Large pulmonary arteries and the control of pulmonary vascular resistance in the newborn

1994 ◽  
Vol 72 (11) ◽  
pp. 1464-1468 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Belik

In the immediate neonatal period the pulmonary vascular resistance is higher than later in life. The role of maturational differences in the smooth muscle mechanical properties of large capacitance vessels in this response has not been previously studied. To this end, we studied the smooth muscle isometric and isotonic mechanical properties, as well as the myogenic response of large extralobar pulmonary arteries in newborn and adult guinea pigs. Compared with the adult, the newborn pulmonary vascular smooth muscle generates less force and has a similar shortening capacity but longer isometric and isotonic relaxation half times. The myogenic response could be elicited in 80% of the newborn and 70% of the adult vessels. A 20% increase in vessel diameter resulted in force generation equivalent to 46 + 5.1 % of maximal isometric tension in the newborn. Such a response was significantly greater than observed for the adult vessels (14 ± 2.8%; p < 0.001). Our results showed significant maturational differences in the mechanical properties of the large pulmonary artery smooth muscle in the newborn. We speculate that the presence of myogenic response in large pulmonary capacitance vessels and the observed greater magnitude of stretch-induced force generation in the newborn may play an important role in the maintenance of a higher pulmonary vascular resistance in the neonatal period.Key words: myogenic response, pulmonary artery, newborn.

2004 ◽  
Vol 96 (4) ◽  
pp. 1399-1405 ◽  
Author(s):  
J. Belik ◽  
J. Pan ◽  
R. P. Jankov ◽  
A. K. Tanswell

The factors accounting for the maintenance of a low pulmonary vascular resistance postnatally are not completely understood. The aim of this study was to test the hypothesis that bronchial epithelium produces a factor capable of relaxing adjacent pulmonary arterial smooth muscle. We studied fourth-generation intralobar pulmonary arteries and bronchi of 4- to 8-day-old rats. Arteries were mounted on a wire myograph, alone or with the adjacent bronchus. The presence of the attached bronchus significantly reduced pulmonary artery force generation induced by the thromboxane analog (U-46619) or KCl whether the endothelium was present or absent ( P < 0.01). The converse was not true in that bronchial force generation was not affected when studied with the adjacent pulmonary artery. Mechanical removal of the bronchial epithelium or addition of the nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) nonspecific ( NG-monomethyl-l-arginine) or the specific neuronal NOS (7-nitroindazole) inhibitors increased arterial force generation to levels comparable to the isolated artery preparation. Wortmannin, a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor, significantly decreased ( P < 0.01) NO release of pulmonary arteries only when the adjacent bronchus was present. We conclude that bronchial epithelium in the newborn rat produces a factor capable of lowering pulmonary vascular muscle tone. This relaxant effect can be suppressed by NOS and phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase kinase inhibition, suggesting an action via NOS phosphorylation and NO release. We speculate that such a mechanism may be operative in vivo and plays an important role in control of pulmonary vascular resistance in the early postnatal period.


2005 ◽  
Vol 98 (3) ◽  
pp. 1119-1124 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jay S. Naik ◽  
Scott Earley ◽  
Thomas C. Resta ◽  
Benjimen R. Walker

Chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases, as well as prolonged residence at high altitude, can result in generalized airway hypoxia, eliciting an increase in pulmonary vascular resistance. We hypothesized that a portion of the elevated pulmonary vascular resistance following chronic hypoxia (CH) is due to the development of myogenic tone. Isolated, pressurized small pulmonary arteries from control (barometric pressure ≅ 630 Torr) and CH (4 wk, barometric pressure = 380 Torr) rats were loaded with fura 2-AM and perfused with warm (37°C), aerated (21% O2-6% CO2-balance N2) physiological saline solution. Vascular smooth muscle (VSM) intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and diameter responses to increasing intraluminal pressure were determined. Diameter and VSM cell [Ca2+]i responses to KCl were also determined. In a separate set of experiments, VSM cell membrane potential responses to increasing luminal pressure were determined in arteries from control and CH rats. VSM cell membrane potential in arteries from CH animals was depolarized relative to control at each pressure step. VSM cells from both groups exhibited a further depolarization in response to step increases in intraluminal pressure. However, arteries from both control and CH rats distended passively to increasing intraluminal pressure, and VSM cell [Ca2+]i was not affected. KCl elicited a dose-dependent vasoconstriction that was nearly identical between control and CH groups. Whereas KCl administration resulted in a dose-dependent increase in VSM cell [Ca2+]i in arteries taken from control animals, this stimulus elicited only a slight increase in VSM cell [Ca2+]i in arteries from CH animals. We conclude that the pulmonary circulation of the rat does not demonstrate pressure-induced vasoconstriction.


1977 ◽  
Vol 55 (2) ◽  
pp. 359-367 ◽  
Author(s):  
William K. Milsom ◽  
B. Lowell Langille ◽  
David R. Jones

We have directly examined the control of pulmonary vascular resistance in the turtle Chrysemys scripta to determine the way in which pulmonary vasoregulation is achieved. The pulmonary circulation of the turtle Chrysemys scripta receives a strong excitatory cholinergic innervation from the vagus nerve. The major site of vasoconstrictor activity is in the extrinsic pulmonary artery proximal to the lung with only weak constrictor activity evident in the intrinsic arteries and arterioles within the lung parenchyma. No cholinergic innervation is evident in the segment of the extrinsic pulmonary artery proximal to the origin of the arterial ligament (ligamentum Botalli) and all vagally induced changes in flow resistance reside in the much narrower segment distal to this site. Vagal stimulation in an intact preparation produces sufficient constriction in the distal segment of extrinsic pulmonary artery to totally occlude pulmonary flow. The pulmonary arteries appear to be devoid of sympathetic innervation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 25 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Ying Zhang ◽  
Yongbin Chen ◽  
Guo Chen ◽  
Yingling Zhou ◽  
Hua Yao ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Abnormal proliferation of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs) is a key mechanism in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) can induce abnormal proliferation of PASMCs. The role of miR-361-3p in serotonin-induced abnormal PASMCs proliferation remains unclear. Methods The miR-361-3p level was analyzed in plasma from PAH patients and normal controls and in human PASMCs (hPASMCs) using RT-PCR. The hPASMCs were transfected with an miR-361-3p mimic and then treated with serotonin. Untransfected hPASMCs were used as the control. Cell proliferation was evaluated using an MTS assay and 5-ethynyl-2′-deoxyuridine (EdU) staining. The cell cycle stages were evaluated using flow cytometry. The association between miR-361-3p and serotonin transporter (SERT) was determined using a luciferase reporter assay and anti-AGO2 RNA immunoprecipitation assay. The protein expression was evaluated via western blotting. Results The miR-361-3p level was lower in plasma from PAH patients than in plasma from the any of the normal control subjects. The mean pulmonary arterial pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance and pulmonary vascular resistance index were higher in PAH patients whose miR-361-3p level was lower than the median value for patients than in those whose miR-361-3p level was higher than the median. Serotonin treatment reduced miR-361-3p expression in the hPASMCs. MiR-361-3p overexpression suppressed cell proliferation, promoted apoptosis, induced G1 arrest, and decreased the phosphorylation level of ERK1/2 in serotonin-treated hPASMCs. SERT was identified as an miR-361-3p target. Its overexpression alleviated the effect of miR-361-3p overexpression on serotonin-induced hPASMC proliferation and upregulation of phosphorylated ERK1/2. Conclusions The miR-361-3p level is lower in the plasma of PAH patients. Upregulation of miR-361-3p suppresses serotonin-induced proliferation of hPASMCs by targeting SERT. Our results suggest that miR-361-3p is a potential therapeutic target in PAH.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (9) ◽  
pp. 4980
Author(s):  
Inés Roger ◽  
Javier Milara ◽  
Paula Montero ◽  
Julio Cortijo

Pulmonary hypertension is defined as a group of diseases characterized by a progressive increase in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR), which leads to right ventricular failure and premature death. There are multiple clinical manifestations that can be grouped into five different types. Pulmonary artery remodeling is a common feature in pulmonary hypertension (PH) characterized by endothelial dysfunction and smooth muscle pulmonary artery cell proliferation. The current treatments for PH are limited to vasodilatory agents that do not stop the progression of the disease. Therefore, there is a need for new agents that inhibit pulmonary artery remodeling targeting the main genetic, molecular, and cellular processes involved in PH. Chronic inflammation contributes to pulmonary artery remodeling and PH, among other vascular disorders, and many inflammatory mediators signal through the JAK/STAT pathway. Recent evidence indicates that the JAK/STAT pathway is overactivated in the pulmonary arteries of patients with PH of different types. In addition, different profibrotic cytokines such as IL-6, IL-13, and IL-11 and growth factors such as PDGF, VEGF, and TGFβ1 are activators of the JAK/STAT pathway and inducers of pulmonary remodeling, thus participating in the development of PH. The understanding of the participation and modulation of the JAK/STAT pathway in PH could be an attractive strategy for developing future treatments. There have been no studies to date focused on the JAK/STAT pathway and PH. In this review, we focus on the analysis of the expression and distribution of different JAK/STAT isoforms in the pulmonary arteries of patients with different types of PH. Furthermore, molecular canonical and noncanonical JAK/STAT pathway transactivation will be discussed in the context of vascular remodeling and PH. The consequences of JAK/STAT activation for endothelial cells and pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells’ proliferation, migration, senescence, and transformation into mesenchymal/myofibroblast cells will be described and discussed, together with different promising drugs targeting the JAK/STAT pathway in vitro and in vivo.


2006 ◽  
Vol 44 (5) ◽  
pp. 275-282 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan-Ping Dai ◽  
Shaner Bongalon ◽  
Honglin Tian ◽  
Samuel D. Parks ◽  
Violeta N. Mutafova-Yambolieva ◽  
...  

2013 ◽  
Vol 2013 ◽  
pp. 1-4 ◽  
Author(s):  
Priyadharshanan Ariyaratnam ◽  
Mahmoud Loubani ◽  
Robert Bennett ◽  
Steven Griffin ◽  
Mubarak A. Chaudhry ◽  
...  

Objectives. Acute rises in pulmonary artery pressures following postinfarction ventricular septal defects present a challenge. We hypothesised that the abnormally high oxygen content exposure to the pulmonary arteries may be a factor. We investigated the contractile responses of human pulmonary arteries to changes in oxygen tension. Methods. Isometric tension was measured in large and medium sized pulmonary artery rings obtained from lung resections for patients with bronchial carcinoma (n=30). Fresh rings were mounted in organ baths bubbled under basal conditions with hyperoxic or normoxic gas mixes and the gas tensions varied during the experiment. We studied whether voltage-gated calcium channels and nitric oxide signalling had any role in responses to oxygen changes. Results. Hypoxia caused a net mean relaxation of 18.1% ± 15.5 (P<0.005) from hyperoxia. Subsequent hyperoxia caused a contraction of 19.2% ± 13.5 (P<0.005). Arteries maintained in normoxia responded to hyperoxia with a mean constriction of 14.8% ± 3.9 (P<0.005). Nifedipine inhibited the vasoconstrictive response (P<0.05) whilst L-NAME had no effect on any hypoxic vasodilatory response. Conclusions. We demonstrate that hyperoxia leads to vasoconstriction in human pulmonary arteries. The mechanism appears to be dependent on voltage-gated calcium channels. Hyperoxic vasoconstriction may contribute to acute rises in pulmonary artery pressures.


2021 ◽  
Vol 20 (4) ◽  
pp. 35-44
Author(s):  
Vadim I. Evlakhov ◽  
Ilya Z. Poyassov ◽  
Tatiana P. Berezina

Background. The pulmonary arterial and venous vessels are innervated by parasympathetic cholinergic nerves. However, the studies, performed on the isolated rings of pulmonary vessels, can not give answer to the question about the role of cholinergic mechanisms in the changes of pulmonary circulation in full measure. Aim. The comparative analysis of the changes of the pulmonary macro- and microhemodynamics after acetylcholine, atropine, pentamine and nitroglycerine treatment. Materials and methods. The study was carried out on the anesthetized rabbits in the condition of intact circulation with the measurement of the pulmonary artery pressure and flow, venae cavae flows, cardiac output, and also on isolated perfused lungs in situ with stabilized pulmonary flow with measurement of the perfused pulmonary artery pressure, capillary hydrostatic pressure, capillary filtration coefficient and calculation of the pulmonary vascular resistance, pre- and postcapillary resistances. Results. In the conditions of intact circulation after acetylcholine, pentamine and nitroglycerine treatment the pulmonary artery pressure and flow decreased, the pulmonary vascular resistance did not change as a result of decreasing of pulmonary artery flow and left atrial pressure due to diminution of venous return and venae cavaе flows. On perfused isolated lungs acetylcholine caused the increasing of pulmonary artery pressure, capillary hydrostatic pressure, pulmonary vascular resistance, pre- and postcapillary resistance and capillary filtration coefficient. After M-blocker atropine treatment the indicated above parameters of pulmonary microcirculation increased, on the contrary, after N-blocker pentamine treatment they decreased. Nitroglycerine infusion caused less decreasing of the parameters of pulmonary microcirculation in comparison with effects of pentamine, but capillary filtration coefficient decreased to a greater extent. These data indicate that nitroglycerine decreases endothelial permeability of pulmonary microvessels. Conclusion. After activation or blockade of cholinergic mechanisms in the condition of intact circulation the calculated parameter of pulmonary vascular resistance is depended from the ratio of the pulmonary artery pressure and flow and left atrial pressure, which are determined by the venous return. The different character of the changes of pulmonary microcirculatory parameters after M-blocker atropine and N-blocker pentamine treatment is evidence of reciprocal relations of M- and N-cholinoceptors in the nervous regulation of the pulmonary microcirculatory bed.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document