title: Quantitative aspects of the inhibition by N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine of responses to endothelium-dependent vasodilators in human forearm vasculature.
abstract: 1. N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) constricts human forearm resistance vasculature and selectively attenuates vasodilator responses to endothelium-dependent vasodilators. Incomplete inhibition of such responses could be due to an inadequate dose of L-NMMA or to NO-independent vasodilator mechanisms. 2. This study sought to determine doses of L-NMMA that are maximally effective in reducing basal and stimulated forearm blood flow. Drugs were infused via the brachial artery in 32 healthy men. Acetylcholine (11 - 330 nmol min(-1)) was compared with albuterol (0.33 - 10 nmol min(-1)), and nitroprusside (1.7 - 20 nmol min(-1)). 3. The effect of L-NMMA on basal flow approached maximum (53+/-2% reduction) at a dose of 16 micromol min(-1). L-NMMA (16 micromol min(-1)) did not significantly influence responses to nitroprusside, but antagonized acetylcholine and albuterol (each P<0.001, by repeated measures analysis of variance). 4. Inhibition of acetylcholine by L-NMMA (16 micromol min(-1)) was strongly influenced by acetylcholine dose (73+/-7% inhibition at 11 nmol min(-1), P<0.01; 4+/-11% inhibition at 330 nmol min(-1), P=NS, Student's paired t-test). Significant inhibition of albuterol was observed at all doses. 5. A higher dose of L-NMMA (64 micromol min(-1)) did not significantly inhibit the response to acetylcholine (330 nmol min(-1)). Responses to this dose of acetylcholine were unaffected by a cyclo-oxygenase (COX) inhibitor (indometacin) alone but combined COX and NO inhibition attenuated acetylcholine responses by 42+/-19%, implying that there is a compensatory increase in the contribution of prostaglandins or NO to acetylcholine-induced dilatation when one or other pathway is inhibited.
authors.affiliation: Department of Clinical Pharmacology, St Thomas' Hospital and Centre for Cardiovascular Biology and Medicine, King's College, London SE1 7EH.
authors.forename: M
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Dawes
authors.forename: P J
authors.initials: PJ
authors.lastname: Chowienczyk
authors.forename: J M
authors.initials: JM
authors.lastname: Ritter
mesh_terms: D000109:Acetylcholine / Q000494:pharmacology; D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists / Q000494:pharmacology; D000328:Adult; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D001916:Brachial Artery / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000502:physiology*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D005542:Forearm / Q000098:blood supply*; D006801:Humans; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors; D009638:Norepinephrine / Q000494:pharmacology; D012039:Regional Blood Flow / Q000187:drug effects; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects*; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D019323:omega-N-Methylarginine / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D000316:Adrenergic alpha-Agonists; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D019323:omega-N-Methylarginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D000109:Acetylcholine; D009638:Norepinephrine; D007213:Indomethacin