases. The ability of two novel, selective inhibitors of type II NOS, S-ethylisothiourea (EIT) and 2-amino-5,6-dihydro-6-methyl-4H-1,3-thiazine (AMT), to inhibit type II NOS function in vivo was studied in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) treated rats. Type II NOS activity was assessed by measuring changes in plasma nitrite and nitrate concentrations ([NOx]). Both EIT and AMT elicited a dose-dependent and >95% inhibition of the LPS-induced increase in plasma [NOx]. The ED50 values for EIT and AMT were 0.4 and 0.2 mg/kg, respectively. In addition, the administration of LPS and either NOS inhibitor resulted in a dose-dependent increase in animal mortality; neither compound was lethal when administered alone. Pretreatment with L-arginine (but not D-arginine) prevented the mortality, while not affecting the type II NOS-dependent NO production, suggesting the toxicity may be due to inhibition of one of the other NOS isoforms (endothelial or neuronal). Thus, although EIT and AMT are potent inhibitors of type II NOS function in vivo, type II NOS inhibitors of even greater selectivity may need to be developed for therapeutic applications.Key words: nitric oxide, nitrite, nitrate, sepsis, lipopolysaccharide.


1997 ◽  
Vol 156 (3) ◽  
pp. 833-839 ◽  
Author(s):  
STEFANIE R. FISCHER ◽  
DONALD J. DEYO ◽  
HANS G. BONE ◽  
ROY McGUIRE ◽  
LILLIAN D. TRABER ◽  
...  

2007 ◽  
Vol 292 (6) ◽  
pp. L1480-L1487 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akihito Sasaki ◽  
Shouzaburoh Doi ◽  
Shuki Mizutani ◽  
Hiroshi Azuma

Nitric oxide (NO) has been suggested to play a key role in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH). To determine which mechanism exists to affect NO production, we examined the concentration of endogenous nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors and their catabolizing enzyme dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH) activity and protein expression (DDAH1 and DDAH2) in pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) of rats given monocrotaline (MCT). We also measured NOS and arginase activities and NOS protein expression. Twenty-four days after MCT administration, PH and right ventricle (RV) hypertrophy were established. Endothelium-dependent, but not endothelium-independent, relaxation and cGMP production were significantly impaired in pulmonary artery specimens of MCT group. The constitutive NOS activity and protein expression in PAECs were significantly reduced in MCT group, whereas the arginase, which shares l-arginine as a common substrate with NOS, activity was significantly enhanced in PAECs of MCT group. The contents of monomethylarginine (MMA) and asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA), but not symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA), were increased in PAECs of MCT group. The DDAH activity and DDAH1, but not DDAH2, protein expression were significantly reduced in PAECs of MCT group. These results suggest that the impairment of cGMP production as a marker of NO production is possibly due to the blunted endothelial NOS activity resulting from the downregulation of endothelial NOS protein, accumulation of endogenous NOS inhibitors, and accelerated arginase activity in PAECs of PH rats. The decreased overall DDAH activity accompanied by the downregulation of DDAH1 would bring about the accumulation of endogenous NOS inhibitors.


Reproduction ◽  
2002 ◽  
pp. 663-669 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Hurwitz ◽  
Z Finci-Yeheskel ◽  
A Milwidsky ◽  
M Mayer

This study explores interactions between the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and the cyclooxygenase (COX) pathways in the regulation of progesterone production in early corpus luteum cells of rats. Nitric oxide (NO), prostaglandin E (PGE) and progesterone production was analysed in luteal cells of the rat corpus luteum exposed to inhibitors of non-specific NOS, inhibitors of inducible NOS (iNOS) and inhibitors of COX. Equine chorionic gonadotrophin (eCG)/hCG-primed rat corpus luteum cells produced NO, PGE and progesterone in a linear manner during 66 h of culture. Exposure of the cells to the non-specific NOS inhibitor, N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine (0.15 mmol l(-1)) for 48 h reduced NO, PGE and progesterone production to 21, 32 and 60% of that of the controls, respectively (P < 0.05 to P < 0.01). Another non-specific NOS inhibitor, N(omega)-methyl-L-arginine, produced similar inhibitions. Exposure of the cultured cells to S-ethylisothiourea (1 mmol l(-1)), a selective inhibitor of iNOS, suppressed the production of NO by 63%, PGE by 69% and progesterone by 48%. These findings indicate that production of PGE is regulated partly by iNOS, and that progesterone is probably regulated indirectly by the secondary changes in PGE. The addition of arachidonic acid to N(omega)-methyl-L-arginine-treated cells resulted in a significant increase in PGE and progesterone production (273 and 186%, respectively) without stimulating NO production. In contrast to the regulation exerted by the NO system on COX activity, the COX system does not modulate NO production in this model. This notion stems from the observation that the COX inhibitors acetylsalicylic acid (5 mmol l(-1)) and indomethacin (5 micromol l(-1)) suppressed PGE by 86 and 89%, respectively, and progesterone by 34 and 57%, respectively, but failed to inhibit NO production. The results from the present study indicate that iNOS-mediated NO production is involved in stimulating PGE synthesis in rat luteal cells, which may upregulate progesterone production.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (4) ◽  
pp. L517-L526 ◽  
Author(s):  
Candice D. Fike ◽  
Mark R. Kaplowitz ◽  
Carol J. Thomas ◽  
Leif D. Nelin

To examine the effect of chronic hypoxia on nitric oxide (NO) production and the amount of the endothelial isoform of nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) in lungs of newborn piglets, studies were performed using 1- to 3-day-old piglets raised in room air (control) or 10% O2 (chronic hypoxia) for 10–12 days. Exhaled NO output and plasma nitrites and nitrates (collectively termed[Formula: see text]) were measured in anesthetized animals. [Formula: see text]concentrations were measured in the perfusate of isolated lungs. eNOS amounts were assessed in whole lung homogenates. In the intact piglets, exhaled NO outputs and plasma [Formula: see text]were lower in the chronically hypoxic (exhaled NO output = 0.2 ± 0.1 nmol/min; plasma [Formula: see text] = 10.3 ± 3.7 nmol/ml) than in control animals (exhaled NO output = 0.8 ± 0.2 nmol/min; plasma [Formula: see text] = 22.3 ± 4.3 nmol/ml). In perfused lungs, the perfusate accumulation of [Formula: see text] was lower in chronic hypoxia (1.0 ± 0.3 nmol/min) than in control (2.6 ± 0.6 nmol/min) piglets. The amount of whole lung homogenate eNOS from the chronic hypoxia piglets was 40 ± 8% less than that from the control piglets. The reduced NO production observed in anesthetized animals or perfused lungs of chronically hypoxic newborn piglets is consistent with the finding of reduced lung eNOS protein amounts. Decreased NO production might contribute to the development of chronic hypoxia-induced pulmonary hypertension in newborns.


2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (1) ◽  
pp. C296-C304 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ragnar Henningsson ◽  
Albert Salehi ◽  
Ingmar Lundquist

The role of islet constitutive nitric oxide synthase (cNOS) in insulin-releasing mechanisms is controversial. By measuring enzyme activities and protein expression of NOS isoforms [i.e., cNOS and inducible NOS (iNOS)] in islets of Langerhans cells in relation to insulin secretion, we show that glucose dose-dependently stimulates islet activities of both cNOS and iNOS, that cNOS-derived nitric oxide (NO) strongly inhibits glucose-stimulated insulin release, and that short-term hyperglycemia in mice induces islet iNOS activity. Moreover, addition of NO gas or an NO donor inhibited glucose-stimulated insulin release, and different NOS inhibitors effected a potentiation. These effects were evident also in K+-depolarized islets in the presence of the ATP-sensitive K+ channel opener diazoxide. Furthermore, our results emphasize the necessity of measuring islet NOS activity when using NOS inhibitors, because certain concentrations of certain NOS inhibitors might unexpectedly stimulate islet NO production. This is shown by the observation that 0.5 mmol/l of the NOS inhibitor N G-monomethyl-l-arginine (l-NMMA) stimulated cNOS activity in parallel with an inhibition of the first phase of glucose-stimulated insulin release in perifused rats islets, whereas 5.0 mmol/l of l-NMMA markedly suppressed cNOS activity concomitant with a great potentiation of the insulin secretory response. The data strongly suggest, but do not definitely prove, that glucose indeed has the ability to stimulate both cNOS and iNOS in the islets and that NO might serve as a negative feedback inhibitor of glucose-stimulated insulin release. The results also suggest that hyperglycemia-evoked islet NOS activity might be one of multiple factors involved in the impairment of glucose-stimulated insulin release in type II diabetes mellitus.


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