title: Oxygen concentration regulates NO-dependent relaxation of aortic smooth muscles.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) functions as an endothelium-derived relaxation factor and regulates vascular resistance. Recent studies in this laboratory(Arch.Biochem.Biophys.323, 27-32, 1995) revealed that the lifetime of NO significantly increased at physiologically low levels of oxygen concentrations and, hence, this gaseous radical strongly inhibited mitochondrial electron transport for a fairly long duration at low oxygen concentrations. The present work describes the effect of oxygen concentration on NO-induced relaxation and guanylate cyclase (GC) activity of endothelium-denuded aorta of the rat. Both NO and 2,2 '-(hydroxynitrosohydrazono)bis-ethanamine (NOC18), an NO donor, induced the relaxation of endothelium-denuded helical segments of rat aorta which were contracted by norepinephrine. NO-dependent relaxation of arterial specimens was enhanced by lowering oxygen concentration in the medium with concomitant increase in their cGMP levels. Anoxia induced the relaxation of the aorta by some NO-enhanceable and methylene blue-insensitive mechanism. These results suggested that local concentrations of oxygen might play important roles in the regulation of NO-dependent GC activity and vascular tonus of resistance arteries.
authors.affiliation: Institute of Medical Science, Kurashiki Medical Center, Japan.
authors.forename: Y
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Takehara
authors.forename: H
authors.initials: H
authors.lastname: Nakahara
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Okada
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamaoka
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Hamazaki
authors.forename: A
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Yamazato
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Inoue
authors.forename: K
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Utsumi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000378:metabolism; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000378:metabolism; D000860:Hypoxia; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000187:drug effects*; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000008:administration & dosage / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000494:pharmacology; D009603:Nitroso Compounds / Q000494:pharmacology; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D010100:Oxygen / Q000008:administration & dosage*; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar
chemical_list: C093285:NOC 18; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D009603:Nitroso Compounds; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase; D006152:Cyclic GMP; D010100:Oxygen; D009638:Norepinephrine