title: Evidence for the differential sensitivity to hypoxia of basal and agonist-induced nitric oxide release.
abstract: Rat pulmonary arterial rings (phenylephrine pre-contracted), were relaxed by carbachol or thapsigargin, or were contracted by Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Mild hypoxia (41 mm Hg) attenuated the carbachol-induced relaxation, whereas the relaxant and contractile effects produced by thapsigargin and L-NAME were unaffected. More severe hypoxia (20 mm Hg) abolished thapsigargin-induced relaxation, with no further change in responses to carbachol or L-NAME. At 7 mm Hg, carbachol-induced relaxation was completely inhibited, and the L-NAME-induced contraction was attenuated but not abolished. The present data is consistent with the conclusion that nitric oxide (NO) synthase activity is less susceptible to oxygen deprivation under basal conditions than during activation.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology and Pharmacology, University of Strathclyde, Glasgow, Scotland, UK.
authors.forename: Y P
authors.initials: YP
authors.lastname: Jarajapu
authors.forename: R M
authors.initials: RM
authors.lastname: Wadsworth
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002217:Carbachol / Q000494:pharmacology; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000378:metabolism*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000187:drug effects*; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects*; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000502:physiology; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000187:drug effects / Q000378:metabolism; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D019284:Thapsigargin / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D010656:Phenylephrine; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D019284:Thapsigargin; D002217:Carbachol; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester