title: Nitric oxide (NO) in normal and hypoxic vascular regulation of the spiny dogfish, Squalus acanthias.
abstract: Nitric oxide (NO) is a potent vasodilator in terrestrial vertebrates, but whether vascular endothelial-derived NO plays a role in vascular regulation in fish remains controversial. To explore this issue, a study was made of spiny dogfish sharks (Squalus acanthias) in normoxia and acute hypoxia (60 min exposure to seawater equilibrated with 3% oxygen) with various agents known to alter NO metabolism or availability. In normoxia, nitroprusside (a NO donor) reduced blood pressure by 20%, establishing that vascular smooth muscle responds to NO. L-arginine, the substrate for NO synthase, had no hemodynamic effect. Acetylcholine, which stimulates endothelial NO and prostaglandin production in mammals, reduced blood pressure, but also caused marked bradycardia. L-NAME, an inhibitor of all NO synthases, caused a small 10% rise in blood pressure, but cell-free hemoglobin (a potent NO scavenger and hypertensive agent in mammals) had no effect. Acute hypoxia caused a 15% fall in blood pressure, which was blocked by L-NAME and cell-free hemoglobin. Serum nitrite, a marker of NO production, rose with hypoxia, but not with L-NAME. Results suggest that NO is not an endothelial-derived vasodilator in the normoxic elasmobranch. The hypertensive effect of L-NAME may represent inhibition of NO production in the CNS and nerves regulating blood pressure. In acute hypoxia, there is a rapid up-regulation of vascular NO production that appears to be responsible for hypoxic vasodilation.
authors.affiliation: Mt Desert Island Biological Laboratory, Salsbury Cove, Maine 04672, USA.
authors.forename: Kai E
authors.initials: KE
authors.lastname: Swenson
authors.forename: Randy L
authors.initials: RL
authors.lastname: Eveland
authors.forename: Mark T
authors.initials: MT
authors.lastname: Gladwin
authors.forename: Erik R
authors.initials: ER
authors.lastname: Swenson
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D006439:Hemodynamics / Q000502:physiology*; D006454:Hemoglobins / Q000494:pharmacology; D008297:Male; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*; D010100:Oxygen / Q000097:blood / Q000502:physiology*; D048251:Squalus acanthias / Q000378:metabolism / Q000502:physiology*
chemical_list: D006454:Hemoglobins; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D010100:Oxygen; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester