title: Vasorelaxation by L-arginine after L-NAME administration in rabbits consuming moderate amounts of red wine.
abstract: Red wine and its constituents have been shown to stimulate endothelium-dependent and nitric oxide (NO)-mediated vasorelaxation in vitro in the isolated and precontracted aortic rings. The present study investigated if this occurred in vivo in rabbits, which chronically consumed a moderate amount of red wine. N(omega)nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester (L-NAME) and L-arginine was infused into the rabbits that consumed red wine (7 mL/kg/d), ethanol (99.5%, 0.8 mL/kg/d), or water alone for 4 weeks, and the vaso-constrictive/-dilative response was studied in the renal artery. Following treatment with L-NAME (30 mg/kg), the renal blood flow rate decreased and renal vascular resistance increased. Only in the animals consuming red wine did a subsequent administration of L-arginine (300 mg/kg) increase the renal blood flow rate and decrease the renal vascular resistance. The effects were associated with the increase in the renal NO metabolite (nitrite/nitrate, NO2(-)/NO3(-)) production rate. From the present in vivo model, it is suggested that vasorelaxation by L-arginine is through the NO pathway and that the effects observed in the animals consuming the red wine cannot be attributed to alcohol alone.
authors.affiliation: Department of Medicine, University of Kitasato Medical School, 1-15-1 Kitasato, Sagamihara 228-8555, Japan. wakabayashi-y@kitasato.or.jp
authors.forename: Yasuhisa
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Wakabayashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001783:Blood Flow Velocity / Q000187:drug effects; D000431:Ethanol / Q000494:pharmacology; D007668:Kidney / Q000098:blood supply / Q000187:drug effects*; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology*; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000096:biosynthesis / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits; D014655:Vascular Resistance / Q000187:drug effects; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014867:Water / Q000494:pharmacology; D014920:Wine / Q000032:analysis*
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D014867:Water; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D000431:Ethanol; D001120:Arginine; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester