The role of lysolecithin in the relaxation of vascular smooth muscle

1987 ◽  
Vol 7 (10) ◽  
pp. 783-789 ◽  
Author(s):  
Richard J. Bing ◽  
Maythem Saeed

The effect of lysolecithin (lysophosphatidylcholine) on the relaxation of rabbit aortic strip closely resembled that produced by acetylcholine (ACh) which releases the endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF). Relaxation induced by lysolecithin depended on the presence of endothelium and was inhibited by hemoglobin and methylene blue. It appeared to be mediated by the second messenger, c-GMP. Lysolecithin induced relaxation was slower but more persistent than that resulting from the endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) produced by acetylcholine (ACh). Like lysolecithin, Triton X-100, a non-ionic detergent, also preferentially relaxed aortic strips with intact endothelium. The results demonstrate the importance of phospholipids derived from cell membranes in vascular smooth muscle relaxation. Endothelium-derived relaxing factors appear as a group of heterogeneous substances.

1989 ◽  
Vol 67 (1) ◽  
pp. 78-81 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jeremy P. W. Heaton

Normal penile erectile function is dependent on arterial adequacy, appropriate venous occlusion, neurohumoral factors, and finally the relaxation of penile cavernous trabecular smooth muscle. The present experiments were designed to test whether compounds related to endothelium-derived relaxing factor have a role in penile smooth muscle relaxation and whether this role is preserved in clinically impotent tissue. Isometric tension experiments were conducted using strips of human tissue (appropriately obtained) from patients found to be impotent by clinical criteria. Glyceryl trinitrate and isosorbide dinitrate produced maximal relaxations of 66 and 63%, respectively, in tissues contracted with norepinephrine: 50% relaxation was observed at 6 × 10−7 and 8 × 10−5 M, respectively. The finding of a relaxant response to synthetic nitrovasodilators in "impotent" tissue implies that (i) complete end organ (smooth muscle) failure is not always, if ever, seen, (ii) endothelium-derived factors probably play a role in erectile tissue parallel with their role in other vascular tissues, (iii) more proximal factors may be responsible for clinical impotence, and (iv) synthetic nitrovasodilators may have a role in the therapy of clinical impotence.Key words: penis, erection, nitrovasodilators, endothelium-derived relaxing factor, human.


1989 ◽  
Vol 256 (4) ◽  
pp. H968-H973 ◽  
Author(s):  
H. Shimokawa ◽  
P. M. Vanhoutte

Dietary supplementation with cod-liver oil significantly augments endothelium-dependent relaxations in porcine coronary arteries. The present study was designed to examine the effect of dietary administration of omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids (mainly eicosapentaenoic acid, the major component of fish oil) on endothelium-dependent relaxations in porcine coronary arteries. Male Yorkshire pigs were maintained 4 wk on a regular diet with or without supplementation with purified eicosapentaenoic acid (3.5 g/day) and docosahexaenoic acid (1.5 g/day). Endothelium-dependent relaxations were examined in vitro. In rings from the treated group, endothelium-dependent relaxations were augmented in response to bradykinin, serotonin, and ADP, but not to the calcium ionophore A23187. These augmentations were not altered by indomethacin but were significantly inhibited by methylene blue, an inhibitor of guanylate cyclase. In the treated group, endothelium-dependent relaxations to aggregating platelets also were significantly augmented; platelet-induced contractions of quiescent rings were inhibited more by the presence of the endothelium than in arteries from the control group. Bioassay experiments demonstrated that the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor(s) by bradykinin and relaxations of the vascular smooth muscle to the factor(s) were greater in arteries from the treated group. These observations indicate that dietary omega 3 polyunsaturated fatty acids augment receptor-operated endothelium-dependent relaxations, partly due to the augmented release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor(s) and partly due to the augmented relaxation of the vascular smooth muscle to the factor(s).


2018 ◽  
Vol 315 (2) ◽  
pp. H423-H428
Author(s):  
Philip S. Clifford ◽  
Brian S. Ferguson ◽  
Jeffrey L. Jasperse ◽  
Michael A. Hill

It is generally assumed that relaxation of arteriolar vascular smooth muscle occurs through hyperpolarization of the cell membrane, reduction in intracellular Ca2+ concentration, and activation of myosin light chain phosphatase/inactivation of myosin light chain kinase. We hypothesized that vasodilation is related to depolymerization of F-actin. Cremaster muscles were dissected in rats under pentobarbital sodium anesthesia (50 mg/kg). First-order arterioles were dissected, cannulated on glass micropipettes, pressurized, and warmed to 34°C. Internal diameter was monitored with an electronic video caliper. The concentration of G-actin was determined in flash-frozen intact segments of arterioles by ultracentrifugation and Western blot analyses. Arterioles dilated by ~40% of initial diameter in response to pinacidil (1 × 10−6 mM) and sodium nitroprusside (5 × 10−5 mM). The G-actin-to-smooth muscle 22α ratio was 0.67 ± 0.09 in arterioles with myogenic tone and increased significantly to 1.32 ± 0.34 ( P < 0.01) when arterioles were dilated with pinacidil and 1.14 ± 0.18 ( P < 0.01) with sodium nitroprusside, indicating actin depolymerization. Compared with control vessels (49 ± 5%), the percentage of phosphorylated myosin light chain was significantly reduced by pinacidil (24 ± 2%, P < 0.01) but not sodium nitroprusside (42 ± 4%). These findings suggest that actin depolymerization is an important mechanism for vasodilation of resistance arterioles to external agonists. Furthermore, pinacidil produces smooth muscle relaxation via both decreases in myosin light chain phosphorylation and actin depolymerization, whereas sodium nitroprusside produces smooth muscle relaxation primarily via actin depolymerization. NEW & NOTEWORTHY This article adds to the accumulating evidence on the contribution of the actin cytoskeleton to the regulation of vascular smooth muscle tone in resistance arterioles. Actin depolymerization appears to be an important mechanism for vasodilation of resistance arterioles to pharmacological agonists. Dilation to the K+ channel opener pinacidil is produced by decreases in myosin light chain phosphorylation and actin depolymerization, whereas dilation to the nitric oxide donor sodium nitroprusside occurs primarily via actin depolymerization. Listen to this article’s corresponding podcast at https://ajpheart.podbean.com/e/vascular-smooth-muscle-actin-depolymerization/ .


1989 ◽  
Vol 257 (4) ◽  
pp. H1315-H1320
Author(s):  
J. L. Mehta ◽  
D. L. Lawson ◽  
W. W. Nichols ◽  
P. Mehta

To determine the influence of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNLs) on vascular smooth muscle tone, isolated human PMNLs (10(4)–10(7) cells/ml) were suspended in a tissue bath with precontracted rat aortic rings with or without endothelium. PMNLs in low concentrations (10(4) and 10(5) cells/ml) caused a mild contraction, and in higher concentrations (10(6) and 10(7) cells/ml) caused a modest relaxation of aortic rings with intact endothelium. In contrast, PMNLs caused a potent concentration-dependent relaxation of deendothelialized rings (P less than 0.01 compared with rings with intact endothelium). The PMNL-induced vascular smooth muscle relaxation was abolished by both hemoglobin and methylene blue and potentiated by both superoxide dismutase and captopril. Although suspension of PMNLs caused release of eicosanoids, thromboxane A2 and prostacyclin, from rings with intact endothelium, neither indomethacin nor the TxA2-endoperoxide receptor antagonist SQ 29548 modified the effects of PMNLs on vascular smooth muscle tone. These observations suggest that unstimulated PMNLs generate a smooth muscle relaxant, which has biological characteristics similar to the endothelium-derived relaxing factor. Since the activity of this PMNL-derived smooth muscle relaxant is more pronounced in deendothelialized vascular segments, it appears that endothelium provides a barrier against vasorelaxation by high concentrations of PMNLs.


1991 ◽  
Vol 260 (3) ◽  
pp. H698-H701 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. L. Dinerman ◽  
D. L. Lawson ◽  
J. L. Mehta

To evaluate the role of endothelium in nitroglycerin (NTG)-mediated vascular relaxation, epinephrine-contracted rat thoracic aortic segments with and without intact endothelium were exposed to NTG (10(-10) to 10(-5) M). Aortic segments with intact (endo+, n = 15) and denuded endothelium (endo-, n = 9) exhibited typical NTG-induced relaxation. However, the mean effective concentration of NTG was lower for endo- than for endo+ segments (P less than 0.001). To determine if this phenomenon related to nitric oxide (NO) generation by endothelium, six endo+ segments were treated with NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), an inhibitor of NO production. These endo+ segments exhibited greater (P less than 0.001) relaxation in response to NTG than the untreated endo+ segments. Oxyhemoglobin, an inhibitor of guanylate cyclase activation, greatly diminished NTG-mediated relaxation of all aortic segments. To determine if the enhanced NTG-mediated relaxation of endo- segments was unique to the guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-dependent vasodilator NTG, other endo+ and endo- segments were exposed to adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate-dependent vasodilator papaverine (10(-8) to 10(-4) M), and no difference in EC50 was noted between endo+ and endo- segments. Thus endothelium attenuates NTG-mediated vasorelaxation, and this attenuation is abolished by inhibition of endothelial NO production with L-NMMA. These observations indicate that endothelium is a dynamic modulator of vascular smooth muscle relaxant effects of NTG. This modulation appears to result from a competitive interaction between endothelial NO and NTG.


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