title: Failure of L-nitroarginine to inhibit the activity of aortic inducible nitric oxide synthase.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is produced by a family of three isoenzymes: the endothelial, inducible and neuronal NO synthases. L-Nitroarginine methyl ester (L-NAME) is the most commonly used inhibitor of NO synthase activity. The goal of the present study was to evaluate to what extent L-nitroarginine (L-NA), the in vivo circulating metabolite of L-NAME, blocks NO production in the rat aorta depending on the NO synthase isoform expressed (and evidenced by Western blotting) and on the presence or absence of the extracellular NO synthase substrate L-arginine (100 microM, i.e. the plasma concentration). Intact [endothelium present (E+)] control aortic rings express mainly endothelial NO synthase. L-NA (30--100 microM) induced a dose-dependent contraction (due to blockade of the relaxant properties of NO) irrespective of the presence or absence of L-arginine. In deendothelialized (E-) control aortic rings, the three isoforms of NO synthase are virtually absent (as demonstrated by Western blotting) and L-NA does not elicit any contractile effect. E- aortic rings from lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated rats express mainly inducible NO synthase. In these rings, L-NA induced a dose-dependent (0--100 microM) contraction in the absence of extracellular L-arginine, whereas L-arginine (100 microM) completely abrogated the contractile effect of the NO synthase inhibitor. Chronic L-NAME administration (50 mg/kg/day for 4 weeks) elicited the aortic expression of inducible NO synthase, but to a lesser extent (about 5-fold) than in LPS-treated rat aorta. The average plasma concentration of L-NA was 50 +/- 10 microM in these rats. In E- rings from these L-NAME-treated rats, L-NA induced a similar contractile response (but smaller in magnitude) to that observed in LPS-treated rat aorta. Altogether, these data suggest that (1) in the presence of a physiological concentration of extracellular L-arginine, L-NA fails to inhibit inducible NO synthase, and (2) chronic L-NAME administration, at a dose commonly given to block NO production in vivo, leaves the activity of inducible NO synthase unaffected.
authors.affiliation: INSERM U397, CHU Rangueil, Toulouse, France.
authors.forename: B
authors.initials: B
authors.lastname: Darblade
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Batkai
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Caussé
authors.forename: P
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Gourdy
authors.forename: M J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Fouque
authors.forename: J
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Rami
authors.forename: J F
authors.initials: JF
authors.lastname: Arnal
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001011:Aorta / Q000201:enzymology*; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000187:drug effects / Q000201:enzymology; D001120:Arginine / Q000097:blood / Q000494:pharmacology; D046508:Culture Techniques; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D019075:Electrophoresis, Capillary; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors* / Q000378:metabolism; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D019335:Nitroarginine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D010656:Phenylephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D014662:Vasoconstrictor Agents; D010656:Phenylephrine; D019335:Nitroarginine; D001120:Arginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496322:Nos1 protein, rat; C496318:Nos2 protein, rat; C496316:Nos3 protein, rat; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester