title: Relative importance of calcium-activated potassium channels in nipradilol-induced aortic relaxation in rats.
abstract: Nipradilol (CAS 81486-22-8), a vasodilatory beta-blocker, has been shown to dilate smaller vessels than nitroglycerin does, and the vasodilative effects of nipradilol have been reported to be less mediated by cyclic GMP (guanosine monophosphate) than those of nitroglycerin. To test the hypothesis that cyclic GMP-independent potassium channels have a larger role in nipradilol-induced aortic relaxation than cyclic GMP-dependent mechanisms, the effects of a potassium channel blocker, tetraethylammonium (TEA, CAS 56-34-8), and of a guanylate cyclase inhibitor, methylene blue (MB, CAS 61-73-4), on nipradilol-induced aortic relaxation were investigated and compared with those on nitroglycerin-induced aortic relaxation in isolated rat aortic rings. Relaxation response was expressed as percent relaxation, which is a percentage of the tension developed by 10(-7) mol/l norepinephrine. Nitroglycerin and nipradilol similarly relaxed the aortic ring in a concentration-dependent manner (10(-9)-10(-4) mol/l). In contrast, desnitronipradilol, a nipradilol analogue which has no nitroxy group, induced almost no aortic relaxation. TEA at 10(-3) mol/l, which is selective for calcium-activated potassium channels, inhibited the aortic relaxation induced by nipradilol (10(-5) mol/l) to a significantly greater extent than that induced by nitroglycerin (10(-5) mol/l) (% relaxation: 30.0 +/- 6.8 vs. 51.1 +/- 6.1%, p < 0.05). MB (10(-5) mol/l) suppressed the relaxation by nitroglycerin slightly but not significantly more than that by nipradilol. (% relaxation: 54.7 +/- 9.9 vs. 64.6 +/- 5.7%). The combination of TEA and MB almost completely eliminated the relaxation induced by nipradilol as well as by nitroglycerin. Thus, cyclic GMP-independent calcium activated potassium channels may be more involved in the aortic relaxation by nipradilol than that by nitroglycerin in rats.
authors: Nagoya University School of Medicine, Nagoya, Japan.
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Uchida
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Toki
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Fukami
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Kamiya
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Matsui
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Okumura
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Ito
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Hayakawa
mesh_terms: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D001013:Aorta, Thoracic / Q000187:drug effects; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D051660:Intermediate-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; D008297:Male; D009126:Muscle Relaxation / Q000187:drug effects; D009131:Muscle, Smooth, Vascular / Q000187:drug effects*; D005996:Nitroglycerin / Q000494:pharmacology; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D015221:Potassium Channels / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D024681:Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; D011412:Propanolamines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D051381:Rats; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D019789:Tetraethylammonium / Q000494:pharmacology; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D000319:Adrenergic beta-Antagonists; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D051660:Intermediate-Conductance Calcium-Activated Potassium Channels; D026902:Potassium Channel Blockers; D015221:Potassium Channels; D024681:Potassium Channels, Calcium-Activated; D011412:Propanolamines; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D019789:Tetraethylammonium; D006162:Guanylate Cyclase; C036089:nipradilol; D005996:Nitroglycerin