title: Nitric oxide pathway activation and impaired red blood cell deformability with hypercholesterolemia.
abstract: The pathophysiological effects of the activation or inhibition of the nitric oxide (NO)-mediated pathway on the deformability of red blood cells (RBC) were evaluated in the presence of hypercholesterolemia induced in rabbits fed a cholesterol-rich diet. RBC deformability was assessed using a microchannel array flow analyzer system. The maximum passage time (MPT) by flowing a suspension of RBC through the microchannels was used as an index of RBC deformability. During cholesterol feeding for 12 weeks, MPT gradually increased with no significant elevation in the serum asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and arginine/ADMA ratio. The reduction in RBC deformability associated with hypercholesterolemia was significantly improved during incubation with each of three different NO pathway activators: a NO donor, 8-bromo-cyclic GMP, and arginine; however, no additional reduction was observed with ADMA administration. The inhibition of NO synthase due to ADMA caused a significant reduction in the deformability of normal RBC, which was reversed with NO pathway activation. These results suggest that impaired RBC deformability may be associated with a dysfunction in the NO pathway that is partially dependent upon the accumulation of ADMA in RBC, and exogenous NO pathway activators may improve the microcirculation by restoring RBC deformability in the presence of hypercholesterolemia.
authors.affiliation: Department of General Medicine, School of Medicine, Kyorin University, Tokyo, Japan.
authors.forename: Taro
authors.initials: T
authors.lastname: Kuwai
authors.forename: Junichi
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Hayashi
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D001120:Arginine / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D001774:Blood Chemical Analysis; D006152:Cyclic GMP / Q000031:analogs & derivatives / Q000494:pharmacology; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D004912:Erythrocytes / Q000187:drug effects / Q000473:pathology*; D005260:Female; D006937:Hypercholesterolemia / Q000097:blood / Q000378:metabolism*; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors / Q000494:pharmacology; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D011817:Rabbits
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; D020030:Nitric Oxide Donors; C487735:dimethylarginine; C016276:8-bromocyclic GMP; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D001120:Arginine; D019001:Nitric Oxide Synthase; D006152:Cyclic GMP; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester