title: An in vitro study of the pharmacological responses of rat middle cerebral artery: effects of overnight storage.
abstract: This study was designed to establish the in vitro pharmacological responses of rat middle cerebral arteries (MCA), and also their susceptibility to overnight cold storage at 4 degrees C. MCAs were harvested from rats and pharmacological responses were studied using a Mulvany myograph. Responses to prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha), uridine triphosphate (UTP), noradrenaline (NA) and histamine were determined to investigate receptor-dependent responses, sodium nitroprusside and papaverine to investigate receptor-independent relaxation and L-arginine and N omega-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) to examine nitric oxide synthase-dependent responses. Responses in fresh arteries were established and compared with responses in arteries which had been mounted on a myograph and stored overnight at 4 degrees C before study the next day. The MCAs had an effective lumen diameter of 263 microns (SD 25) and sustained concentration-dependent contractions were produced by 124 mM K+, PGF2 alpha, UTP and L-NAME. Sodium nitroprusside, NA, histamine, papaverine and L-arginine produced concentration-dependent relaxations in precontracted arteries. Overnight cold storage did not alter the pharmacological responses to any of the agonists tested.
authors.affiliation: Department of Neurosurgery, Royal Hallamshire Hospital and University of Sheffield, UK.
authors.forename: R J
authors.initials: RJ
authors.lastname: Laing
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Jakubowski
authors.forename: A H
authors.initials: AH
authors.lastname: Morice
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D002536:Cerebral Arteries / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D003080:Cold Temperature; D015237:Dinoprost / Q000494:pharmacology; D005260:Female; D006632:Histamine / Q000494:pharmacology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000187:drug effects; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010208:Papaverine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014021:Tissue Preservation; D014544:Uridine Triphosphate / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D009599:Nitroprusside; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D006632:Histamine; D001120:Arginine; D015237:Dinoprost; D010208:Papaverine; D014544:Uridine Triphosphate; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; D009638:Norepinephrine