title: Alterations of the nitric oxide pathway in cerebral arteries from spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: Hypertension-associated alterations of the nitric oxide (NO) pathway were analyzed in middle cerebral arteries (MCA) from normotensive (WKY) and hypertensive (SHR) rats. The vasoconstrictor response to prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF(2 alpha), 30 and 100 microM) was smaller in MCA from SHR than from WKY. Endothelium-dependent relaxations to bradykinin (1 nM-10 microM) or acetylcholine (10 microM) were similar in MCA from both strains, whereas the endothelium-independent response to sodium nitroprusside (1 nM-0.1 mM) was smaller in MCA from SHR. L-arginine (L-Arg, 10 microM) similarly inhibited the vasoconstrictor responses in both strains; however, the inhibitory effect of 100 microM of L-Arg was greater in MCA from SHR. N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 microM), but not aminoguanidine (100 microM) or 7-nitroindazole (10 microM), increased basal tone, potentiated the PGF(2 alpha)-induced vasoconstrictor responses and reduced the bradykinin-elicited relaxation in a similar way in MCA from WKY and SHR. N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester also antagonized the inhibitory effect of 10 microM of L-Arg. Incubation for 5 h with lipopolysaccharide (10 microg/ml) similarly reduced the response to PGF(2 alpha) in MCA from WKY and SHR; this reduction was antagonized by dexamethasone (1 microM). Cerebral arteries expressed endothelial (eNOS) and neuronal (nNOS) NO synthase similarly in both strains, but inducible NOS (iNOS) expression was more evident in SHR. Lipopolysaccharide increased iNOS expression in both strains to a similar level. The basal constitutive NOS (cNOS) and iNOS activities were similar in arteries from WKY and SHR. Lipopolysaccharide increased iNOS activity only in arteries from SHR. These results indicate that hypertension did not impair endothelial NO production by NOS activation but induced an up-regulation of basal iNOS expression.
authors.affiliation: Departamento de Farmacología y Terapéutica, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad Autónoma de Madrid, C/ Arzobispo Morcillo 4, Madrid, Spain.
authors.forename: Ana M
authors.initials: AM
authors.lastname: Briones
authors.forename: María J
authors.initials: MJ
authors.lastname: Alonso
authors.forename: Raquel
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Hernanz
authors.forename: Marta
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Miguel
authors.forename: Mercedes
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Salaices
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D015153:Blotting, Western; D002855:Chromatography, Thin Layer; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D006973:Hypertension / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism* / Q000503:physiopathology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D020768:Middle Cerebral Artery / Q000201:enzymology / Q000378:metabolism*; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D015854:Up-Regulation; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D008070:Lipopolysaccharides; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496318:Nos2 protein, rat; C496316:Nos3 protein, rat; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester