title: Endothelium-dependent relaxation in pulmonary arteries of L-NAME-treated Wistar and stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats.
abstract: To evaluate whether the elevated blood pressure induced by chronic treatment with N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) contributes to an impairment of endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR), the effects of chronic treatment of Wistar rats with L-NAME on systolic blood pressure, pulmonary arterial blood pressure and EDR of the pulmonary arteries were studied and compared with those of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). While the systolic blood pressure (SBP) of Wistar rats was increased above that of controls by chronic treatment with L-NAME, it was still significantly lower than that of SHRSP. Chronic treatment with L-NAME did not affect pulmonary arterial blood pressure. On the other hand, the pulmonary arterial blood pressure of SHRSP was slightly but significantly higher than that of the control normotensive Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). EDR in response to acetylcholine in the pulmonary artery of L-NAME-treated rats was significantly smaller than that in control Wistar rats. The EDR markedly increased in the presence of L-arginine and completely disappeared in the presence of N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine. Indomethacin hardly affected EDR. In preparations from SHRSP, the EDR was not different from that in those from WKY. Relaxation induced by sodium nitroprusside was identical in all preparations. Elevation of SBP and the impairment of EDR observed in L-NAME-treated rats recovered two weeks following cessation of treatment. These results suggest that the impaired EDR in the pulmonary artery of L-NAME-treated rats is not due to an L-NAME-induced increase in blood pressure but due to the inhibition of nitric oxide synthase by the drug remaining in the endothelium.
authors.affiliation: Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Faculty of Pharmaceutical Sciences, Kinki University, 3-4-1 Kowakae, Higashi-Osaka, Osaka, 577-8502, Japan. fumiko@phar.kindai.ac.jp
authors.forename: Fumiko
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Sekiguchi
authors.forename: Kazuo
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Yamamoto
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Matsuda
authors.forename: Kyoko
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Kawata
authors.forename: Maki
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Negishi
authors.forename: Kazuaki
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shinomiya
authors.forename: Keiichi
authors.initials: K
authors.lastname: Shimamur
authors.forename: Satoru
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Sunano
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D001794:Blood Pressure; D001835:Body Weight; D002317:Cardiovascular Agents / Q000494:pharmacology; D004730:Endothelium, Vascular / Q000503:physiopathology*; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020022:Genetic Predisposition to Disease; D006973:Hypertension / Q000473:pathology / Q000503:physiopathology*; D007213:Indomethacin / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology*; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000494:pharmacology; D019335:Nitroarginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D009599:Nitroprusside / Q000494:pharmacology; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D011918:Rats, Inbred SHR / Q000235:genetics; D011921:Rats, Inbred WKY; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D020521:Stroke / Q000235:genetics; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D002317:Cardiovascular Agents; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; D009599:Nitroprusside; D019335:Nitroarginine; D001120:Arginine; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; D007213:Indomethacin