Does nitric oxide contribute to the basal vasodilation of pregnancy in conscious rabbits?

2001 ◽  
Vol 281 (5) ◽  
pp. R1624-R1632 ◽  
Author(s):  
Virginia L. Brooks ◽  
Kathy A. Clow ◽  
Lisa S. Welch ◽  
George D. Giraud

Pregnancy produces marked systemic vasodilation, but the mechanism is unknown. Experiments were performed in conscious rabbits to test the hypotheses that increased nitric oxide (NO) production contributes to the increased vascular conductance, but that the contribution varies among vascular beds. Rabbits were instrumented with aortic and vena caval catheters and ultrasonic flow probes implanted around the ascending aorta, superior mesenteric artery, terminal aorta, and/or a femoral artery. Hemodynamic responses to intravenous injection of N ω-nitro-l-arginine (l-NA; 20 mg/kg or increasing doses of 2, 5, 10, 15, and 20 mg/kg) were determined in rabbits first before pregnancy (NP) and then at the end of gestation (P). l-NA produced similar increases in arterial pressure between groups, but the following responses were larger ( P < 0.05) when the rabbits were pregnant: 1) decreases in total peripheral conductance [−3.7 ± 0.3 (NP), −5.0 ± 0.5 (P) ml · min−1 · mmHg−1], 2) decreases in mesenteric conductance [−0.47 ± 0.05 (NP), −0.63 ± 0.07 (P) ml · min−1 · mmHg−1], 3) decreases in terminal aortic conductance [−0.43 ± 0.05 (NP), −0.95 ± 0.19 ml · min−1 · mmHg−1 (P)], and 4) decreases in heart rate [−41 ± 4 (NP), −62 ± 5 beats/min (P)]. Nevertheless, total peripheral and terminal aortic conductances remained elevated in the pregnant rabbits ( P < 0.05) after l-NA. Furthermore, decreases in cardiac output and femoral conductance were not different between the reproductive states. We conclude that the contribution of NO to vascular tone increases during pregnancy, but only in some vascular beds. Moreover, the data support a role for NO in the pregnancy-induced increase in basal heart rate. Finally, unknown factors in addition to NO must also underlie the basal vasodilation observed during pregnancy.

2007 ◽  
Vol 293 (5) ◽  
pp. L1261-L1270 ◽  
Author(s):  
Louis G. Chicoine ◽  
Michael L. Paffett ◽  
Mark R. Girton ◽  
Matthew J. Metropoulus ◽  
Mandar S. Joshi ◽  
...  

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.


2001 ◽  
Vol 204 (10) ◽  
pp. 1719-1727 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Imbrogno ◽  
L. De Iuri ◽  
R. Mazza ◽  
B. Tota

Nothing is known about the effects of nitric oxide (NO) on cardiac performance in fish. Using an in vitro working heart preparation that generates physiological values of output pressure, cardiac output and ventricular work and power, we assessed the effects of NO on the cardiac performance of the eel Anguilla anguilla. We examined basal cardiac performance (at constant preload, afterload and heart rate), the effects of cholinergic stimulation and the Frank-Starling response (preload-induced increases in cardiac output at constant afterload and heart rate). The NO synthase (NOS) inhibitors N(G)-monomethyl-l-arginine (l-NMMA) and l-N(5)(1-iminoethyl)ornithine (l-NIO), the guanylate cyclase inhibitor 1H-(1,2,4)oxadiazolo-(4,3-a)quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) and Triton X-100, a detergent that damages the endocardial endothelium, all increased stroke volume (V(S)) and stroke work (W(S)). In contrast, the endogenous NOS substrate l-arginine, tested before and after treatment with haemoglobin, the NO donor 3-morpholinosydnonimine, tested with and without the superoxide scavenger superoxide dismutase, and the stable cGMP analogue 8-bromoguanosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cGMP) decreased V(S) and W(S). Acetylcholine chloride produced a biphasic effect. At nanomolar concentrations, in 34 % of the preparations, it induced a NO-cGMP-dependent positive inotropism that required the integrity of the endocardial endothelium. Pretreatment with Triton X-100 or with NO-cGMP pathway inhibitors (l-NMMA, l-NIO, N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, Methylene Blue and ODQ) abolished the positive effect of acetylcholine. In contrast, at micromolar concentrations, acetylcholine produced a negative effect that involved neither the endocardial endothelium nor the NO-cGMP pathway. Pre-treatment with l-arginine (10(−)(6)mol l(−)(1)) was without effect, whereas l-NIO (10(−)(5)mol l(−)(1)) significantly reduced the Frank-Starling response. Taken together, these three experimental approaches provide evidence that NO modulates cardiac performance in the eel heart.


1995 ◽  
Vol 269 (2) ◽  
pp. C519-C523 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. M. Li ◽  
R. A. Fenton ◽  
B. S. Cutler ◽  
J. G. Dobson

Adenosine per se is a potent vasodilator of vascular smooth muscle. Endothelial cells modulate vascular tone via the release of nitric oxide (NO), which also elicits vasodilation. This study was undertaken to determine whether adenosine could directly stimulate endothelial cells to enhance NO production, which could subsequently reduce vascular tone. NO production was evaluated in porcine carotid artery endothelial cells (PCAEC) and human saphenous vein endothelial cells (HSVEC) seeded on multiwell plates, grown to confluence, and treated with adenosine for 1 h. The bathing medium was collected, and the NO production was determined as reflected by the formation of NO2- and NO3-. NO production by PCAEC was significantly increased by adenosine in a dose-dependent manner, whereas there was only an insignificant tendency for an increase by HSVEC. The addition of the NO synthase competitive inhibitor, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (NMMA), or the adenosine receptor antagonist, theophylline, prevented the increase in NO production by adenosine. The results suggest that adenosine stimulates, by a receptor-mediated mechanism, the production of NO by arterial, but not by venous, endothelial cells.


1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (2) ◽  
pp. H576-H583 ◽  
Author(s):  
José González-Alonso ◽  
Ricardo Mora-Rodríguez ◽  
Edward F. Coyle

We determined whether the deleterious effects of dehydration and hyperthermia on cardiovascular function during upright exercise were attenuated by elevating central blood volume with supine exercise. Seven trained men [maximal oxygen consumption (V˙o 2 max) 4.7 ± 0.4 l/min (mean ± SE)] cycled for 30 min in the heat (35°C) in the upright and in the supine positions (V˙o 2 2.93 ± 0.27 l/min) while maintaining euhydration by fluid ingestion or while being dehydrated by 5% of body weight after 2 h of upright exercise. When subjects were euhydrated, esophageal temperature (Tes) was 37.8–38.0°C in both body postures. Dehydration caused equal hyperthermia during both upright and supine exercise (Tes = 38.7–38.8°C). During upright exercise, dehydration lowered stroke volume (SV), cardiac output, mean arterial pressure (MAP), and cutaneous vascular conductance and increased heart rate and plasma catecholamines [30 ± 6 ml, 3.0 ± 0.7 l/min, 6 ± 2 mmHg, 22 ± 8%, 14 ± 2 beats/min, and 50–96%, respectively; all P < 0.05]. In contrast, during supine exercise, dehydration did not cause significant alterations in MAP, cutaneous vascular conductance, or plasma catecholamines. Furthermore, supine versus upright exercise attenuated the increases in heart rate (7 ± 2 vs. 9 ± 1%) and the reductions in SV (13 ± 4 vs. 21 ± 3%) and cardiac output (8 ± 3 vs. 14 ± 3%) (all P< 0.05). These results suggest that the decline in cutaneous vascular conductance and the increase in plasma norepinephrine concentration, independent of hyperthermia, are associated with a reduction in central blood volume and a lower arterial blood pressure.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (4) ◽  
pp. R1142-R1149 ◽  
Author(s):  
Kiyoshi Matsumura ◽  
Isao Abe ◽  
Takuya Tsuchihashi ◽  
Masatoshi Fujishima

We examined the role of central nitric oxide (NO) in the baroreceptor reflex in conscious rabbits. Intracerebroventricular infusion of 20 μmol of N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) to block central NO resulted in increases in arterial pressure, renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), and plasma catecholamine levels, and the pressor response was suppressed by pretreatment with pentolinium (5 mg/kg iv). On the other hand, a subpressor dose of intracerebroventricular l-NAME (10 μmol/h) caused significant increases in baroreflex sensitivities assessed by RSNA and heart rate compared with vehicle infusion [maximum gain: −18.2 ± 0.9 vs. −9.6 ± 0.9%/mmHg ( P < 0.001) and −14.3 ± 2.3 vs. −5.7 ± 0.4 beats ⋅ min−1 ⋅ mmHg−1( P < 0.05), respectively]. Conversely, an intracerebroventricular infusion of Et2N[N(O)NO]Na, an NO donor (1 μmol/h) significantly attenuated the baroreflex sensitivities. However, intracerebroventricular infusion of N ω-nitro-d-arginine methyl ester (10 μmol/h), an enantiomer ofl-NAME, failed to alter the baroreflex sensitivities. These results suggest that 1) the pressor response induced by inhibition of central NO synthesis is mainly mediated by the enhanced sympathetic outflow and 2) central NO attenuates the baroreflex control of RSNA and heart rate in conscious rabbits.


2000 ◽  
Vol 279 (2) ◽  
pp. H726-H732 ◽  
Author(s):  
Don D. Sheriff ◽  
Christopher D. Nelson ◽  
Ryan K. Sundermann

We sought to test the role of nitric oxide (NO) in governing skeletal muscle (iliac) vascular conductance during treadmill locomotion in dogs ( n = 6; 3.2 and 6.4 km/h at 0% grade, and 6.4 km/h at 10% grade). As seen previously, the increase in muscle vascular conductance accompanying treadmill locomotion was little influenced by NO synthase inhibition alone with N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME, 10 mg/kg iv), but the absolute value of conductance achieved during locomotion was reduced. Such ambiguous results provide an unclear picture regarding the importance of NO during locomotion. However, muscle vasodilation is normally restrained by the sympathetic system during locomotion. Thus a significant contribution by NO to the increase in vascular conductance that accompanies locomotion could be masked by partial withdrawal of the competing influence of sympathetic vasoconstrictor nerve activity secondary to the rise in arterial pressure following systemicl-NAME administration. To test this possibility, we compared the rise in muscle vascular conductance before and afterl-NAME treatment while ganglionic transmission was blocked by hexamethonium. Under these conditions, l-NAME significantly reduced both the rise in vascular conductance (by 32%, P < 0.001) and the absolute level of vascular conductance (by 30%, P < 0.001) achieved during locomotion with no effect on blood flow. Thus augmented NO production normally provides a significant drive to relax vascular smooth muscle in active skeletal muscle during locomotion. Potential deficits stemming from the absence of NO following l-NAME treatment are masked by less intense sympathetic restraint when autonomic function is intact.


2017 ◽  
Vol 313 (1) ◽  
pp. R29-R34
Author(s):  
Danielle Senador ◽  
Jasdeep Kaur ◽  
Alberto Alvarez ◽  
Hanna W. Hanna ◽  
Abhinav C. Krishnan ◽  
...  

The muscle metaboreflex is a powerful pressor reflex induced by the activation of chemically sensitive muscle afferents as a result of metabolite accumulation. During submaximal dynamic exercise, the rise in arterial pressure is primarily due to increases in cardiac output, since there is little systemic vasoconstriction. Indeed, in normal animals, we have often shown a small, but significant, peripheral vasodilation during metaboreflex activation, which is mediated, at least in part, by release of epinephrine and activation of vascular β2-receptors. We tested whether this vasodilation is in part due to increased release of nitric oxide caused by the rise in cardiac output eliciting endothelium-dependent flow-mediated vasodilation. The muscle metaboreflex was activated via graded reductions in hindlimb blood flow during mild exercise with and without nitric oxide synthesis blockade [ NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME); 5 mg/kg]. We assessed the role of increased cardiac output in mediating peripheral vasodilation via the slope of the relationship between the rise in nonischemic vascular conductance (conductance of all vascular beds excluding hindlimbs) vs. the rise in cardiac output. l-NAME increased mean arterial pressure at rest and during exercise. The metaboreflex-induced increases in mean arterial pressure were unaltered by l-NAME, whereas the increases in cardiac output and nonischemic vascular conductance were attenuated. However, the slope of the relationship between nonischemic vascular conductance and cardiac output was not affected by l-NAME, indicating that the rise in cardiac output did not elicit vasodilation via increased release of nitric oxide. Thus, although nitric oxide is intrinsic to the vascular tonus, endothelial-dependent flow-mediated vasodilation plays little role in the small peripheral vasodilation observed during muscle metaboreflex activation.


1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (1) ◽  
pp. H99-H106 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. F. Liard

Experiments were performed in conscious chronically instrumented dogs to study the mechanism of hemodynamic effects mediated by selective vasopressin V2 agonists. In one group of dogs (n = 5) instrumented for the measurement of arterial pressure and cardiac output (electromagnetic flowmeter), the infusion of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 20 or 40 micrograms.kg-1 x min-1) prevented or significantly inhibited the increase in cardiac output, heart rate and systemic conductance induced by injections of 1-desamino-8-D-arginine vasopressin (DDAVP, desmopressin) and 4-valine-8-D-arginine vasopressin (VDAVP), two selective V2 agonists. L-NAME infusion did not modify the aortic adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate increase induced by DDAVP infusion. In a second group of dogs similarly prepared (n = 4), the administration of L-arginine (10 mg.kg-1 x min-1) at the same time as that of L-NAME (20 micrograms.kg-1 x min-1) completely prevented the hemodynamic effects of L-NAME and restored the response to DDAVP administration. In a third group of dogs (n = 4), the infusion of a bradykinin B2 antagonist, at a rate that significantly inhibited the cardiac output, heart rate, and blood pressure responses to bradykinin, did not modify the hemodynamic response to DDAVP infusion. We conclude that the hemodynamic effects of selective V2 agonists in dogs are not mediated by bradykinin release but instead via a V2-like receptor on endothelial cells that triggers the release of nitric oxide.


2012 ◽  
Vol 20 ◽  
pp. 61-67 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amedea B. Seabra ◽  
Priscyla D. Marcato ◽  
Larissa B. de Paula ◽  
Nelson Durán

Nitric oxide (NO) is involved in several physiological processes, such as the control of vascular tone, the inhibition of platelet aggregation, smooth muscle cell replication, immune response and neuronal communication. Several pathologies have been associated to dysfunctions in the endogenous NO production. Thus, there is a great interest in the development of NO-releasing drugs and in matrices which are able to stabilize and release NO locally in different tissues. In this scenario, the preparation of NO-releasing nanomaterials, such as dendrimers, liposomes, metallic, silica, and polymeric nanoparticles, zeolites and metal organic frameworks, is a promising strategy for delivering NO in diverse applications, as discussed in this work.


2011 ◽  
Vol 122 (6) ◽  
pp. 271-279 ◽  
Author(s):  
Laurence G. Trahair ◽  
Lora Vanis ◽  
Diana Gentilcore ◽  
Kylie Lange ◽  
Christopher K. Rayner ◽  
...  

PPH (postprandial hypotension), leading to increased morbidity and mortality, is an important clinical problem, particularly in the elderly and individuals with autonomic dysfunction. The magnitude of the postprandial fall in BP (blood pressure) appears to be dependent on the rate of nutrient entry into the small intestine and may be related to changes in splanchnic blood flow and sympathetic nerve activity. We aimed at determining the comparative effects of different ID (intraduodenal) glucose loads on BP, HR (heart rate), SMA (superior mesenteric artery) flow and vascular conductance and plasma NA (noradrenaline) in ‘young’ and ‘older’ subjects. A total of 12 ‘young’ (six male and six female; age, 22.2±2.3 years) and 12 ‘older’ (six male and six female; age, 68.7±1.0 years) subjects, the latter who have been studied previously [Vanis, Gentilcore, Rayner, Wishart, Horowitz, Feinle-Bisset and Jones (2011) Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol., 300, R1524–R1531], had measurements of BP, HR, SMA flow and plasma NA before, and during, ID infusions of glucose at 1, 2 or 3 kcal/min (‘G1’, ‘G2’ and ‘G3’) (where 1 kcal≈4.184 J), or ‘S’ (saline) for 60 min. In ‘young’ subjects, there was no change in BP during any of the four infusions. In contrast, in ‘older’ subjects, SBP (systolic BP) fell during ‘G2’, and ‘G3’ (P<0.005 for both), but not during ‘S’ or ‘G1’. In ‘young’ and ‘older’ subjects HR increased during ‘G2’ (P<0.05) and ‘G3’ (P<0.001), a response that was greater (P<0.05) in the young, but not during ‘S’ or ‘G1’. The rise in SMA flow and vascular conductance in response to ID glucose were load-dependent in both ‘young’ and ‘older’ subjects (P<0.001 for all), with no difference between them. Plasma NA rose in response to ‘G2’ and ‘G3’ (P<0.05) in the young, but in ‘G3’ (P<0.05) only in the ‘older’ subjects, with no difference between them. Hence, in response to small intestinal glucose infusions at 1, 2 and 3 kcal/min, ‘older’, but not ‘young’, subjects exhibit a comparable fall in BP in response to the two higher glucose loads, which may reflect an inadequate, compensatory, rise in HR, in the ‘older’ subjects, but not a greater increase in SMA conductance.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document