Sepsis worsening vascular hyporeactivity of the superior mesenteric artery in portal vein-ligated rats.
BACKGROUND
Vascular hyporeactivity is observed in portal hypertensive animals and septic rats. The objective of this study was to investigate whether impairment of superior mesenteric artery vascular contractility in the portal hypertensive rat was further impaired after sepsis.


METHODS
Sepsis was induced by cecum ligation and puncture (CLP) in male portal hypertensive Sprague-Dawley rats that had been subjected to portal vein ligation (PVL) for 14 days. Hemodynamic studies, isolated vascular ring studies, microbiological studies, and plasma nitrite/nitrate measurements were performed 2, 6, and 18 hours after CLP. An additional group of PVL rats received prophylactic imipenem (10 mg intravenously for 1 hour) before CLP and then were studied 6 hours after CLP.


RESULTS
Mean arterial pressure and heart rate of PVL rats were significantly decreased shortly after CLP. CLP caused further nitric oxide production and vascular hyporesponsiveness 6 and 18 hours after CLP compared with the baseline portal hypertensive group. Vascular hyporeactivity was corrected by N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester + 1400W (1400W is N-(3-(aminomethyl)benzyl)acetamidine hydrochloride, a selective inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitor). Prophylactic imipenem did not alter nitric oxide production or vascular contractility after sepsis induced by CLP.


CONCLUSIONS
Our study showed that vascular contractility in portal hypertensive rats is further impaired soon after CLP-induced sepsis.
Liao
Wei-Chih
WC
National Yang-Ming University School of Medicine, #201 Section 2 Shih-Pai Road, Taipei, Taiwan, R.O.C.
Hou
Ming-Chih
MC
Wang
Guei-Jane
GJ
Yu
Kwok-Woon
KW
Lee
Fa-Yauh
FY
Lin
Han-Chieh
HC
Lee
Shou-Dong
SD
D000818:Animals; D019072:Antibiotic Prophylaxis; D006975:Hypertension, Portal / Q000503:physiopathology*; D066298:In Vitro Techniques; D008026:Ligation; D008297:Male; D017538:Mesenteric Artery, Superior / Q000503:physiopathology*; D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester / Q000494:pharmacology; D011169:Portal Vein; D051381:Rats; D017207:Rats, Sprague-Dawley; D018805:Sepsis / Q000503:physiopathology*; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects*
D019331:NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester