title: Desensitization of alpha-1 adrenergic receptor mediated smooth muscle contraction in aorta from endotoxic rats.
abstract: Desensitization of vascular smooth muscles in endotoxemia was studied using the aorta from intraperitoneally endotoxin-injected rats. The KCl- and phenylephrine-induced contractions were significantly decreased in the endotoxic aorta compared to the control. In the endotoxic aorta the phenylephrine-induced contracture showed a gradual tension decrease after reaching a plateau and was attenuated by prior exposure to high concentration of phenylephrine, while KCl produced a sustained contraction and it was not affected by prior exposure to phenylephrine. The phenylephrine- and KCl-induced contractures of the control aorta showed stable plateaus and were not affected by prior exposure to phenylephrine. Neither diminished contractile force nor in vitro desensitization of phenylephrine contracture of isolated aorta was prevented by pretreatment of endotoxic rats with an alpha-adrenergic antagonist, phentolamine. These findings suggest that the contractile response to phenylephrine is easily desensitized in the endotoxic aorta compared to the control and neither this in vitro desensitization nor the diminution of contractile force is caused by in vivo exposure of aorta to a high concentration of catecholamines during endotoxemia.
authors.affiliation: Second Department of Internal Medicine, Hyogo College of Medicine, Japan.
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Wakabayashi
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hatake
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Kakishita
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Hishida
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Nagai
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D004731:Endotoxins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004926:Escherichia coli; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007537:Isometric Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D010646:Phentolamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D012016:Reference Values
chemical_list: D004731:Endotoxins; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; D010656:Phenylephrine; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D010646:Phentolamine