Losartan Increases No Production from the Bovine Aortic Wall That is Stimulated by Angiotensin II

2003 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 113-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
M. Myronidou ◽  
B. Kokkas ◽  
A. Kouyoumtzis ◽  
N. Gregoriadis ◽  
A. Lourbopoulos ◽  
...  

In these studies we investigated if losartan, an AT1- receptor blocker has any beneficial effect on NO production from the bovine aortic preparations in vitro while under stimulation from angiotensin II. Experiments were performed on intact specimens of bovine thoracic aorta, incubated in Dulbeco's MOD medium in a metabolic shaker for 24 hours under 95 % O2 and 5 % CO2 at a temperature of 37°C. We found that angiotensin II 1nM−10 μM does not exert any statistically significant action on NO production. On the contrary, angiotensin II 10nM increases the production of NO by 58.14 % (from 12.16 + 2.9 μm/l to 19.23 + 4.2 μm/l in the presence of losartan 1nM (P<0.05). Nitric oxide levels depend on both rate production and rate catabolism or chemical inactivation. Such an equilibrium is vital for the normal function of many systems including the cardiovascular one. The above results demonstrate that the blockade of AT1-receptors favors the biosynthesis of NO and indicate the protective role of losartan on the vascular wall.

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yu-Tzu Chang ◽  
Chia-Ling Chen ◽  
Chiou-Feng Lin ◽  
Shiou-Ling Lu ◽  
Miao-Huei Cheng ◽  
...  

Group A streptococcus (GAS) imposes a great burden on humans. Efforts to minimize the associated morbidity and mortality represent a critical issue. Glycogen synthase kinase-3β(GSK-3β) is known to regulate inflammatory response in infectious diseases. However, the regulation of GSK-3βin GAS infection is still unknown. The present study investigates the interaction between GSK-3β, NF-κB, and possible related inflammatory mediators in vitro and in a mouse model. The results revealed that GAS could activate NF-κB, followed by an increased expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and NO production in a murine macrophage cell line. Activation of GSK-3βoccurred after GAS infection, and inhibition of GSK-3βreduced iNOS expression and NO production. Furthermore, GSK-3βinhibitors reduced NF-κB activation and subsequent TNF-αproduction, which indicates that GSK-3βacts upstream of NF-κB in GAS-infected macrophages. Similar to the in vitro findings, administration of GSK-3βinhibitor in an air pouch GAS infection mouse model significantly reduced the level of serum TNF-αand improved the survival rate. The inhibition of GSK-3βto moderate the inflammatory effect might be an alternative therapeutic strategy against GAS infection.


2003 ◽  
Vol 285 (4) ◽  
pp. G747-G753 ◽  
Author(s):  
Catalina Caballero-Alomar ◽  
Carmen Santos ◽  
Diego Lopez ◽  
M. Teresa Mitjavila ◽  
Pere Puig-Parellada

We examined in vitro the source and role of basal nitric oxide (NO) in proximal segments of guinea pig taenia caeci in nonadrenergic, noncholinergic (NANC) conditions. Using electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR), we measured the effect of the NO synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME, 10–4 M), the neuronal blocker tetrodotoxin (TTX, 10–6 M), or both on spontaneous contractions and on the production of basal NO. Both l-NAME and TTX, when tested alone, increased the amplitude and frequency of contractions. NO production was abolished by l-NAME and was inhibited by 38% by TTX. When tested together, l-NAME in the presence of TTX or TTX in the presence of l-NAME had no further effect on the amplitude or frequency of spontaneous contractions, and the NO production was inhibited. These findings suggest that basal NO consists of TTX-sensitive and TTX-resistant components. The TTX-sensitive NO has an inhibitory effect on spontaneous contractions; the role of TTX-resistant NO is unknown.


2008 ◽  
Vol 295 (2) ◽  
pp. H499-H508 ◽  
Author(s):  
Wael F. Alzawahra ◽  
M. A. Hassan Talukder ◽  
Xiaoping Liu ◽  
Alexandre Samouilov ◽  
Jay L. Zweier

Nitric oxide (NO) has been shown to be the endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), and its impairment contributes to a variety of cardiovascular disorders. Recently, it has been recognized that nitrite can be an important source of NO; however, questions remain regarding the activity and mechanisms of nitrite bioactivation in vessels and its physiological importance. Therefore, we investigated the effects of nitrite on in vivo hemodynamics in rats and in vitro vasorelaxation in isolated rat aorta under aerobic conditions. Studies were performed to determine the mechanisms by which nitrite is converted to NO. In anesthetized rats, nitrite dose dependently decreased both systolic and diastolic blood pressure with a threshold dose of 10 μM. Similarly, nitrite (10 μM-2 mM) caused vasorelaxation of aortic rings, and NO was shown to be the intermediate factor responsible for this activity. With the use of electrochemical as well as electron paramagnetic resonance (EPR) spectroscopy techniques NO generation was measured from isolated aortic vessels following nitrite treatment. Reduction of nitrite to NO was blocked by heating the vessel, suggesting that an enzymatic process is involved. Organ chamber experiments demonstrated that aortic relaxation induced by nitrite could be blocked by both hemoglobin and soluble guanylyl cyclase (sGC) inhibitor 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxaline-1-one (ODQ). In addition, both electrochemical and EPR spin-trapping measurements showed that ODQ inhibits nitrite-mediated NO production. These findings thus suggest that nitrite can be a precursor of EDRF and that sGC or other heme proteins inhibited by ODQ catalyze the reduction of nitrite to NO.


2002 ◽  
Vol 70 (2) ◽  
pp. 679-684 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Canthaboo ◽  
D. Xing ◽  
X. Q. Wei ◽  
M. J. Corbel

ABSTRACT The mechanism whereby whole-cell pertussis vaccines (WCV) confer protection against Bordetella pertussis is still not fully understood. We have previously reported that macrophage activation produced by vaccination with WCV is associated with induction of NO synthesis by macrophages in response to in vitro stimulation with B. pertussis antigens. To determine whether NO production is an effector of protection or simply a marker of activation, the susceptibility of inducible nitric oxide synthase (type II, iNOS) knockout mice to infection with B. pertussis was examined. We showed that iNOS knockout mice were more susceptible to B. pertussis respiratory challenge than wild-type mice. iNOS-deficient mice also developed a less effective protective response than wild-type mice after the same immunization with WCV. This suggests that NO plays an important role in effecting protection against B. pertussis challenge.


Endocrinology ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 156 (2) ◽  
pp. 707-720 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Craps ◽  
C. Wilvers ◽  
V. Joris ◽  
B. De Jongh ◽  
J. Vanderstraeten ◽  
...  

Iodine deficiency (ID) induces microvascular changes in the thyroid gland via a TSH-independent reactive oxygen species-hypoxia inducible factor (HIF)-1α-vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) pathway. The involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in this pathway and the role of calcium (Ca2+) and of ryanodine receptors (RYRs) in NO synthase 3 (NOS3) activation were investigated in a murine model of goitrogenesis and in 3 in vitro models of ID, including primary cultures of human thyrocytes. ID activated NOS3 and the production of NO in thyrocytes in vitro and increased the thyroid blood flow in vivo. Using bevacizumab (a blocking antibody against VEGF-A) in mice, it appeared that NOS3 is activated upstream of VEGF-A. L-nitroarginine methyl ester (a NOS inhibitor) blocked the ID-induced increase in thyroid blood flow in vivo and NO production in vitro, as well as ID-induced VEGF-A mRNA and HIF-1α expression in vitro, whereas S-nitroso-acetyl-penicillamine (a NO donor) did the opposite. Ca2+ is involved in this pathway as intracellular Ca2+ flux increased after ID, and thapsigargin activated NOS3 and increased VEGF-A mRNA expression. Two of the 3 known mammalian RYR isoforms (RYR1 and RYR2) were shown to be expressed in thyrocytes. RYR inhibition using ryanodine at 10μM decreased ID-induced NOS3 activation, HIF-1α, and VEGF-A expression, whereas RYR activation with ryanodine at 1nM increased NOS3 activation and VEGF-A mRNA expression. In conclusion, during the early phase of TSH-independent ID-induced microvascular activation, ID sequentially activates RYRs and NOS3, thereby supporting ID-induced activation of the NO/HIF-1α/VEGF-A pathway in thyrocytes.


2007 ◽  
Vol 75 (8) ◽  
pp. 3894-3901 ◽  
Author(s):  
John Weaver ◽  
Tae Jin Kang ◽  
Kimberly W. Raines ◽  
Guan-Liang Cao ◽  
Stephen Hibbs ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT The ability of the endospore-forming, gram-positive bacterium Bacillus anthracis to survive in activated macrophages is key to its germination and survival. In a previous publication, we discovered that exposure of primary murine macrophages to B. anthracis endospores upregulated NOS 2 concomitant with an ·NO-dependent bactericidal response. Since NOS 2 also generates O2·−, experiments were designed to determine whether NOS 2 formed peroxynitrite (ONOO−) from the reaction of ·NO with O2·− and if so, was ONOO− microbicidal toward B. anthracis. Our findings suggest that ONOO− was formed upon macrophage infection by B. anthracis endospores; however, ONOO− does not appear to exhibit microbicidal activity toward this bacterium. In contrast, the exosporium of B. anthracis, which exhibits arginase activity, protected B. anthracis from macrophage-mediated killing by decreasing ·NO levels in the macrophage. Thus, the ability of B. anthracis to subvert ·NO production has important implications in the control of B. anthracis-induced infection.


1998 ◽  
Vol 66 (3) ◽  
pp. 1017-1022 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sanae Sasaki ◽  
Tomisato Miura ◽  
Shinsuke Nishikawa ◽  
Kyogo Yamada ◽  
Mayuko Hirasue ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT This study was carried out to determine the role of nitric oxide (NO) in Staphylococcus aureus infection in mice. NO production in spleen cell cultures was induced by heat-killed S. aureus. Expression of mRNA of the inducible isoform of NO synthase (iNOS) was induced in the spleens and kidneys of S. aureus-infected mice. When mice were treated with monoclonal antibodies (MAbs) against tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) or gamma interferon (IFN-γ) before S. aureus infection, the induction of iNOS mRNA expression in the kidneys was inhibited. These MAbs also inhibited NO production in spleen cell cultures stimulated with heat-killed S. aureus. NO production in the spleen cell cultures and levels of urinary nitrate plus nitrite were suppressed by treatment with aminoguanidine (AG), a selective inhibitor of iNOS. The survival rates of AG-treated mice were significantly decreased by either lethal or sublethal S. aureusinfections. However, an effect of AG administration on bacterial growth was not observed in the spleens and kidneys of mice during either type of infection. Production of TNF-α and IFN-γ was not affected by AG treatment in vitro and in vivo. These results suggest that NO plays an important role in protection from lethality by the infection, but the protective role of NO in host resistance against S. aureusinfection was not proved. Moreover, our results show that TNF-α and IFN-γ regulate NO production while NO may not be involved in the regulation of the production of these cytokines during S. aureus infection.


Blood ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 84 (7) ◽  
pp. 2363-2373 ◽  
Author(s):  
WR Drobyski ◽  
CA Keever ◽  
GA Hanson ◽  
T McAuliffe ◽  
OW Griffith

The pathophysiologic role of nitric oxide (NO) in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was investigated in a murine bone marrow (BM) transplantation model where donor and recipient were H-2-matched but differed at multiple minor histocompatibility antigens. Host AKR/J (H- 2K) mice received lethal total body irradiation as pretransplant conditioning followed by transplantation of donor B10.BR (H-2K) BM cells with or without spleen cells as a source of GVH-reactive T cells. NO production, as assessed by serum nitrate and nitrite levels, was increased for up to 3 weeks posttransplant in animals undergoing both moderate and severe GVHD. Administration of NG-methyl-L-arginine (L- NMA), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, to animals undergoing GVHD resulted in effective suppression of NO production when compared with saline-treated GVHD control animals. Suppression of NO production by L- NMA in GVHD animals was associated with enhanced weight loss early posttransplant and decreased overall survival. Histologic analysis of tissues from L-NMA-treated and saline-treated GVHD animals showed that early weight loss was not because of an exacerbation of GVHD, indicating that NO did not appear to play an immunosuppressive role in this experimental model. L-NMA-treated animals with enhanced weight loss were observed to have splenic atrophy, decreased extramedullary hematopoiesis, and a reduction in BM cellularity when compared with GVHD control mice that were weight-matched before transplant. Analysis of T-cell chimerism in the spleen showed that L-NMA treatment impaired donor T-cell repopulation. In vitro colony-forming unit (CFU) assays were performed to further assess the role of NO on BM progenitor cell growth. L-NMA added directly into culture had no effect on CFU- granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) formation in normal murine BM. In contrast, total CFU-GM from L-NMA-treated animals were significantly reduced when compared with GVHD controls or BM control animals who did not develop GVHD. Collectively, these data indicate that inhibition of NO impairs hematopoietic reconstitution and support the premise that NO appears to play a novel role in the facilitation of alloengraftment posttransplant.


Blood ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 84 (7) ◽  
pp. 2363-2373 ◽  
Author(s):  
WR Drobyski ◽  
CA Keever ◽  
GA Hanson ◽  
T McAuliffe ◽  
OW Griffith

Abstract The pathophysiologic role of nitric oxide (NO) in graft-versus-host disease (GVHD) was investigated in a murine bone marrow (BM) transplantation model where donor and recipient were H-2-matched but differed at multiple minor histocompatibility antigens. Host AKR/J (H- 2K) mice received lethal total body irradiation as pretransplant conditioning followed by transplantation of donor B10.BR (H-2K) BM cells with or without spleen cells as a source of GVH-reactive T cells. NO production, as assessed by serum nitrate and nitrite levels, was increased for up to 3 weeks posttransplant in animals undergoing both moderate and severe GVHD. Administration of NG-methyl-L-arginine (L- NMA), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, to animals undergoing GVHD resulted in effective suppression of NO production when compared with saline-treated GVHD control animals. Suppression of NO production by L- NMA in GVHD animals was associated with enhanced weight loss early posttransplant and decreased overall survival. Histologic analysis of tissues from L-NMA-treated and saline-treated GVHD animals showed that early weight loss was not because of an exacerbation of GVHD, indicating that NO did not appear to play an immunosuppressive role in this experimental model. L-NMA-treated animals with enhanced weight loss were observed to have splenic atrophy, decreased extramedullary hematopoiesis, and a reduction in BM cellularity when compared with GVHD control mice that were weight-matched before transplant. Analysis of T-cell chimerism in the spleen showed that L-NMA treatment impaired donor T-cell repopulation. In vitro colony-forming unit (CFU) assays were performed to further assess the role of NO on BM progenitor cell growth. L-NMA added directly into culture had no effect on CFU- granulocyte/macrophage (CFU-GM) formation in normal murine BM. In contrast, total CFU-GM from L-NMA-treated animals were significantly reduced when compared with GVHD controls or BM control animals who did not develop GVHD. Collectively, these data indicate that inhibition of NO impairs hematopoietic reconstitution and support the premise that NO appears to play a novel role in the facilitation of alloengraftment posttransplant.


1998 ◽  
Vol 274 (3) ◽  
pp. C770-C779 ◽  
Author(s):  
Q. El-Dwairi ◽  
A. Comtois ◽  
Y. Guo ◽  
S. N. A. Hussain

The aims of this study were to assess the role of nitric oxide (NO) and the contribution of different NO synthase (NOS) isoforms in skeletal muscle contractile dysfunction in septic shock. Four groups of conscious rats were examined. Group 1 served as control; groups 2, 3, and 4 were injected with Escherichia coli endotoxin [lipopolysaccharide (LPS), 20 mg/kg ip] and killed after 6, 12, and 24 h, respectively. Protein expression was assessed by immunoblotting and immunostaining. LPS injection elicited a transient expression of the inducible NOS isoform, which peaked 12 h after LPS injection and disappeared within 24 h. This expression coincided with a significant increase in nitrotyrosine formation (peroxynitrite footprint). Muscle expression of the endothelial and neuronal NOS isoforms, by comparison, rose significantly and remained higher than control levels 24 h after LPS injection. In vitro measurement of muscle contractility 24 h after LPS injection showed that incubation with NOS inhibitor ( S-methyliosothiourea) restored the decline in submaximal force generation, whereas maximal muscle force remained unaffected. We conclude that NO plays a significant role in muscle contractile dysfunction in septic animals and that increased NO production is due to induction of the inducible NOS isoform and upregulation of constitutive NOS isoforms.


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