Involvement of substance P in pial arteriolar vasodilatation during pneumococcal meningitis in the rat.
The present study investigated whether the endogenous vasodilating neuropeptides substance P (SP) and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) contribute to pial arteriolar vasodilatation in the early phase of pneumococcal meningitis in the rat. Using a closed cranial window preparation we measured the diameters of pial arterioles during 4 h after pneumococcal infection. Arteriolar vasodilatation in infected rats was significantly attenuated by pretreatment with the SP-antagonist spantide up to 3 h after infection. Neither post-treatment with spantide (administered 2 h after infection) nor pretreatment with the CGRP antagonist CGRP(8-37) affected the pneumococci-induced pial arteriolar dilatation. These data suggest that SP is involved as a mediator in early pneumococci-induced dilatation of pial arterioles.
Pfister
H W
HW
Department of Neurology, Klinikum Grosshadern, Ludwig-Maximilians-University München, Germany.
Kümpfel
T
T
Koedel
U
U
D000818:Animals; D001158:Arteries / Q000187:drug effects; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide / Q000494:pharmacology; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D007278:Injections, Spinal; D008297:Male; D008586:Meningitis, Pneumococcal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D013373:Substance P / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013997:Time Factors; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects*
D013373:Substance P; D015740:Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide