title: NG-monomethyl-L-arginine does not restore loss of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction induced by TNF-alpha.
abstract: Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) causes systemic hypotension, pulmonary vasodilation, and loss of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) inhibits nitric oxide (NO) production and prevents some systemic manifestations of TNF-alpha. We tested using an isolated perfused canine lobe whether NO also mediates the pulmonary vascular effects of TNF-alpha. Total resistance (RT) was measured during control and hypoxic ventilation over a 90-min period in six control lobes, five lobes treated with TNF-alpha (250 micrograms), six lobes treated with L-NMMA (200 mg), and five lobes treated with L-NMMA (200 mg) + TNF-alpha (250 micrograms). In the control lobes RT increased (P < 0.02) from 0.0474 +/- 0.0105 to 0.0677 +/- 0.0133 cmH2O.ml-1 x min during normoxic and hypoxic ventilation, respectively. RT decreased (P < 0.05) from a baseline of 0.0593 +/- 0.0133 to 0.0449 +/- 0.0176 cmH2O.ml-1 x min 30 min after TNF-alpha administration and did not further change during hypoxic ventilation (0.0475 +/- 0.0107 cmH2O.ml-1 x min). L-NMMA pretreatment did not prevent the TNF-alpha-induced loss of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, with values of RT unchanged from normoxic (0.0541 +/- 0.0067 cmH2O.ml-1 x min) to hypoxic (0.0545 +/- 0.0078 cmH2O.ml-1.min) ventilation (P > 0.10) in the L-NMMA + TNF-alpha group after TNF-alpha administration. We conclude that NO is not the mediator responsible for the acute pulmonary vascular effects of TNF-alpha.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Saskatchewan, Saskatoon, Canada.
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Johnson
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Hurst
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Wilson
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Murphy
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Saxema
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: To
authors.forename: I
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Mayers
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D001772:Blood Cell Count; D001784:Blood Gas Analysis; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000502:physiology; D004285:Dogs; D011464:Epoprostenol / Q000494:pharmacology; D005374:Filtration; D006098:Granulocytes / Q000502:physiology; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000502:physiology; D010477:Perfusion; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation / Q000187:drug effects*; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D012121:Respiration, Artificial; D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000502:physiology; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*; D019323:omega-N-Methylarginine
chemical_list: D014409:Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; D019323:omega-N-Methylarginine; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine; D011464:Epoprostenol