title: Endothelin ETA- and ETB-receptor-mediated vasoconstriction in rat pulmonary arteries and arterioles.
abstract: We investigated the endothelin (ET) receptors involved in the vasoconstrictor responses to ET-1 in rat pulmonary arteries and arterioles and the effect of endothelium removal, nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibition, and hypoxia on ET-1-induced responses in the arteries. In isolated rat pulmonary artery rings (2-3 mm ID) prepared from the pulmonary artery branch before its entry into the lung, ET-1-induced vasoconstrictor responses. These responses were mediated by the ETA receptor as they were competitively antagonized by the ETA receptor antagonist FR 139317, and the ETB-receptor agonist sarafotoxin S6c (SXS6c) was a very weak vasoconstrictor in these vessels, inducing maximum contractions only 9% of those of ET-1. In contrast, in rat intrapulmonary resistance arteries (100-150 microns ID), SXS6c induced FR 139317-resistant contractions, and these vessels were more sensitive to SXS6c than to ET-1. SXS6c produced maximum contractions 92% those of ET-1, suggesting that ET-1-induced contractions were mediated by the ETB receptor in these resistance vessels. In the larger pulmonary arteries, the NO synthase inhibitor L-N omega nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (100 microM) potentiated responses to ET-1, an effect that was reversed by FR 139317. Endothelium removal also potentiated response to ET-1, and L-NAME had no effect on ET-1 responses in endothelium-denuded vessels, suggesting that in these vessels the ETA receptor-mediated responses to ET-1 are normally suppressed by endothelium-derived NO.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors.affiliation: Autonomic Physiology Unit, Glasgow University, Scotland.
authors.forename: M R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: MacLean
authors.forename: K M
authors.initials: KM
authors.lastname: McCulloch
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Baird
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D001160:Arterioles / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D001381:Azepines / Q000494:pharmacology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D016232:Endothelins / Q000494:pharmacology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000473:pathology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D007211:Indoles / Q000494:pharmacology; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D051381:Rats; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D014757:Viper Venoms / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D001381:Azepines; D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D016232:Endothelins; D007211:Indoles; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D014757:Viper Venoms; C057354:sarafotoxins s6; C079574:FR 139317; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester