Penile erections induced by vasoactive intestinal peptide and sodium nitroprusside.

The use of vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), sodium nitroprusside (SNP), and the reference combination of papaverine, prostaglandin E1, and phentolamine was studied in 22 adult cats. The maximal erectile response (intracavernous pressure, penile length, and rigidity) was produced by intracavernous injection of a combination of 1.65 mg papaverine, 0.5 micrograms PGE1, and 25 micrograms phentolamine. This combination was considered as "control" in order to compare the effect of other agents. VIP and SNP increased the intracavernous pressure and caused erection in a dose-dependent manner with a maximal response obtained with 5 micrograms VIP or 10 micrograms SNP. The duration of peak erection and the total duration of drug effect were significantly shorter with VIP and SNP than with the reference combination (P < 0.01). Epinephrine (30 micrograms) reversed the effects of SNP and significantly shortened the duration of peak action and total effect (P < 0.05). This study supports the use of an in vivo feline model for the evaluation of vasoactive agents and demonstrates that the intracavernous injection of either VIP or SNP can induce penile erection in the adult cat.

Analysis of systemic and pulmonary vascular responses to PACAP and VIP: role of adrenal catecholamines.

Systemic and pulmonary vascular responses to pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating polypeptide (PACAP), a novel peptide with 68% sequence homology to vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP), were investigated in the anesthetized cat. Intravenous injections of PACAP in doses of 0.1-3.0 nmol/kg produced decreases in arterial pressure (AP) at low doses and biphasic changes (decreases followed by increases) at higher doses, which were accompanied by increases in central venous pressure (CVP) and cardiac output (CO), and decreases and biphasic changes in systemic vascular resistance (SVR). In contrast, VIP in doses of 0.1-3.0 nmol/kg produced only dose-dependent decreases in AP and SVR and produced little change in CVP and CO. PACAP produced increased pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), left atrial pressure (LAP), and increases in pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). PACAP increased heart rate (HR) and right ventricular contractile force (RVCF), while VIP had no effect. Increases in AP and SVR in response to PACAP were changed to decreases following the administration of phentolamine or after adrenalectomy. Under constant flow conditions, PACAP and VIP produced dose-dependent decreases in lobar arterial pressure when tone was elevated, with PACAP being threefold more potent than VIP. Meclofenamate and nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) had no effect on pulmonary responses to the peptides. PACAP produced dose-dependent biphasic changes in hindquarters perfusion pressure, whereas VIP produced only decreases that were unchanged by indomethacin, L-NAME, and glibenclamide. Phentolamine and adrenalectomy eliminated the hindquarters pressor response to PACAP and D-Phe2-VIP, a VIP antagonist, reduced responses to VIP but not to PACAP. These data suggest that responses to PACAP and VIP are mediated by distinct receptors and that pressor responses to PACAP are due to the release of catecholamines from the adrenal gland.

Analysis of pulmonary and systemic vascular responses to platelet-activating factor in the cat.

Pulmonary and systemic vascular responses to platelet-activating factor (PAF) were investigated in the anesthetized cat. Intravenous injections of PAF decreased arterial pressure, increased pulmonary arterial pressure, and caused small but significant decreases in right and left atrial pressures. A transient increase in cardiac output was followed by a secondary decrease, and heart rate was increased. Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) was increased, systemic vascular resistance (SVR) was reduced, and changes in PVR and SVR in response to PAF were blocked by the novel PAF receptor antagonist, BN 50730. Under constant-flow conditions PAF dilated the hindlimb vascular bed in a dose-related manner, whereas in the pulmonary lobar vascular bed, PAF caused dose-related increases in perfusion pressure. Hindlimb and lobar vascular responses to PAF were blocked by BN 50730 in a selective manner, whereas cyclooxygenase inhibitors had no effect on responses to the phospholipid mediator. Hindlimb vasodilator responses to PAF were reduced by N omega-nitro-L-arginine in a dose that blocked the response to acetylcholine but did not decrease responses to prostaglandin E1 or nitroprusside. Increases in lobar arterial pressure in response to PAF were not altered by treatment with a thromboxane receptor antagonist, when the lung was perfused with a low-molecular-weight dextran solution, or when ventilation to the lobe was interrupted. These data suggest that the release of cyclooxygenase products, activation of thromboxane A2 receptors, cellular aggregation, release of leukocyte or platelet mediators, or changes in bronchomotor tone do not contribute to the pulmonary vasoconstrictor response to PAF and that the hindlimb vasodilator response to the phospholipid mediator is dependent in part on the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor.

Comparison of responses to sarafotoxins 6a and 6c in pulmonary and systemic vascular beds.

Cardiovascular and pulmonary responses to sarafotoxin (S) 6a and S6c were investigated in the anesthetized cat. Intravenous injections of the peptides in doses of 0.1-1.0 nmol/kg caused decreases or biphasic changes in arterial pressure (AP) and increases in central venous pressure, pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), and cardiac output (CO). Secondary decreases in CO were observed in response to higher doses, and biphasic changes in systemic (SVR) and pulmonary (PVR) vascular resistances were observed. Under constant-flow conditions, the peptides only increased pulmonary lobar arterial perfusion pressure and lobar vascular resistance. AP responses to S6a, S6c, endothelin (ET)-1, ET-2, vasoactive intestinal contractor (VIC), and Lys7-ET-1 were similar, whereas AP responses to S6b and ET-3 were similar. S6a, S6b, S6c, ET-1, ET-2, ET-3, VIC, Lys7-ET-1, and big ET-1 increased PAP. S6a and S6c increased distal aortic and superior mesenteric arterial (SMA) blood flow and caused biphasic changes at the highest doses. Under constant-flow conditions, S6a and S6c produced dose-dependent biphasic changes in hindquarters perfusion pressure. Changes in SVR and PVR in response to the peptide were not affected by hexamethonium, glyburide, or meclofenamate, indicating that responses are independent of autonomic reflexes, activation of ATP-regulated K+ channels, or release of cyclooxygenase products. In contrast, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester decreased hindquarters vasodilator response to S6a and S6c. The present data show that S6a and S6c produce both vasodilation and vasoconstriction in the systemic vascular bed and increase lobar vascular resistance and that hindquarters vasodilator responses are mediated, in part, by the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor.

Analysis of pulmonary and systemic vascular responses to cromakalim, an activator of K+ATP channels.

Cardiovascular and pulmonary responses to cromakalim, a member of a novel class of antihypertensive agents that open ATP-sensitive K+ (K+ATP) channels, were investigated in the anesthetized cat. Intravenous injections of cromakalim in doses of 30-300 micrograms/kg decreased arterial pressure (AP), pulmonary arterial pressure (PAP), and increased cardiac output (CO), while producing small changes in right and left atrial pressures. Pulmonary and systemic vascular resistances were decreased and vasodilator responses to cromakalim were blocked by glybenclamide, a K+ATP channel-blocking agent. The low dose of cromakalim caused a reflex increase in heart rate (HR) and right ventricular contractile force (RVCF), whereas the high dose decreased HR and RVCF. Under constant-flow conditions the K+ATP channel opener caused dose-dependent decreases in hindquarters perfusion pressure, and when tone was elevated in the pulmonary vascular bed, dose-dependent decreases in pulmonary lobar arterial perfusion pressure. Hindquarters and pulmonary lobar vasodilator responses to cromakalim were inhibited in a specific manner by glybenclamide. The present data show that cromakalim has significant vasodilator activity in both the systemic and pulmonary vascular beds and suggest that responses to this agent result from activation of glybenclamide-sensitive K+ATP channels. These data show that cromakalim can cause substantial decreases in systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance in a dose that has little effect on RVCF.

Cardiovascular responses to vasoactive intestinal contractor, a novel endothelin-like peptide.

Cardiovascular and pulmonary responses to vasoactive intestinal contractor (VIC), an endothelin (ET)-like peptide from the murine gastrointestinal tract, were investigated in the cat. VIC (0.1-1.0 nmol/kg iv) decreased or elicited biphasic changes in arterial pressure (AP) and increased central venous pressure, cardiac output, pulmonary arterial pressure, and left atrial pressure. VIC produced biphasic changes in systemic vascular resistance (SVR) and pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR). VIC increased heart rate (HR) and, at the 1 nmol/kg dose, a secondary decrease was observed. Hexamethonium blocked the changes in HR in response to VIC, whereas the ganglionic blocker, meclofenamate, or glybenclamide had no effect on changes in AP, SVR, and PVR elicited by the peptide. VIC caused small changes in right ventricular contractile force and increased distal aortic and carotid artery blood flow at all doses, with secondary decreases at the higher doses. VIC decreased superior mesenteric artery flow and decreased renal blood flow at the 1 nmol/kg dose. The changes in AP in response to VIC, ET-1, and ET-2 were similar, whereas those elicited by ET-3 and sarafotoxin 6b were similar. The present data show that VIC can produce both vasodilation and vasoconstriction in the systemic vascular bed and biphasic changes in PVR in the cat. These data show that VIC can produce complex cardiovascular responses similar to those elicited by the ET peptides and that these responses are largely independent of autonomic reflexes, release of cyclooxygenase products, and activation of ATP-regulated potassium channels. We conclude that VIC may act as an ET-like peptide.

Influence of SQ 29,548 on vasoconstrictor responses in the mesenteric vascular bed of the cat.

The effects of SQ 29,548 on vasoconstrictor responses were investigated in the feline mesenteric vascular bed. Injections of the thromboxane (TX) A2 mimics, U46619 and U44069, caused dose-related increases in mesenteric arterial perfusion pressure. After administration of SQ 29,548, 0.5 mg/kg i.v, vasoconstrictor responses to U46619 and U44069 were reduced markedly whereas responses to prostaglandin (PG) F2 alpha, angiotensin II, vasopressin and BAY K 8644, an agent which enhances calcium entry, were not altered. The duration of the TXA2 receptor blockade was greater than 2 h and SQ 29,548 had no significant effect on mesenteric vasodilator responses to PGE2, isoproterenol, nitroglycerin, acetylcholine or bradykinin. SQ 29,548, at a dose of 0.5 mg/kg i.v., significantly reduced the response to TXB2, which had modest vasoconstrictor activity in the mesenteric vascular bed. However, when the dose of SQ 29,548 was reduced to 0.05 mg/kg i.v., responses to TXB2 were not altered, whereas responses to U46619 were significantly decreased. SQ 29,548 had no significant effect on vasoconstrictor responses to norepinephrine or to sympathetic nerve stimulation. The TXA2 receptor antagonist blocked the vasoconstrictor component of the biphasic response to the PG precursor, arachidonic acid, and the endoperoxide, PGH2. The results of these studies suggest that SQ 29,548 is a specific TX receptor antagonist in the mesenteric vascular bed, that the vasoconstrictor component of the biphasic response to arachidonic acid and PGH2 is due to formation of TXA2, and that endogenously formed TXA2 does not modulate adrenergic responses in the mesenteric circulation of the cat.