Oh, the places you'll go! My many colored serotonin (apologies to Dr. Seuss).
Serotonin [5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)] has a truly fascinating history in the cardiovascular world. Discovered in the blood, 5-HT has long been appropriately regarded as a vasoconstrictor. A multitude of in vitro studies of isolated vessels support that addition of 5-HT causes vascular contraction. In only a few cases was 5-HT a vasodilator. Moreover, the potency and threshold of 5-HT causing contraction is increased in arteries from hypertensive vs. normotensive subjects, both animal and human. As such, we and others have hypothesized that 5-HT would contribute to hypertension by elevating arterial tone. In stark contrast to these decades of findings, we observed that a chronic infusion of 5-HT into conscious rats caused a reduction in blood pressure and nearly normalized blood pressure of experimentally hypertensive rats. Going back to the early work of Irvine Page, one of the scientists who discovered 5-HT, reveals an early recognized but never understood ability of 5-HT to reduce systemic blood pressure. Our laboratory, in collaboration with colleagues around the world, has dedicated itself to understanding the mechanisms of 5-HT-induced reduction in blood pressure. This manuscript takes you through a brief history of the discovery of 5-HT, in vitro serotonergic pharmacology of blood vessels, in vivo work with 5-HT and our studies that suggests the venous vasculature, potentially in combination with small arterioles, may be important to the actions of 5-HT in reducing blood pressure. 5-HT has certainly ended up in a place I never expected it to go.
Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan wattss@msu.edu.
Stephanie W
0000-0002-9653-6357
SW
Watts
D000818:Animals; D001158:Arteries / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D001794:Blood Pressure / Q000187:drug effects; D049673:History, 20th Century; D049674:History, 21st Century; D006801:Humans; D006973:Hypertension / Q000503:physiopathology*; D051381:Rats; D012701:Serotonin / Q000266:history / Q000494:pharmacology / Q000502:physiology*; D014661:Vasoconstriction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D014664:Vasodilation / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*
D012701:Serotonin
5-HT receptors; arteries; blood pressure; serotonin; veins
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