title: The in vivo effects of human urotensin II in the rabbit and rat pulmonary circulation: effects of experimental pulmonary hypertension.
abstract: In vivo haemodynamic responses to human urotensin-II were determined in two models of pulmonary hypertension: rabbits with left ventricular dysfunction following coronary artery ligation and the hypoxic rat. Effects were also examined in the presence of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Human urotensin-II increased pulmonary arterial pressure to a greater extent in ligated rabbits than their controls and L-NAME increased pulmonary pressure without significantly affecting these responses to human urotensin-II. Human urotensin-II raised right ventricular pressure slightly in control rats but not in hypoxic rats. Human urotensin-II did not constrict control rat isolated small pulmonary arteries and only induced a small constriction of these vessels in hypoxic rats. In conclusion, exogenous human urotensin-II exerts pulmonary pressor responses in vivo in rabbits and also induced small pulmonary pressor responses in control rats. Pulmonary pressor responses to urotensin-II were increased by pulmonary hypertension in rabbits but not in rats.
authors.affiliation: Division of Cardiovascular and Medical Science, Medical Cardiology, University of Glasgow, Glasgow Royal Infirmary, Glasgow G31 2ER, UK.
authors.forename: Graeme A
authors.initials: GA
authors.lastname: Deuchar
authors.forename: Ian
authors.initials: I
authors.lastname: Morecroft
authors.forename: Yvonne
authors.initials: Y
authors.lastname: Dempsie
authors.forename: Nigel
authors.initials: N
authors.lastname: Herold
authors.forename: Margaret
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Nilsen
authors.forename: Martin N
authors.initials: MN
authors.lastname: Hicks
authors.forename: Margaret R
authors.initials: MR
authors.lastname: MacLean
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000187:drug effects; D004195:Disease Models, Animal; D004452:Echocardiography; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000187:drug effects; D006352:Heart Ventricles / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D006976:Hypertension, Pulmonary / Q000503:physiopathology*; D000860:Hypoxia / Q000503:physiopathology; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008297:Male; D009203:Myocardial Infarction / Q000503:physiopathology; D011651:Pulmonary Artery / Q000187:drug effects* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011652:Pulmonary Circulation / Q000187:drug effects; D011817:Rabbits; D051381:Rats; D017208:Rats, Wistar; D014579:Urotensins / Q000494:pharmacology*; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects
chemical_list: D014579:Urotensins; C029677:urotensin II