title: Capsaicin-like effects of N-arachidonoyl-dopamine in the isolated guinea pig bronchi and urinary bladder.
abstract: A capsaicin-like endogenous ligand of vanilloid (VR1) receptors, N-arachidonoyl-dopamine, was recently identified in bovine and rat nervous tissue, and found to be almost as potent as capsaicin, and 5-10-fold more potent than anandamide, on these receptors, both in isolated cells and in vivo. Here we have investigated if N-arachidonoyl-dopamine also exerts other capsaicin-like effects at VR1 receptors in some isolated organ preparations. N-arachidonoyl-dopamine exerted a potent contractile response of guinea pig isolated bronchi (EC50=12.6 +/- 1.7 microM, Emax=69.2 +/- 2.4% of carbachol Emax), which was blocked by pre-treatment with capsaicin or with the VR1 antagonist capsazepine, as well as by a combination of tachykinin NK1 and NK2 receptor antagonists. In this assay, N-arachidonoyl-dopamine was less and more potent and/or efficacious than capsaicin (EC50=40.0 nM; Emax=93.5%) and anandamide (EC50=15.2 microM, Emax=38.0%), respectively. Unlike capsaicin and anandamide, forskolin or ethanol did not enhance N-arachidonoyl-dopamine effect in this preparation, whereas epithelial denudation resulted in a 2.5-fold increase in potency without affecting the efficacy. N-arachidonoyl-dopamine also contracted the isolated guinea pig urinary bladder, although in this preparation, as well as in the isolated rat urinary bladder, the potency (EC50=3.7 +/- 0.3 and 19.9 +/- 0.1 microM) and/or efficacy (Emax=12.0 +/- 0.1% and 20.7 +/- 0.7% of carbachol Emax) of the compound were significantly lower than those of both capsaicin and anandamide. These data suggest that the extent to which exogenous N-arachidonoyl-dopamine activates VR1 receptor in isolated organs is largely dependent on pharmacodynamics and bioavailability.
authors.affiliation: Dipartimento di Medicina Sperimentale e Clinica, Università di Ferrara, Via Fossato di Mortara 19, Ferrara, Italy.
authors.forename: Selena
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Harrison
authors.forename: Luciano
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: De Petrocellis
authors.forename: Marcello
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Trevisani
authors.forename: Francesca
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Benvenuti
authors.forename: Maurizio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Bifulco
authors.forename: Pierangelo
authors.initials: P
authors.lastname: Geppetti
authors.forename: Vincenzo
authors.initials: V
authors.lastname: Di Marzo
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D016718:Arachidonic Acid / Q000494:pharmacology*; D001980:Bronchi / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology; D002211:Capsaicin / Q000031:analogs & derivatives* / Q000494:pharmacology; D004298:Dopamine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D004305:Dose-Response Relationship, Drug; D006168:Guinea Pigs; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D001743:Urinary Bladder / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000502:physiology
chemical_list: D016718:Arachidonic Acid; D002211:Capsaicin; D004298:Dopamine