title: Role of the endothelium in acetylcholine-induced relaxation and spontaneous tone of bovine isolated retinal small arteries.
abstract: Acetylcholine induced a variable concentration-dependent relaxation of bovine isolated retinal small arteries contracted with PGF2 alpha. The acetylcholine-mediated relaxation was linearly related to the sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxation, suggesting that the endothelium is well preserved in the vessels and that the variable effect of acetylcholine is due to variations in the soluble guanylate-cyclase enzyme activity in the smooth muscle. The vessels became desensitized to acetylcholine by repeated exposures. L-arginine and indomethacin did not abolish the desensitization. The vessels also became desensitized to the direct smooth muscle relaxing effect of sodium nitroprusside, indicating that desensitization to the endothelium-dependent relaxation by acetylcholine is related primarily to the vascular smooth muscle cells. Atropine, methylene blue and removal of endothelium abolished the acetylcholine-induced relaxation completely, whereas indomethacin had no inhibitory action on the acetylcholine-induced relaxation, suggesting that acetylcholine mediates release of EDRF (nitric oxide: NO) through stimulation of muscarinic receptors. Methylene blue contracted endothelium intact retinal arteries but a spontaneous tone was not present in endothelial denuded arteries. This may indicate a basal release of both a contractile factor, e.g. endothelin, and a relaxing factor. NO, form the retinal endothelium. The results demonstrate that endothelial-derived factors may participate in normal as well as pathophysiological regulation of retinal vascular smooth muscle tone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Aarhus University, Denmark.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Benedito
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Prieto
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Nielsen
authors.forename: N C
authors.initials: NC
authors.lastname: Nyborg
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000502:physiology*; D000818:Animals; D002417:Cattle; D046508:Culture Techniques; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000502:physiology; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D012161:Retinal Artery / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D000109:Acetylcholine