Endothelial NOS is main mediator for shear stress-dependent angiogenesis in skeletal muscle after prazosin administration.
The increase of wall shear stress in capillaries by oral administration of the alpha1-adrenergic receptor antagonist prazosin induces angiogenesis in skeletal muscles. Because endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is upregulated in response to elevated wall shear stress, we investigated the relevance of eNOS for prazosin-induced angiogenesis in skeletal muscles. Prazosin and/or the NOS inhibitor Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) were given to C57BL/6 wild-type mice and eNOS-knockout mice for 14 days. The capillary-to-fiber (C/F) ratio and capillary density (CD; no. of capillaries/mm2) were determined in frozen sections from extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of these mice. Immunoblotting was performed to quantify eNOS expression in endothelial cells isolated from skeletal muscles, whereas VEGF (after precipitation with heparin-agarose) and neuronal NOS (nNOS) concentrations were determined in EDL solubilizates. In EDL muscles of C57BL/6 mice treated for 14 days, the C/F ratio was 28% higher after prazosin administration and 11% higher after prazosin and L-NAME feeding, whereas the CD increased by 21 and 13%, respectively. The C/F ratio was highest after day 4 of prazosin treatment and decreased gradually to almost constant values after day 8. Prazosin administration led to elevation of eNOS expression. VEGF levels were lowest at day 4, whereas nNOS values decreased after day 8. In EDL muscles of eNOS-knockout mice, no significant changes in C/F ratio, CD, or VEGF and nNOS expression were observed in response to prazosin administration. Our data suggest that the presence of eNOS is essential for prazosin-induced angiogenesis in skeletal muscle, albeit other signaling molecules might partially compensate for or contribute to this angiogenic activity. Furthermore, subsequent remodeling of the capillary system accompanied by sequential downregulation of VEGF and nNOS in skeletal muscle fibers characterizes shear stress-dependent angiogenesis.
Baum
Oliver
O
Department of Anatomy and Physiology, Universitätsklinikum Benjamin Franklin, Freie Universität Berlin, Königin-Luise-Str. 15, D-14195 Berlin-Dahlem, Germany. olibaum@zedat.fu-berlin.de
Da Silva-Azevedo
Luis
L
Willerding
Gregor
G
Wöckel
Achim
A
Planitzer
Gerit
G
Gossrau
Reinhart
R
Pries
Axel R
AR
Zakrzewicz
Andreas
A
D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists / Q000494:pharmacology*; D000818:Animals; D015536:Down-Regulation; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018345:Mice, Knockout; D018485:Muscle Fibers, Skeletal / Q000378:metabolism; D018482:Muscle, Skeletal / Q000098:blood supply* / Q000378:metabolism; D018919:Neovascularization, Physiologic / Q000502:physiology*; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; D011224:Prazosin / Q000494:pharmacology*; D013314:Stress, Mechanical; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A / Q000378:metabolism
D000317:Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists; D042461:Vascular Endothelial Growth Factor A; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; D052250:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type III; C496321:Nos1 protein, mouse; C496315:Nos3 protein, mouse; D011224:Prazosin