title: Nitric oxide regulation of lingual blood flow in the rat.
abstract: The purpose of this study was to determine the role of nitric oxide in the maintenance of basal lingual blood flow in the anesthetized rat. By using laser-Doppler flowmetry, blood flow was measured from the tongue before and after treatment with the nonselective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, L-NAME (0.2, 2.0, and 20 mg/kg), or the selective neuronal nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole (40 mg/kg). Other groups of rats were treated with saline, D-NAME (2.0 mg/kg), L-arginine (200 mg/kg), L-arginine + L-NAME (200 + 2.0 mg/kg), or the 7-nitroindazole vehicle. L-NAME produced a dose-related depression in blood flow in the tongue (concurrent with increased arterial blood pressure), which was attenuated by prior administration of L-arginine. Lingual blood flow depression was not seen after administration of the inactive stereoisomer, D-NAME. In addition, the neuronally specific nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole, failed to produce a significant depression of lingual blood flow. These results suggest that the tonic release of nitric oxide from the vascular endothelium plays an important role in maintaining basal blood flow in the tongue and that neuronally released nitric oxide is not involved in maintaining basal circulation in this vascular bed.
authors.affiliation: Department of Cell Biology, University of Oklahoma College of Medicine, Oklahoma City, Oklahoma 73190, USA.
authors.forename: Z V
authors.initials: ZV
authors.lastname: Roberts
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Koss
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects*; D007191:Indazoles / Q000494:pharmacology*; D007700:Kinetics; D017078:Laser-Doppler Flowmetry; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000502:physiology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D013237:Stereoisomerism; D014059:Tongue / Q000098:blood supply*
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D007191:Indazoles; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; C080122:7-nitroindazole; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester