The interaction between endothelin-1 and nitric oxide in the vasculature: new perspectives

2011 ◽  
Vol 300 (6) ◽  
pp. R1288-R1295 ◽  
Author(s):  
Stephane L. Bourque ◽  
Sandra T. Davidge ◽  
Michael A. Adams

Nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) are natural counterparts in vascular function, and it is becoming increasingly clear that an imbalance between these two mediators is a characteristic of endothelial dysfunction and is important in the progression of vascular disease. Here, we review classical and more recent data that suggest that ET-1 should be regarded as an essential component of NO signaling. In particular, we review evidence of the role of ET-1 in models of acute and chronic NO synthase blockade. Furthermore, we discuss the possible mechanisms by which NO modulates ET-1 activity. On the basis of these studies, we suggest that NO tonically inhibits ET-1 function, and in conditions of diminished NO bioavailability, the deleterious effects of unmitigated ET-1 actions result in vasoconstriction and eventually lead to vascular remodeling and dysfunction.

Author(s):  
Joel D. Trinity ◽  
Oh Sung Kwon ◽  
Ryan M. Broxterman ◽  
Jayson R. Gifford ◽  
Andrew C. Kithas ◽  
...  

Passive leg movement (PLM) evokes a robust and predominantly nitric oxide (NO)-mediated increase in blood flow that declines with age and disease. Consequently, PLM is becoming increasingly accepted as a sensitive assessment of endothelium-mediated vascular function. However, a substantial PLM-induced hyperemic response is still evoked despite NO synthase (NOS) inhibition. Therefore, in 9 young healthy men (25±4 yrs), this investigation aimed to determine if the combination of two potent endothelium-dependent vasodilators, specifically prostaglandin (PG) and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF), account for the remaining hyperemic response to the two variants of PLM, PLM (60 movements) and single PLM (sPLM, 1 movement) when NOS is inhibited. The leg blood flow (LBF, Doppler ultrasound) response to PLM and sPLM following the intra-arterial infusion of NG-monomethyl L-arginine (L-NMMA), to inhibit NOS, was compared to the combined inhibition of NOS, cyclooxygenase (COX), and cytochrome P450 (CYP450) by L-NMMA, ketorolac tromethamine (KET), and fluconazole (FLUC), respectively. NOS inhibition attenuated the overall LBF (LBFAUC) response to both PLM (control: 456±194, L-NMMA: 168±127 ml, p<0.01) and sPLM (control: 185±171, L-NMMA: 62±31 ml, p=0.03). The combined inhibition of NOS, COX, and CYP450 (i.e. L-NMMA+KET+FLUC) did not further attenuate the hyperemic responses to PLM (LBFAUC: 271±97 ml, p>0.05) or sPLM (LBFAUC: 72±45 ml, p>0.05). Therefore, PG and EDHF do not collectively contribute to the non-NOS-derived NO-mediated, endothelium-dependent, hyperemic response to either PLM or sPLM in healthy young men. These findings add to the mounting evidence and understanding of the vasodilatory pathways assessed by the PLM and sPLM vascular function tests.


2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (3) ◽  
pp. H634-H646 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yixuan Zhang ◽  
Stefan P. Janssens ◽  
Kirstin Wingler ◽  
Harald H. H. W. Schmidt ◽  
An L. Moens

The pathogenesis of many cardiovascular diseases is associated with reduced nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and/or increased endothelial NO synthase (eNOS)-dependent superoxide formation. These findings support that restoring and conserving adequate NO signaling in the heart and blood vessels is a promising therapeutic intervention. In particular, modulating eNOS, e.g., through increasing the bioavailability of its substrate and cofactors, enhancing its transcription, and interfering with other modulators of eNOS pathway, such as netrin-1, has a high potential for effective treatments of cardiovascular diseases. This review provides an overview of the possibilities for modulating eNOS and how this may be translated to the clinic in addition to describing the genetic models used to study eNOS modulation.


2021 ◽  
Author(s):  
S.O. Svitko ◽  
K.S. Koroleva ◽  
G.F. Sitdikova ◽  
K.A. Petrova

Nitric oxide (NO) is a gaseous signaling molecule that regulates a number of physiological functions, including its role in the formation of migraine has been established. NO is endogenously produced in the body from L-arginine by NO synthase. The NO donor, nitroglycerin, is a trigger of migraine in humans and is widely used in the modeling of this disease in animals, which suggests the involvement of components of the NO signaling cascade in the pathogenesis of migraine. Based on the results obtained, it was found that an increase in the concentration of both the substrate for the synthesis of NO, L-arginine, and the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside, has a pro-nociceptive effect in the afferents of the trigeminal nerve. In this case, the effect of sodium nitroprusside is associated with the activation of intracellular soluble guanylate cyclase. Key words: nitric oxide, migraine, trigeminal nerve, L-arginine, guanylate cyclase, sodium nitroprusside, nociception.


2010 ◽  
Vol 30 (8) ◽  
pp. 1494-1503 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kazuo Yamashiro ◽  
Alexandra B Milsom ◽  
Johan Duchene ◽  
Catherine Panayiotou ◽  
Takao Urabe ◽  
...  

Hypercholesterolemia is associated with decreased nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability and endothelial dysfunction, a phenomenon thought to have a major role in the altered cerebral blood flow evident in stroke. Therefore, strategies that increase endothelial NO production have potential utility. Vascular reactivity of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) from C57BL/6J wild-type (WT) mice, apolipoprotein-E knockout (ApoE−/−) mice, and mice treated with the phosphodiesterase inhibitor cilostazol (100 mg/kg) was analyzed using the tension myograph. Contractile responses to endothelin-1 were significantly enhanced in MCA from ApoE−/− mice compared with WT mice ( P<0.01), an effect absent in cilostazol-treated ApoE−/− mice. Acetylcholine-induced relaxation (which is entirely NO-dependent) was significantly impaired in MCA of ApoE−/− mice compared with WT mice ( P<0.05), again an effect prevented by cilostazol treatment. Endothelial NOS phosphorylation at Ser1179 was decreased in the aorta of ApoE−/− mice compared with WT mice ( P<0.05), an effect normalized by cilostazol. Taken together, our data suggest that the endothelial dysfunction observed in MCA associated with hypercholesterolemia is prevented by cilostazol, an effect likely due to the increase in eNOS phosphorylation and, therefore, activity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 126 (1) ◽  
pp. 60-66 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jin Hee Jeong ◽  
Nichole Lee ◽  
Matthew A. Tucker ◽  
Paula Rodriguez-Miguelez ◽  
Jacob Looney ◽  
...  

Cystic fibrosis (CF) is a genetic disorder associated with vascular endothelial dysfunction. Nitric oxide (NO) plays a major role in maintaining vascular function, and tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4) is a critical determinant of NO bioavailability. Thus the purpose of this study was to investigate the effects of oral administration of BH4 on endothelial function in patients with CF. Twenty-nine patients with CF (18 ± 8 yr old) and 29 healthy matched controls were recruited. Patients with CF participated in a randomized trial where they received a 5 mg/kg dose of oral BH4 (BH4-5; n = 17) or a 20 mg/kg dose of oral BH4 (BH4-20; n = 12). On a separate visit, a subset of patients from each group was retested following a placebo (PLC; n = 9). Brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) was used to evaluate vascular endothelial function, and a plasma sample was obtained before and 3 h after treatment. Cultured endothelial cells were treated with plasma to assess NO bioavailability. Baseline FMD was lower in patients compared with controls (5.7 ± 3.4 vs. 8.4 ± 3.5%, respectively, P = 0.005). No change in FMD was observed following PLC or BH4-5 (∆FMD: −0.8 ± 1.9% and −0.5 ± 2.5%; P = 0.273 and 0.132, respectively). Treatment with BH4-20, however, resulted in significant improvements in FMD (∆FMD: 1.1 ± 1.4%) compared with BH4-5 ( P = 0.023) and PLC ( P = 0.017). Moreover, BH4-20 significantly decreased endothelial cell superoxide production and increased NO production. These data suggest that a single oral dose of BH4 at 20 mg/kg improves vascular endothelial function in patients with CF, likely via increased endothelial NO synthase coupling. These findings support the hypothesis that loss of BH4 bioactivity contributes, in part, to endothelial dysfunction in patients with CF. NEW & NOTEWORTHY For the first time, the present study documents that a single dose of oral BH4 can improve vascular endothelial function in patients with cystic fibrosis (CF), and our in vitro data suggest this is via decreasing uncoupled nitric oxide. These data provide insight into the important role of BH4 bioactivity in vascular dysfunction and provide the foundation for further investigation into the chronic effects of BH4 treatment in patients with CF.


2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (3) ◽  
pp. H981-H986 ◽  
Author(s):  
Zvonimir S. Katusic

Tetrahydrobiopterin is one of the most potent naturally occurring reducing agents and an essential cofactor required for enzymatic activity of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). The exact role of tetrahydrobiopterin in the control of NOS catalytic activity is not completely understood. Existing evidence suggests that it can act as alosteric and redox cofactors. Suboptimal concentration of tetrahydrobiopterin reduces formation of nitric oxide and favors “uncoupling” of NOS leading to NOS-mediated reduction of oxygen and formation of superoxide anions and hydrogen peroxide. Recent findings suggest that accelerated catabolism of tetrahydrobiopterin in arteries exposed to oxidative stress may contribute to pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction present in arteries exposed to hypertension, hypercholesterolemia, diabetes, smoking, and ischemia-reperfusion. Beneficial effects of acute and chronic tetrahydrobiopterin supplementation on endothelial function have been reported in experimental animals and humans. Furthermore, it appears that beneficial effects of some antioxidants (e.g., vitamin C) on vascular function could be mediated via increased intracellular concentration of tetrahydrobiopterin. In this review, the potential role of tetrahydrobiopterin in the pathogenesis of vascular endothelial dysfunction and mechanisms underlying beneficial vascular effects of tetrahydrobiopterin will be discussed.


Blood ◽  
2005 ◽  
Vol 106 (11) ◽  
pp. 3644-3644
Author(s):  
Claudia R. Morris ◽  
Frans A. Kuypers ◽  
Greg Kato ◽  
Jennifer Gardner ◽  
Sandy Larkin ◽  
...  

Abstract Pulmonary hypertension (PHT) is associated with high mortality rate and is a leading factor in heart failure and death in thalassemia (Thal) intermedia. However, data on PHT and Thal major is limited. While there are several risk factors for PHT in Thal major, ongoing chronic hemolysis, despite transfusion, supports the development of hemolysis-associated PHT. Recently, we reported in sickle cell disease a novel paradigm whereby hemolysis liberates vasoactive hemoglobin and erythrocyte arginase, resulting in impaired NO bioavailability, endothelial dysfunction, PHT and death. Since arginase activity is also elevated in Thal red cells, we hypothesize that elevated arginase contributes to dysregulated arginine (Arg) metabolism in Thal. Pilot data was analyzed from transfused Thal patients (8 Thal-major, 4 E-beta Thal, 2 Hb H alpha Thal). Echocardiogram were performed in steady state in 10 of the patients; 70% (7/10) demonstrated PHT (tricuspid regurgitant jet velocity ≥ 2.5 m/s). Plasma Arg trended lower in patients with Thal (19.5 to 122mM, median 50 mM) compared to controls. Ornithine (Orn) levels were higher, and Arg/Orn ratio was lower in Thal vs. contrls. Plasma arginase activity was significantly elevated (median 0.83 mmol/cc/hr, range 0.06 – 1.17). Proline, a downstream metabolite of arginase causing pulmonary vascular remodeling was also elevated. Exhaled nitric oxide (NO) levels are significantly elevated in Thal vs. controls (49±41 parts per billion vs.18±8 ppb, p=0.02), suggesting upregulation of NO synthase in the lungs in addition to higher plasma arginase activity. Recent findings indicate diverse origins of PHT share similar pathophysiologic abnormalities, particularly decreased Arg bioavailability and a shift of metabolism towards ornithine-dependent pathways. Hemolysis is most likely a trigger for these pathologic pathyways in hemoglobinopathies. Therapies that maximize Arg and NO bioavailability may benefit patients with thalassemia. Variable NL Control (n=36) Thalassemia (n=14) p* Arginine (μM) 67±18 57±26 (50) 0.15 Ornithine (μM) 62±22 85±68 0.05 Arg/Orn ratio 1.2±0.5 0.79±0.4 &lt;0.01 Proline (μM) 161±48 258±116 &lt;0.001 Citrulline (μM) 25±11 42±17 &lt;0.001 Arginase (μmol/cc/hr) 0.33±0.2 (n=45) 0.71±0.3 &lt;0.001


2017 ◽  
Vol 95 (10) ◽  
pp. 1067-1077 ◽  
Author(s):  
Josette M. Northcott ◽  
Michael P. Czubryt ◽  
Jeffrey T. Wigle

In the vascular system, ageing is accompanied by the accrual of senescent cells and is associated with an increased risk of vascular disease. Endothelial cell (EC) dysfunction is a hallmark of vascular disease and is characterized by decreased angiogenic potential, reduced nitric oxide bioavailability, impaired vasodilation, increased production of ROS, and enhanced inflammation. In ECs, the major producer of nitric oxide is the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) enzyme that is encoded by the NOS3 gene. NOS3/eNOS function is tightly regulated at both the transcriptional and post-transcriptional levels to maintain normal vascular function. A key transcriptional regulator of eNOS expression is p53, which has been shown to play a central role in mediating cellular senescence and thereby vascular dysfunction. Herein, we show that, in ECs, the MEOX homeodomain transcription factors decrease the expression of genes involved in angiogenesis, repress eNOS expression at the mRNA and protein levels, and increase the expression of p53. These findings support a role for the MEOX proteins in promoting endothelial dysfunction.


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