title: [Mechanisms of pethidine-induced vasodilatation].
abstract: To investigate the vasodilating effects of pethidine, particularly in association with intracellular calcium.
  
  
  
  Aorta rings of Sprague-Dawley rats, with or without endothelium, were prepared in organ bath to measure the vascular tone. Pre-contractions by KCl (80 mmol/L) and phenylephrine (PhE) (10(-6)mol/L) were induced.
  
  
  
  Pethidine did not alter the resting tension of aorta rings, but produced dose-dependent relaxation in KCl and PhE pre-treated aorta rings with or without endothelium. Pethidine did not change the caffeine-stimulated contraction, and still had similar inhibition in KCl pre-contracted aorta rings after pretreatment with ruthenium red. Pethidine decreased the contractile responses induced by PhE in Ca(2+)-free solution or by adding calcium into Ca(2+)-free solution.
  
  
  
  Pethidine could produce an endothelium-independent vasodilatation in KCl and PhE pre-contracted aorta rings, which is related to inhibition of Ca(2+)entry and IP3-sensitive Ca(2+) release in vascular smooth muscle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiology, College of Medicine, Zhejiang University  Hangzhou 310031, China.
authors.forename: Xiong
authors.initials: X
authors.lastname: Zhang
authors.forename: Ling-ying
authors.initials: LY
authors.lastname: Chai
authors.forename: Xiao-mei
authors.initials: XM
authors.lastname: Tong
authors.forename: Yuan
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Lu
authors.forename: Qiang
authors.initials: Q
authors.lastname: Xia
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D002110:Caffeine / Q000494:pharmacology; D002118:Calcium / Q000378:metabolism; D008297:Male; D008614:Meperidine / Q000494:pharmacology*; D011189:Potassium Chloride / Q000494:pharmacology; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D014665:Vasodilator Agents / Q000494:pharmacology*
chemical_list: D014665:Vasodilator Agents; D002110:Caffeine; D011189:Potassium Chloride; D008614:Meperidine; D002118:Calcium