title: Increased endothelium-dependent renal vasodilation in cirrhotic rats.
abstract: We have evaluated the renal blood flow (RBF) response of cirrhotic rats to endothelium-dependent [acetylcholine (ACh)] and -independent [sodium nitroprusside (NP)] vasodilators. In anesthetized rats, ACh dose dependently increased RBF, but the response of the cirrhotic rats (n = 6) was significantly higher than that of the controls (n = 6). NP also increased RBF in a dose-dependent manner, but there were no differences between both groups. NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 10 mg/kg i.v.) significantly reduced the responses to ACh in both groups, but those of the cirrhotic rats were still higher than those of the controls. In experiments performed in isolated perfused kidneys, preconstricted with phenylephrine, dose-response curves for ACh and NP were obtained in the presence of indomethacin. Both ACh and NP decreased renal perfusion pressure dose dependently, but only the response of the cirrhotic rats (n = 5) to ACh was significantly higher than that of the controls (n = 5). L-NAME (100 microM) significantly reduced the responses to ACh and increased those of NP and abolished the differences between groups, except at the high dose of ACh. These results demonstrate an elevated endothelium-dependent vasodilator response in the cirrhotic kidney, which is eliminated by combined prostaglandin and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis inhibition and suggest that increased intrarenal activity of NO may be contributing to the renal alterations of liver cirrhosis.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Biophysics, Mayo Clinic, Rochester, Minnesota 55905.
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: García-Estañ
authors.forename: N M
authors.initials: NM
authors.lastname: Atucha
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Sabio
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Vargas
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Quesada
authors.forename: J C
authors.initials: JC
authors.lastname: Romero
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008106:Liver Cirrhosis, Experimental / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012079:Renal Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D014664:Vasodilation
chemical_list: D009599:Nitroprusside; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine; D000109:Acetylcholine; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester