title: A comparison of the inhibitory effects of sodium nitroprusside, pinacidil and nifedipine on pressor response to NG-nitro-L-arginine.
abstract: 1. The inhibitory effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP), a nitric oxide (NO) donor, on mean arterial pressure (MAP) responses to NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) (NO synthase inhibitor), angiotensin II (AII) and noradrenaline (NA) were compared with those of pinacidil (KATP channel opener) and nifedipine (L-type calcium antagonist) in conscious, unrestrained rats. 2. Intravenous bolus injections of L-NNA (1-64 mg kg-1), AII (0.02-1.28 micrograms kg-1) and NA (0.25-16 micrograms kg-1) dose-dependently increased MAP to similar maxima. Intravenous infusions of SNP (1, 4 and 16 micrograms kg-1 min-1) dose-dependently increased ED20S of L-NNA, AII and NA. However, the maximum response evoked by L-NNA, but not by AII nor NA, was dose-dependently reduced by SNP. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of SNP on the pressor response to L-NNA ceased when the infusion of SNP was terminated. 3. Pinacidil (80 micrograms kg-1 min-1 for 30 min followed by 5 micrograms kg-1 min-1) increased ED50S of L-NNA, AII and NA but did not decrease the maximum responses to any of these agents. 4. Nifedipine (1 mg kg-1 min-1) non-selectively reduced maximum responses to L-NNA, AII and NA to similar levels and increased ED50S of AII and NA but not L-NNA. 5. The results show that SNP causes a selective, non-competitive and reversible inhibition of the pressor response to L-NNA. This inhibition by SNP is unlikely to be related to hypotension, the opening of ATP-sensitive potassium channels or blockade of L-type calcium channels.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology & Therapeutics, Faculty of Medicine, University of British Columbia, Vancouver, Canada.
authors.forename: Y X
authors.initials: YX
authors.lastname: Wang
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Zhou
authors.forename: C C
authors.initials: CC
authors.lastname: Pang
mesh_terms: D000804:Angiotensin II / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D000818:Animals; D000959:Antihypertensive Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D006146:Guanidines / Q000494:pharmacology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D009543:Nifedipine / Q000494:pharmacology; D019335:Nitroarginine; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D020110:Pinacidil; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley
chemical_list: D000959:Antihypertensive Agents; D006146:Guanidines; D000804:Angiotensin II; D009599:Nitroprusside; D019335:Nitroarginine; D020110:Pinacidil; D001120:Arginine; D009543:Nifedipine; D009638:Norepinephrine