title: Endothelium-dependent responses in long-term human coronary artery bypass grafts.
abstract: In the present study, responses of long-term human coronary artery bypass grafts (CABGs) to known endothelium-dependent vasodilators, acetylcholine, calcium ionophore A23187, thrombin, and histamine, as well as authentic nitric oxide, the putative endothelium-derived relaxing factor, were studied. Sixteen CAGBs were isolated within 1-2 hours from hearts of 14 patients receiving a cardiac transplant. A total of 109 ring segments were prepared from these CABGs and studied in vitro. The duration of the CABGs ranged from 7 months to 12 years. Addition of acetylcholine (0.01-10 microM), calcium ionophore A23187 (0.01-1.0 microM), thrombin (0.01-1.0 unit/ml), and histamine (0.01-1.0 microM) consistently produced a dose- and endothelium-dependent relaxation, reaching a maximum of -35.3 +/- 3.3%, -45.3 +/- 5.5%, -26.9 +/- 4.8%, and -17.8 +/- 2.5% (mean +/- SEM), respectively. No significant difference was observed among the CABGs with different duration of transplantation, whereas the relaxant responses of different segments along the entire length of a CABG were markedly different. These latter differences in the endothelium-dependent responses appear to correlate inversely with the development of intimal proliferative lesions in these CABGs. Addition of nitric oxide (0.01-10 microM) produced a potent dose- and endothelium-independent relaxation, which was also slightly depressed in CABGs with severe intimal proliferation. These results demonstrate that long-term transplanted human saphenous vein grafts retain their endothelium-dependent responses and that development of severe intimal proliferative lesions, rather than the duration of the grafts, result in marked alterations in the reactivity of these transplanted CABGs.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, University of Alabama, Birmingham 35294.
authors.forename: D D
authors.initials: DD
authors.lastname: Ku
authors.forename: J B
authors.initials: JB
authors.lastname: Caulfield
authors.forename: J K
authors.initials: JK
authors.lastname: Kirklin
mesh_terms: D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D005260:Female; D006083:Graft Occlusion, Vascular / Q000209:etiology / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000502:physiology; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014654:Vascular Patency / Q000502:physiology*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014666:Vasomotor System / Q000503:physiopathology*
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D009569:Nitric Oxide