scholarly journals A Paradoxical Vasodilatory Nutraceutical Intervention for Prevention and Attenuation of Migraine—A Hypothetical Review

Nutrients ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 12 (8) ◽  
pp. 2487
Author(s):  
Devahuti Rai Chaliha ◽  
Mauro Vaccarezza ◽  
Ryu Takechi ◽  
Virginie Lam ◽  
Eric Visser ◽  
...  

Studies suggest that migraine pain has a vascular component. The prevailing dogma is that peripheral vasoconstriction activates baroreceptors in central, large arteries. Dilatation of central vessels stimulates nociceptors and induces cortical spreading depression. Studies investigating nitric oxide (NO) donors support the indicated hypothesis that pain is amplified when acutely administered. In this review, we provide an alternate hypothesis which, if substantiated, may provide therapeutic opportunities for attenuating migraine frequency and severity. We suggest that in migraines, heightened sympathetic tone results in progressive central microvascular constriction. Suboptimal parenchymal blood flow, we suggest, activates nociceptors and triggers headache pain onset. Administration of NO donors could paradoxically promote constriction of the microvasculature as a consequence of larger upstream central artery vasodilatation. Inhibitors of NO production are reported to alleviate migraine pain. We describe how constriction of larger upstream arteries, induced by NO synthesis inhibitors, may result in a compensatory dilatory response of the microvasculature. The restoration of central capillary blood flow may be the primary mechanism for pain relief. Attenuating the propensity for central capillary constriction and promoting a more dilatory phenotype may reduce frequency and severity of migraines. Here, we propose consideration of two dietary nutraceuticals for reducing migraine risk: L-arginine and aged garlic extracts.

2000 ◽  
Vol 88 (4) ◽  
pp. 1381-1389 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ivan T. Demchenko ◽  
Albert E. Boso ◽  
Thomas J. O'Neill ◽  
Peter B. Bennett ◽  
Claude A. Piantadosi

We have tested the hypothesis that cerebral nitric oxide (NO) production is involved in hyperbaric O2 (HBO2) neurotoxicity. Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and electroencephalogram (EEG) were measured in anesthetized rats during O2 exposure to 1, 3, 4, and 5 ATA with or without administration of the NO synthase inhibitor ( N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester), l-arginine, NO donors, or the N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor inhibitor MK-801. After 30 min of O2 exposure at 3 and 4 ATA, rCBF decreased by 26–39% and by 37–43%, respectively, and was sustained for 75 min. At 5 ATA, rCBF decreased over 30 min in the substantia nigra by one-third but, thereafter, gradually returned to preexposure levels, preceding the onset of EEG spiking activity. Rats pretreated with N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester and exposed to HBO2 at 5 ATA maintained a low rCBF. MK-801 did not alter the cerebrovascular responses to HBO2at 5 ATA but prevented the EEG spikes. NO donors increased rCBF in control rats but were ineffective during HBO2 exposures. The data provide evidence that relative lack of NO activity contributes to decreased rCBF under HBO2, but, as exposure time is prolonged, NO production increases and augments rCBF in anticipation of neuronal excitation.


Cephalalgia ◽  
1994 ◽  
Vol 14 (6) ◽  
pp. 430-436 ◽  
Author(s):  
GA Lambert ◽  
J Michalicek

These experiments were designed to investigate a possible mechanism linking the phenomenon of cortical spreading depression with activation of the trigeminal sensory system in migraine. Blood flow in the cortex and middle meningeal artery was measured in cats before and during propagation of a wave of cortical spreading depression, initiated by cortical pin-prick, This caused a transient propagated increase in cortical blood flow. Cortical spreading depression was accompanied by a decrease in blood flow in the middle meningeal artery, sometimes to very low levels. The results suggest that the pain of migraine could arise from dural ischemia induced by cortical spreading depression.


1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (3) ◽  
pp. L504-L512 ◽  
Author(s):  
Y. C. Huang ◽  
P. W. Fisher ◽  
E. Nozik-Grayck ◽  
C. A. Piantadosi

Because both the biosynthesis of nitric oxide (NO.) and its metabolic fate are related to molecular O2, we hypothesized that hypoxia would alter the effects of NO. during ischemia-reperfusion (IR) in the lung. In this study, buffer-perfused lungs from rabbits underwent either normoxic IR (AI), in which lungs were ventilated with 21% O2 during ischemia and reperfusion, or hypoxic IR (NI), in which lungs were ventilated with 95% N2 during ischemia followed by reoxygenation with 21% O2. Lung weight gain (WG) and pulmonary artery pressure (Ppa) were monitored continuously, and microvascular pressure (Pmv) was measured after reperfusion to calculate pulmonary vascular resistance. We found that both AI and NI produced acute lung injury, as shown by increased WG and Ppa during reperfusion. In AI, where perfusate PO2 was > 100 mmHg, the administration of the NO. synthase inhibitor N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) before ischemia worsened WG and Ppa. Pmv also increased, suggesting a hydrostatic mechanism involved in edema formation. The effects of L-NAME could be attenuated by giving L-arginine and exogenous NO. donors before ischemia or before reperfusion. Partial protection was also provided by superoxide dismutase. In contrast, lung injury in NI at perfusate PO2 of 25-30 mmHg was attenuated by L-NAME; this effect could be reversed by L-arginine. Exogenous NO. donors given either before ischemia or before reperfusion, however, did not increase lung injury. NO. production was measured by quantifying the total nitrogen oxides (NOx) accumulating in the perfusate. The average rate of NOx accumulation was greater in AI than in NI. We conclude that hypoxia prevented the protective effects of NO on AI lung injury. The effects of hypoxia may be related to lower NO. production relative to oxidant stress during IR and/or altered metabolic fates of NO.-mediated production of peroxynitrite by hypoxic ischemia.


1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 230-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marleen J. Verhaegen ◽  
Michael M. Todd ◽  
David S. Warner ◽  
Bruce James ◽  
Julie B. Weeks

Cerebral blood flow was measured by the H2 clearance method 30 and 60 min after the implantation of 300, 250, 125, or 50 μm diameter platinum–iridium electrodes 2 mm deep into the right parietal cortex of normothermic, normocarbic halothane-anesthetized rats. Another group of animals had 50 μm electrodes inserted 1 mm. In all animals, the presence or absence of a wave of spreading depression (SD) was noted at the time of implantation, with recordings made with glass micropipettes. H2 flow values were compared with those measured in gray matter from the same anatomical region (but from different rats), using [3H]nicotine. The incidence of SD ranged from 60% following insertion of 300 μm electrodes to 0% with 50 μm electrodes. H2 clearance flows also varied with electrode size, from 77 ± 21 ml 100 g−1 min−1 (mean ± standard deviation) with 300 μm electrodes to 110 ± 31 and 111 ± 16 ml 100 g−1 min−1 with 125 and 50 μm electrodes, respectively (insertion depth of 2 mm). A CBF value of 155 ± 60 ml 100 g−1 min−1 was obtained with 50 μm electrodes inserted only 1 mm. Cortical gray matter blood flow measured with [3H]nicotine was 154 ± 35 ml 100 g−1 min−1. When the role of SD in subsequent flow measurements was examined, there was a gradual increase in CBF between 30 and 60 min after electrode insertion in those animals with SD, while no such change was seen in rats without SD. These results indicate that the choice of electrode size and implantation depth influences the measurement of CBF by H2 clearance. CBF values equivalent to those obtained with isotopic techniques can be acutely obtained with small (50 μm diameter) electrodes inserted 1 mm into the cortex. While the occurrence of SD does influence CBF in the period immediately after implantation, a relationship between electrode size and measured flow is present that is independent of SD.


2008 ◽  
Vol 28 (7) ◽  
pp. 1369-1376 ◽  
Author(s):  
Inna Sukhotinsky ◽  
Ergin Dilekoz ◽  
Michael A Moskowitz ◽  
Cenk Ayata

Cortical spreading depression (CSD) evokes a large cerebral blood flow (CBF) increase in normal rat brain. In contrast, in focal ischemic penumbra, CSD-like periinfarct depolarizations (PID) are mainly associated with hypoperfusion. Because PIDs electrophysiologically closely resemble CSD, we tested whether conditions present in ischemic penumbra, such as tissue hypoxia or reduced perfusion pressure, transform the CSD-induced CBF response in nonischemic rat cortex. Cerebral blood flow changes were recorded using laser Doppler flowmetry in rats subjected to hypoxia, hypotension, or both. Under normoxic normotensive conditions, CSD caused a characteristic transient CBF increase (74 ± 7%) occasionally preceded by a small hypoperfusion (−4 ± 2%). Both hypoxia ( pO2 45 ± 3 mm Hg) and hypotension (blood pressure 42 ± 2 mm Hg) independently augmented this initial hypoperfusion (−14 ± 2% normoxic hypotension; −16 ± 6% hypoxic normotension; −21 ± 5% hypoxic hypotension) and diminished the magnitude of hyperemia (44 ± 10% normoxic hypotension; 43 ± 9% hypoxic normotension; 27 ± 6% hypoxic hypotension). Hypotension and, to a much lesser extent, hypoxia increased the duration of hypoperfusion and the DC shift, whereas CSD amplitude remained unchanged. These results suggest that hypoxia and/or hypotension unmask a vasoconstrictive response during CSD in the rat such that, under nonphysiologic conditions (i.e., mimicking ischemic penumbra), the hyperemic response to CSD becomes attenuated resembling the blood flow response during PIDs.


2005 ◽  
Vol 289 (6) ◽  
pp. F1324-F1332 ◽  
Author(s):  
Manish M. Tiwari ◽  
Robert W. Brock ◽  
Judit K. Megyesi ◽  
Gur P. Kaushal ◽  
Philip R. Mayeux

Acute renal failure (ARF) is a frequent and serious complication of endotoxemia caused by lipopolysaccharide (LPS) and contributes significantly to mortality. The present studies were undertaken to examine the roles of nitric oxide (NO) and caspase activation on renal peritubular blood flow and apoptosis in a murine model of LPS-induced ARF. Male C57BL/6 mice treated with LPS ( Escherichia coli) at a dose of 10 mg/kg developed ARF at 18 h. Renal failure was associated with a significant decrease in peritubular capillary perfusion. Vessels with no flow increased from 7 ± 3% in the saline group to 30 ± 4% in the LPS group ( P < 0.01). Both the inducible NO synthase inhibitor l- N6-1-iminoethyl-lysine (l-NIL) and the nonselective caspase inhibitor benzyloxycarbonyl-Val-Ala-Asp fluoromethylketone (Z-VAD) prevented renal failure and reversed perfusion deficits. Renal failure was also associated with an increase in renal caspase-3 activity and an increase in renal apoptosis. Both l-NIL and Z-VAD prevented these changes. LPS caused an increase in NO production that was blocked by l-NIL but not by Z-VAD. Taken together, these data suggest NO-mediated activation of renal caspases and the resulting disruption in peritubular blood flow are an important mechanism of LPS-induced ARF.


Author(s):  
Weiyu Li ◽  
Amy G. Tsai ◽  
Marcos Intaglietta ◽  
Daniel M. Tartakovsky

­­ ­Although some of the cardiovascular responses to changes in hematocrit (Hct) are not fully quantified experimentally, available information is sufficient to build a mathematical model of the consequences of treating anemia by introducing RBCs into the circulation via blood transfusion. We present such a model, which describes how the treatment of normovolemic anemia with blood transfusion impacts oxygen (O2) delivery (DO2, the product of blood O2 content and arterial blood flow) by the microcirculation. Our analysis accounts for the differential response of the endothelium to the wall shear stress (WSS) stimulus, changes in nitric oxide (NO) production due to modification of blood viscosity caused by alterations of both hematocrit (Hct) and cell free layer thickness, as well as for their combined effects on microvascular blood flow and DO2. Our model shows that transfusions of 1- and 2-unit of blood have a minimal effect on DO2 if the microcirculation is unresponsive to the WSS stimulus for NO production that causes vasodilatation increasing blood flow and DO2. Conversely, in a fully WSS responsive organism, blood transfusion significantly enhances blood flow and DO2, because increased viscosity stimulates endothelial NO production causing vasodilatation. This finding suggests that evaluation of a patients' pre-transfusion endothelial WSS responsiveness should be beneficial in determining the optimal transfusion requirements for treating anemic patients.


2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-8 ◽  
Author(s):  
Hock-Kean Liew ◽  
Jon-Son Kuo ◽  
Jia-Yi Wang ◽  
Cheng-Yoong Pang

Granulocyte-colony stimulating factor (G-CSF) protects brain from ischemic/reperfusion (I/R) injury, and inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthases partially reduces G-CSF protection. We thus further investigated the effects of G-CSF on ischemia-induced NO production and its consequence on regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and neurological deficit. Endothelin-1 (ET-1) microinfused above middle cerebral artery caused a rapid reduction of rCBF (ischemia) which lasted for 30 minutes and was followed by a gradual recovery of blood flow (reperfusion) within the striatal region. Regional NO concentration increased rapidly (NO surge) during ischemia and recovered soon to the baseline. G-CSF increased rCBF resulting in shorter ischemic duration and an earlier onset of reperfusion. The enhancement of the ischemia-induced NO by G-CSF accompanied by elevation of phospho-Akt and phospho-eNOS was noted, suggesting an activation of Akt/eNOS. I/R-induced infarct volume and neurological deficits were also reduced by G-CSF treatment. Inhibition of NO synthesis by L-NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester (L-NAME) significantly reduced the effects of G-CSF on rCBF, NO surge, infarct volume, and neurological deficits. We conclude that G-CSF increases rCBF through a NO surge mediated by Akt/eNOS, which partially contributes to the beneficial effect of G-CSF on brain I/R injury.


1997 ◽  
Vol 273 (5) ◽  
pp. G1160-G1167 ◽  
Author(s):  
Edward N. Janoff ◽  
Hiroshi Hayakawa ◽  
David N. Taylor ◽  
Claudine E. Fasching ◽  
Julie R. Kenner ◽  
...  

Vibrio cholerae induces massive intestinal fluid secretion that continues for the life of the stimulated epithelial cells. Enhanced regional blood flow and peristalsis are required to adapt to this obligatory intestinal secretory challenge. Nitric oxide (NO) is a multifunctional molecule that modulates blood flow and peristalsis and possesses both cytotoxic and antibacterial activity. We demonstrate that, compared with those in asymptomatic control subjects, levels of stable NO metabolites ([Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text]) are significantly increased in sera from acutely ill Peruvian patients with natural cholera infection as well as from symptomatic volunteers from the United States infected experimentally with V. cholerae. In a rabbit ileal loop model in vivo, cholera toxin (CT) elicited fluid secretion and dose-dependent increases in levels of[Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text]in the fluid ( P < 0.01). In contrast, lipopolysaccharide (LPS) elicited no such effects when applied to the intact mucosa. NO synthase (NOS) catalytic activity also increased in toxin-exposed tissues ( P< 0.05), predominantly in epithelial cells. The CT-induced NOS activity was Ca2+dependent and was not suppressed by dexamethasone. In conclusion, symptomatic V. cholerae infection induces NO production in humans. In the related animal model, CT, but not LPS, stimulated significant production of NO in association with increases in local Ca2+-dependent NOS activity in the tissues.


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