Stimulation of alpha 2 adrenoceptors dilates the rat middle cerebral artery.

BACKGROUND: Because alpha 2 adrenoceptor agonists are used as adjuncts to anesthetics, their effects on the cerebrovascular circulation are of prime importance. We studied changes in the diameter of rat middle cerebral arteries after stimulation of alpha 2 adrenoceptors with UK14,304. METHODS: Rat middle cerebral arteries were isolated, cannulated at each end with a glass micropipette, and pressurized to 85 mmHg. The middle cerebral arteries were immersed in a bath (37 degrees C) containing physiologic saline solution, and luminally perfused with physiologic saline solution (100 microliters/ min). Changes in vessel diameter were measured after magnification with a microscope. RESULTS: Resting diameter of the middle cerebral arteries was 239 +/- 13 microns (n = 8) for the first study. A dose-dependent dilation was produced by addition of UK14,304 to the extraluminal bath; a 10-15% increase in diameter occurred at a concentration of 10(-4)M. The dilations produced by UK14,304 were blocked with selective alpha 2-antagonists, idazoxan and rauwolscine, but not by the selective alpha 1-antagonist, prazosin. The dilations could be blocked by removal of the endothelium, or the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (10(-5) M). The inhibitory effects of N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester were reversed with the addition of 10(-3) M L-arginine, but not 10(-3) M D-arginine. Furthermore the dilation produced by UK14,304 was completely abolished with pertussis toxin (100 ng/ml). CONCLUSIONS: It was concluded that the stimulation of alpha 2 adrenoceptors with UK14,304 produced a dilation in the rat middle cerebral artery that (1) was dependent on intact endothelium, (2) involved nitric oxide, and (3) acted via a pertussis toxin-sensitive G protein.

Permissive role of NO in alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated dilations in rat cerebral arteries.

Dilations produced with UK-14304, a selective alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonist, in rat middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) were blocked after removal of the endothelium or inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS). After endothelium removal or inhibition of NOS, the addition of subthreshold doses of an exogenous nitric oxide (NO) donor, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine, restored the dilations produced by UK-14304. In a similar manner the guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) analogues 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate and N2,2'-O-dibutyrylguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate restored the dilations of MCAs after endothelial removal. Because NO cannot be synthesized and released in MCAs after inhibition of NOS, it cannot be directly responsible for the dilation. The basal release of NO from the endothelium acts permissively in the vasodilation by maintaining adequate levels of cGMP. Removal of this basal release of NO by removal of endothelium or inhibition of NOS abolishes the alpha 2-adrenoceptor-mediated dilation.

Cerebral blood flow, plasma catecholamines, and electroencephalogram during hypoglycemia and recovery after glucose infusion.

Regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) and plasma catecholamines were measured in separate experiments during the onset of insulin-induced hypoglycemia and during recovery. The purpose of these experiments was twofold: first, to study the relationship between plasma catecholamines and rCBF to determine if increased concentrations of plasma catecholamines were responsible for the increase in rCBF observed during insulin-induced hypoglycemia, and second, to study changes in rCBF after recovery from hypoglycemia. Male Long-Evans rats were fasted overnight, surgically prepared under isoflurane anesthesia, restrained, and allowed to awake from anesthesia. In the first series of experiments, plasma catecholamines, arterial blood pressure, arterial blood gases, and electroencephalogram (EEG) were measured during the onset of hypoglycemia produced by i.v. insulin and the recovery after i.v. glucose. The EEG showed a characteristic high-amplitude, slow-wave pattern during hypoglycemia (plasma glucose, 38 +/- 2 mg/dl; n = 3). Plasma epinephrine in the normoglycemic control rats was 529 +/- 122 pg/ml (n = 5) and increased 4.5 times as plasma glucose reached 50 +/- 3 mg/dl. After the initial increase, plasma epinephrine steadily decreased toward baseline over the next 90 min as the hypoglycemia became more severe. Plasma norepinephrine significantly increased by 60% when plasma glucose was 40 +/- 2 mg/dl and remained increased during much of the recovery period. In other studies, rCBF was measured in four groups of rats, one group with normoglycemia (control), one with hypoglycemia, one at 5 min of recovery, and one at 30 min of recovery. Regional CBF increased during hypoglycemia (plasma glucose, 39 +/- 1 mg/dl; n = 6) in most regions studied and ranged from 28 to 99% above control. After 5 min of the recovery (plasma glucose, 269 +/- 15 mg/dl), rCBF returned to or decreased below baseline. In a previous study, we determined that rCBF did not increase during hypoglycemia until plasma glucose decreased to 40 mg/dl. In the present study, the peak increase in plasma epinephrine occurred when plasma glucose was 50 mg/dl. At plasma glucose concentrations which rCBF began to increase, plasma epinephrine was decreasing from its peak level. Regional CBF and plasma norepinephrine increased in parallel during the onset of hypoglycemia; however, during the recovery period, plasma norepinephrine remained increased while rCBF decreased to or below baseline. The dissociation of rCBF and plasma catecholamines casts doubt on the hypothesis that plasma catecholamines are responsible for increases in rCBF.