title: Fatty acids enhance neurovascular reflex responses by effects on alpha 1-adrenoceptors.
abstract: Abnormalities in plasma nonesterified fatty acids (NEFAs) may contribute to increased vascular alpha-adrenergic tone in obese hypertensive patients, because raising NEFAs locally enhances vascular reactivity to exogenously infused phenylephrine. However, responses to exogenous phenylephrine, a relatively selective alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonist, may not reflect the physiologically more important response to endogenous norepinephrine, a nonselective alpha-adrenoceptor agonist. To study the effects of NEFAs on vascular responses to endogenously released norepinephrine, dorsal hand venoconstrictor responses to thigh cuff inflation were quantified in nine healthy volunteers during coinfusion of Intralipid with heparin to raise fatty acids locally. Intralipid-heparin, which approximately doubled local linoleic and oleic acid concentrations (P < 0.05), increased the magnitude and duration of the venoconstrictor response to thigh cuff inflation (P < 0.005) and also enhanced venoconstrictor responses to locally infused phenylephrine but not clonidine, a relatively selective partial alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist. The results of this study indicate that NEFAs enhance reflex vasoconstrictor responses largely through local effects on the vascular alpha 1-adrenoceptor and raise the possibility that fatty acids contribute to increased neurovascular tone in obese hypertensive patients.
authors.affiliation: Department of Pharmacology, Medical University of South Carolina, Charleston 29425, USA.
authors.forename: K T
authors.initials: KT
authors.lastname: Stepniakowski
authors.forename: F R
authors.initials: FR
authors.lastname: Sallee
authors.forename: T L
authors.initials: TL
authors.lastname: Goodfriend
authors.forename: Z
authors.initials: Z
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: B M
authors.initials: BM
authors.lastname: Egan
mesh_terms: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000328:Adult; D001808:Blood Vessels / Q000294:innervation*; D003250:Constriction; D005217:Fat Emulsions, Intravenous / Q000494:pharmacology; D005227:Fatty Acids / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005260:Female; D006493:Heparin / Q000494:pharmacology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha / Q000187:drug effects*; D012018:Reflex / Q000187:drug effects*; D013848:Thigh; D014661:Vasoconstriction; D014680:Veins / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D005217:Fat Emulsions, Intravenous; D005227:Fatty Acids; D011942:Receptors, Adrenergic, alpha; D006493:Heparin