title: Blockade of nitric oxide synthesis in rats strongly attenuates the CBF response to extracellular acidosis.
abstract: We tested the hypothesis that the CBF response to extracellular acidosis is mediated by nitric oxide (NO). A closed cranial window, superfused with artificial CSF (aCSF), was implanted over the parietal cortex in anesthetized and ventilated Wistar rats. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) was measured continuously with laser-Doppler flowmetry (LDF). The reaction of rCBF to hypercapnia (PaCO2 from 30.5 +/- 1.8 to 61.3 +/- 5.8 mm Hg by adding CO2 to the inspiratory gas) was 2.9 +/- 1.4%/mm Hg, and the reaction of rCBF to H+ (superfusion of acidic aCSF, pH 7.07 +/- 0.05) was 101.7 +/- 24.7%/pH unit. The regional NO synthase (NOS) activity was blocked by superfusing aCSF containing 10(-3) M N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NA, n = 10). After 30 min of L-NA superfusion, rCBF was reduced to 80.1 +/- 6.5% of baseline, and the rCBF responses to hypercapnia (PaCO2 from 30.9 +/- 2.9 to 58.8 +/- 7.7 mm Hg) and extracellular acidosis (aCSF pH 7.08 +/- 0.06) were reduced to 0.8 +/- 1.1%/mm Hg and 10.1 +/- 23.0%/pH unit, respectively (both p < 0.001). This effect was stereospecific since aCSF containing 10(-3) M N omega-nitro-D-arginine affected neither baseline rCBF nor the response to H+ (n = 5). The NOS blockade did not affect the vasodilatation by the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (n = 5, 114.3 +/- 25.1% before vs. 130.2 +/- 24.7% after NOS blockade). The results confirm the involvement of NO in the CBF reaction to hypercapnia and demonstrate for the first time that NOS blockade also strongly attenuates the H+ response of the cerebral vasculature.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
authors: Department of Neurology, University of Munich, Germany.
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Niwa
authors: U
authors: U
authors: Lindauer
authors: A
authors: A
authors: Villringer
authors: U
authors: U
authors: Dirnagl
mesh_terms: D000138:Acidosis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D002560:Cerebrovascular Circulation; D005110:Extracellular Space / Q000378:metabolism*; D006863:Hydrogen-Ion Concentration; D006935:Hypercapnia / Q000503:physiopathology; D008297:Male; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors*; D019335:Nitroarginine; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: D019335:Nitroarginine; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine