title: The effect of inhibitors of the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway on endotoxin-induced loss of vascular responsiveness in anaesthetized rats.
abstract: 1. The effects on blood pressure and on pressor responses to noradrenaline (NA), of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) and NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), inhibitors of the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway, were investigated in anaesthetized rats receiving an infusion of bacterial endotoxin (E. coli lipopolysaccharide, LPS). 2. Infusion of LPS (10 mg kg-1 h-1) for 50 min had no effect on mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) but induced a reduction in responsiveness to noradrenaline (100 ng-1 micrograms kg-1). L-NMMA (30 mg kg-1), but not D-NMMA, caused an increase in MABP of approximately 30 mmHg and restored responses to NA. This effect was reversed by L- but not D-arginine (100 mg kg-1). 3. In LPS-treated rats, blood pressure responses to NA were only marginally increased by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor, indomethacin (5 mg kg-1). L-NAME (1 mg kg-1) caused a similar increase in MABP and restored pressor responses to NA both in the presence and absence of indomethacin. 4. Co-infusion of vasopressin (100 ng kg-1, for 10 min) with LPS (10 mg kg-1 h-1) in order to reproduce the hypertensive effect of L-NMMA and L-NAME increased pressor responsiveness to 100 and 300 ng kg-1 NA but not to 1 microgram kg-1 NA. 5. Infusion of sodium nitroprusside (30 micrograms kg-1 min-1) decreased responsiveness to NA even when the hypotension was corrected by co-infusion of vasopressin (50 ng kg-1 min-1). 6. These results demonstrate that the restoration of vascular responsiveness to NA in LPS-treated anaesthetized rats by inhibitors of the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway is stereospecific and reversible. Furthermore, the experiments involving indomethacin suggest that although cyclo-oxygenase products of arachidonic acid may contribute to the development of LPS-induced hyporeactivity, the effect of L-NAME is unlikely to involve inhibition of the cyclo-oxygenase pathway. Comparison of NA responsiveness during vasopressin and L-NMMA/L-NAME-induced hypertension shows that increasing the blood pressure may modify LPS-induced hyporeactivity, but cannot account for the complete restoration of responses to NA by L-NMMA and L-NAME. These observations suggest that activation of nitric oxide formation from L-arginine makes a direct contribution to the production of vascular hyporeactivity by LPS in vivo.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Pharmacologie Cellulaire et Moléculaire, Université Louis Pasteur de Strasbourg, CNRS URA 600, Ilkirch, France.
authors.forename: G A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Gray
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Schott
authors.forename: G
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Julou-Schaeffer
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Fleming
authors.forename: J R
authors.initials: JR
authors.lastname: Parratt
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Stoclet
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019335:Nitroarginine; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D011919:Rats, Inbred Strains; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D014667:Vasopressins / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D016861:Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors; D004731:Endotoxins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D014667:Vasopressins; D009599:Nitroprusside; D019335:Nitroarginine; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D007213:Indomethacin