title: Cerebrovascular effects of substance P after experimental subarachnoid haemorrhage.
abstract: The vasoactive effects of substance P (SP), as well as the content of cyclic guanine monophosphate (cGMP), were determined in the rabbit basilar artery after subarachnoid haemorrhage (SAH). Out of 47 rabbits, 24 were subjected to a SAH, induced by injecting 5 ml of autologous arterial blood into the cisterna magna; 23 were used as controls. In 20 animals (10 SAH and 10 controls), isometric tension recording of isolated rings of the basilar artery--dissected 2 days after SAH--was employed to assess the dose-dependent vasodilatation to SP (10(-10) to 10(-6) M) after precontraction with serotonin (10(-8) to 10(-5) M). In 15 animals (8 SAH and 7 controls), the basal cGMP content was measured in the basilar artery 2 days after SAH. In the other 12 animals (6 SAH and 6 controls), the increase in cGMP content was measured in the basilar artery after a 10-minute incubation with SP (10(-6) M). SP caused significantly less dilatation in animals subjected to SAH than in controls, especially for concentrations between 10(-9) and 10(-6) M (p < 0.001). The cGMP content in the arteries 2 days after SAH was significantly lower than in control arteries (31.5 +/- 7.3 against 57.3 +/- 4.3 pmoles/g tissue). In the preparations incubated with SP, the increase of cGMP was 440 +/- 115% in the control arteries, and only 97 +/- 30% in the arteries after SAH. It is concluded that the vasodilator activity of SP is significantly impaired after SAH.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001488:Basilar Artery / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D002546:Ischemic Attack, Transient / Q000473:pathology*; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology; D011817:Rabbits; D013345:Subarachnoid Hemorrhage / Q000473:pathology*; D013373:Substance P / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D009569:Nitric Oxide; D013373:Substance P; D006152:Cyclic GMP