title: Effects of propofol on vascular smooth muscle function in isolated rat aorta.
abstract: This study was undertaken to determine the direct actions of propofol, and whether propofol exerts any action on basal endothelium-derived relaxing factor release and vasodilator effect of acetylcholine on phenylephrine-induced contractile responses in isolated rat aortic rings. This compound is known to produce a fall in blood pressure in man and animals, and it has been suggested that the hypotension may result from a direct vasodilator action on the veins and arterioles. In this study, propofol did not induce any contractile response in aortic rings at various concentrations (10(-8)-10(-4) M). Propofol did not significantly alter phenylephrine-induced contractions at lower concentrations (10(-8)-10(-6) M) but at higher concentrations (10(-5)-10(-4) M) the depression caused by propofol was significant in both endothelium-intact and -denuded rings. Pretreatment of the endothelium-intact rings with propofol (10(-6) and 10(-5) M) produced a reduction in the relaxant effect of acetylcholine. The results obtained in this study demonstrate that clinically relevant concentrations of propofol (10(-6) M or less) have no direct vasodilator effects and that it reduces endothelium-dependent relaxation to acetylcholine.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anesthesiology, Cumhuriyet University, Sivas, Turkey.
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Mimaroglu
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Utkan
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kaya
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Kafali
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Sarioglu
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000187:drug effects; D004347:Drug Interactions; D005260:Female; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000187:drug effects; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D015742:Propofol / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats
chemical_list: D010656:Phenylephrine; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D000109:Acetylcholine; D015742:Propofol