Mechanism of acetylcholine action on membrane potential of endothelium of intact rat aorta

The membrane potential of the endothelium of isolated rat aorta was recorded using the patch-clamp technique. The inhibitor of phospholipase C, U-73122, reduced or abolished the electrical response of the endothelium evoked by acetylcholine, but its inactive analogue, U-73343, was without effect. Depletion of intracellular Ca2+ stores with thapsigargin, cyclopiazonic acid, 2,5-di-(tertbutyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone, or ionomycin evoked an acetylcholine-like response, which in some aortas included oscillations in endothelial membrane potential and abolished electrical responses evoked by acetylcholine. All stages of acetylcholine- and ionomycin-evoked responses could be evoked in endothelium isolated from underlying smooth muscle. Buffering of intracellular Ca2+ with 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid reduced or abolished acetylcholine-evoked responses. Both buffering of intracellular Ca2+ and inhibition of phospholipase C abolished the inhibitory effect of acetylcholine on phenylephrine-evoked oscillations in endothelial membrane potential. These results suggest that acetylcholine exerts its effect on the membrane potential of intact rat aorta through activation of phospholipase C, the release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores, and so the elevation of intracellular Ca2+ by a mechanism typical for inositol(1,4,5)-trisphosphate-mediated responses.