title: Effect of sildenafil on cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity, vascular tone and calcium signaling in rat pulmonary artery.
abstract: (1) Sildenafil (viagra) is a potent PDE5 inhibitor and thus a relaxant drug in corpus carvernosum smooth muscle. In the present work, we evidenced the presence of PDE5 isozyme and investigated the effect of sildenafil on the specific cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase (PDE) activity, smooth muscle tone and calcium signaling in the rat main pulmonary artery (MPA). (2) The PDE activity was measured in cytosolic and microsomal fractions. Total cAMP and cGMP-PDE activities were mainly present in the cytosolic fraction. Sildenafil (0.1 micro M) reduced by 72% cGMP-PDE activity, whereas zaprinast (10 micro M), a relatively selective PDE5 inhibitor, reduced this activity by 63%. Sildenafil (0.1 micro M) also inhibited significantly (22%) the cAMP-PDE activity. (3) Western blot analysis revealed the expression of PDE5 mainly in the cytosolic fraction of MPA. Sildenafil concentration-dependently inhibited (IC(50)=3.4 nM) the activity of MPA PDE5 partially purified by HPLC. (4) Sildenafil (0.1 nM-50 micro M) concentration-dependently relaxed MPA rings precontracted with phenylephrine (0.5 micro M). The potency of sildenafil (IC(50)=11 nM) was similar to that of a nitric oxide donor, sodium nitroprusside, but higher than that of zaprinast (IC(50)=600 nM). The vasorelaxant effect of sildenafil was not altered by endothelium removal or in the presence of KT 5823 (1 micro M) and H89 (1 micro M), potent inhibitors of PKG and PKA, respectively. (5) In isolated MPA myocytes, which had been loaded with the calcium fluorophore indo-1, sildenafil (10-100 nM) antagonized ATP- and endothelin-1-induced calcium oscillations but had no effect on the transient caffeine-induced [Ca(2+)](i) response. (6) This study demonstrates the presence of a functional and highly sildenafil-sensitive PDE5 isozyme in rat MPA. Inhibition of this isozyme mainly accounts for the potent pulmonary vasodilator action of sildenafil, which involves alteration in the inositol triphosphate-mediated calcium signaling pathway.
authors.affiliation: Laboratoire de Physiologie Cellulaire Respiratoire, INSERM (EMI 356), Université Bordeaux 2, 146 rue Léo Saignat, 33076 Bordeaux, France.
authors.forename: O
authors.initials: O
authors.lastname: Pauvert
authors.forename: C
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Lugnier
authors.forename: T
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Keravis
authors.forename: R
authors.initials: R
authors.lastname: Marthan
authors.forename: E
authors.initials: E
authors.lastname: Rousseau
authors.forename: J P
authors.initials: JP
authors.lastname: Savineau
mesh_terms: D015105:3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D015106:3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism*; D000818:Animals; D020013:Calcium Signaling / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D054706:Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D004789:Enzyme Activation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D008297:Male; D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D010879:Piperazines / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000378:metabolism; D011687:Purines; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D013450:Sulfones; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D010726:Phosphodiesterase Inhibitors; D010879:Piperazines; D011687:Purines; D013450:Sulfones; D000068677:Sildenafil Citrate; D015105:3',5'-Cyclic-AMP Phosphodiesterases; D015106:3',5'-Cyclic-GMP Phosphodiesterases; D054706:Cyclic Nucleotide Phosphodiesterases, Type 5; C517384:Pde5a protein, rat