title: EndothelinA receptor blockade improves nitric oxide-mediated vasodilation in monocrotaline-induced pulmonary hypertension.
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Nitric oxide (NO) and endothelin (ET) have been implicated in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension (PH). Chronic ETA antagonist therapy reduces PH in monocrotaline (MCT)-treated rats. Interactions between the L-arginine-NO pathway and the ET system have been described. We therefore studied the effect of long-term treatment with an oral ETA antagonist (LU 135252) on NO-related vasodilation in isolated lungs from control rats and rats with MCT-induced PH.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Three weeks after MCT injection, PH was associated with an increase in right ventricular pressure (from 27.4 +/- 0.9 to 66.6 +/- 4.1 mm Hg) and a decrease in endothelium-independent vasodilation in response to sodium nitroprusside (10(-10) to 10(-5) mol/L; delta Emax, from 11.1 +/- 0.9 to 2.7 +/- 0.3 mm Hg). Endothelium-dependent vasodilation in response to acetylcholine (10(-9) to 10(-4) mol/L) and the calcium ionophore A23187 (10(-9) to 10(-7) mol/L) remained unaffected. Treatment with LU 135252 did not significantly affect the endothelium-dependent and -independent vasodilations in control rats. However, in MCT-treated rats, LU 135252 therapy significantly reduced right ventricular pressure (39.7 +/- 2.1 mm Hg), potentiated acetylcholine-induced vasodilatation (delta Emax, from 1.6 +/- 0.2 to 3.7 +/- 0.4 mm Hg), and improved the responses to sodium nitroprusside (delta Emax, from 2.7 +/- 0.3 to 5.6 +/- 0.6 mm Hg). LU 135252 did not significantly alter the non-receptor-mediated endothelium-dependent vasodilation to A23187 or pulmonary constitutive NO synthase activity.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  MCT PH is associated with a reduced smooth muscle responsiveness to NO but a maintained endothelium-dependent vasodilatory potency. Long-term ETA antagonist therapy not only restores smooth muscle responsiveness to NO but also increases endothelium-dependent dilation in response to acetylcholine. This mechanism may contribute to the therapeutic benefit of ETA antagonists in PH.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, Montreal Heart Institute, Quebec, Canada.
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Prié
authors.forename: D J
authors.initials: DJ
authors.lastname: Stewart
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Dupuis
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000139:chemically induced / Q000503:physiopathology*; D008297:Male; D016686:Monocrotaline / Q000633:toxicity; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D010666:Phenylpropionates / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011743:Pyrimidines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D044022:Receptor, Endothelin A; D017466:Receptors, Endothelin / Q000502:physiology; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects*
chemical_list: D065128:Endothelin Receptor Antagonists; D010666:Phenylpropionates; D011743:Pyrimidines; D044022:Receptor, Endothelin A; D017466:Receptors, Endothelin; D009569:Nitric Oxide; C107831:darusentan; D016686:Monocrotaline; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496316:Nos3 protein, rat