Selective guanylyl cyclase inhibitor reverses nitric oxide-induced vasorelaxation.

Effects of a novel soluble guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ), were characterized on guanylyl cyclase activity in cytosolic fraction of COS-7 cells overexpressing the alpha 1 and beta 1 subunits of the rat soluble enzyme. ODQ was a noncompetitive inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase with respect to Mn2+ or Mn(2+)-GTP and was a mixed competitive/noncompetitive inhibitor with respect to nitric oxide (NO) donation. ODQ (10 mumol/L) reduced deta nonoate-stimulated cGMP production in COS-7 cells overexpressing soluble guanylyl cyclase and in rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells. ODQ did not inhibit particulate forms of the enzyme rat guanylyl cyclase-A, -B, or -C, did not block NO synthase, and did not auto-oxidize deta nonoate-donated NO in the presence of cells at physiological pH. Therefore, ODQ is a selective inhibitor of soluble guanylyl cyclase. Using ODQ in isolated aortic ring preparations, we tested the hypothesis that soluble guanylyl cyclase mediates vasorelaxant activity associated with NO. Phenylephrine (100 nmol/L)-precontracted, isolated rat aortas were relaxed in a concentration-dependent manner by deta nonoate (0.01 to 100 mumol/L) and nitroglycerin (0.01 to 300 mumol/L). ODQ (10 mumol/L) attenuated deta nonoate- and nitroglycerin-mediated relaxation of contracted aortas. ODQ had no effect on natriuretic peptide-, 8-bromo-cGMP-, isoproterenol-, or bimakalim-mediated aortic relaxation. These results support the hypothesis that soluble guanylyl cyclase mediates vasorelaxant activity associated with nitric oxide.

Ethanol inhibits nonadrenergic, noncholinergic neurotransmission in the anococcygeus muscle of the rat.

The anococcygeus muscle of the rat is innervated by both excitatory adrenergic and inhibitory nonadrenergic, noncholinergic (NANC) neurons. The transmitter released from NANC neurons appears to be nitric oxide or a related molecule. In vitro, acute administration of ethanol inhibited, in a dose-dependent manner, NANC-induced relaxation of anococcygeus muscle obtained from ethanol-naive animals. Two days of in vivo ethanol administration resulted in an increase in the maximal relaxation induced by stimulation of NANC neurons and in a significant shift to the right of the acute ethanol dose-response curve for inhibition of NANC relaxation. The sensitivity of the anococcygeus muscle to relaxation induced by the nitric oxide donors, acidified sodium nitrite or sodium nitroprusside, was not altered significantly by acute in vitro or chronic ethanol treatment 2 days in vivo. These data suggest that acutely administered in vitro ethanol inhibits the production of nitric oxide induced by stimulation of NANC neurons. Data further suggest that 2 days of ethanol administration in vivo produce an enhanced responsiveness of the NANC neurons to transmural stimulation and that this enhanced responsiveness accounts for the tolerance to the inhibition induced by the acutely administered ethanol in vitro.

Endothelium-dependent tolerance to ethanol-induced contraction of rat aorta: effect of inhibition of EDRF action and nitric oxide synthesis.

In vitro ethanol induces a dose-dependent contraction of the aorta. Tolerance to this effect of ethanol is expressed by a rightward shift of the dose-response curve in aorta from animals intoxicated with ethanol for 2 days. The expression of tolerance in the aorta is dependent upon the presence of functional endothelial cells which suggests that tolerance is mediated, in part, by endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF). To test this hypothesis, three inhibitors of EDRF action and an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis were studied for their ability to alter tolerance to ethanol-induced contraction of the aorta. In vitro pretreatment of aortic rings with gossypol (10(-6)-10(-5) M), pyrogallol (10(-5) M), hemoglobin (10(-6) M), and NG-nitro-L-arginine (NOARG, 10(-4) M) inhibited endothelium-dependent relaxation induced by carbachol. The inhibition of carbachol-induced relaxation produced by pyrogallol was reversed by superoxide dismutase (SOD, 45 units/ml). In vitro pretreatment of rings obtained from ethanol-treated rats with gossypol, pyrogallol, hemoglobin, or NOARG inhibited the expression of ethanol tolerance, shifting the ethanol dose-response curve to control values. SOD reversed the effect of pyrogallol pretreatment. None of the antagonists significantly altered the ethanol dose-response curve of aortic rings obtained from control animals. These data support the hypothesis that tolerance to ethanol-induced contraction of the aorta is mediated by the release of EDRF from endothelial cells.

Endothelium-dependent transfer of ethanol tolerance in the aorta.

Recent studies have suggested that the endothelium-dependent tolerance to the direct vasoconstrictor effect of ethanol in the rat aorta is mediated by endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF). This hypothesis was tested directly by employing a sandwich technique which has been used to demonstrate the release and action of EDRF. These experiments measured the ethanol-induced contraction of a spirally-cut aortic strip without endothelium obtained from an ethanol naive control rat. The response of the spiral strip was measured before and after it was sandwiched with a longitudinally-cut aortic strip with or without endothelium obtained from either control or ethanol tolerant rats. There was no significant difference in the ethanol-induced contraction of the spiral strip after beginning sandwiched with a longitudinal strip with or without endothelium obtained from a control rat or with a longitudinal strip without endothelium from a tolerant rat. In contrast, when a longitudinal strip with endothelium from a tolerant rat was sandwiched with the spiral strip the ethanol-induced contraction was significantly reduced. This effect was inhibited by methylene blue but not by indomethacin. Further, the magnitude of the carbachol-induced relaxation of the sandwiched preparation was significantly greater when the longitudinal strip with endothelium was obtained from a tolerant rat than from control rat. These data demonstrate the involvement of EDRF in the endothelium-dependent tolerance to ethanol in the rat aorta.

The role of endothelium in tolerance to ethanol-induced contraction of the rat aorta.

After 2 days of intoxication an endothelium-dependent tolerance to ethanol-induced contraction of the rat aorta develops. This study investigates the possibility that the observed tolerance may be due to the recently described endothelium-dependent vasodilator system which mediates the action of several potent vasodilators. The maximum response induced by ethanol in control and intoxicated aortic rings with endothelium was significantly increased by treatment with eicosatetraynoic acid and methylene blue. In addition, these agents significantly decreased the EC50 of ethanol in intoxicated but not control rings with endothelium. The response of control and intoxicated aortic rings without endothelium was unaltered by eicosatetraynoic acid or methylene blue. Indomethacin, nordihydroguaiaretic acid, and FPL 55712 did not alter either the maximum response or the EC50 of ethanol in control or intoxicated rings with endothelium. These observations support the hypothesis that the endothelium-dependent tolerance observed in the aorta may be due to the release of an endothelium-derived relaxing factor.

Tolerance to ethanol-induced contractions of vascular smooth muscle: role of endothelium.

Ethanol, at high concentrations, produced a dose-dependent contraction of male rat aortic rings, in vitro. Mechanical removal of endothelial cells from aortic rings of control rats resulted in a small, but significant, shift of the ethanol dose-response curve to the right without a change in the maximal contraction. Removing the endothelial cells of aortic rings obtained from rats intoxicated with ethanol for two days significantly shifted the ethanol dose-response curve to the left and significantly increased the maximal contraction induced by ethanol. A comparison of the ethanol dose-response curves in aortic rings with endothelium obtained from control rats with those obtained from intoxicated rats indicated a significant shift to the right with no change in maximal response. No significant changes were observed when the responses of aortic rings without endothelium obtained from control and intoxicated rats were compared. These observations confirm that tolerance to ethanol can be demonstrated in vascular smooth muscle. In addition, they demonstrate that the endothelium is required for the development of tolerance to ethanol in the aorta.

Cross-tolerance between ethanol and levorphanol with respect to stimulation of plasma corticosterone.

Male rats chronically intoxicated with ethanol for at least two days were tolerant to the ethanol-induced stimulation of hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis. Chronically intoxicated rats also were tolerant to stimulation of this axis by levorphanol but not by amphetamine or ether. In a similar manner, animals treated with levorphanol for two days were tolerant to stimulation of the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal axis by either levorphanol or ethanol. These observations provide further support for the hypothesis that endogenous opioids may be involved in the development of tolerance to ethanol.

Effect of amphetamine on plasma corticosterone in the conscious rat.

The effect of amphetamine (AMPH) on plasma corticosterone was studied in the conscious, unstressed rat. AMPH (0.5-5.0 mg/kg) produced a dose-dependent increase in plasma corticosterone. This rise in plasma corticosterone was not altered by the adrenergic blocking agents phenoxybenzamine or propranolol. In contrast, the serotonergic depleting agent p-chloroamphetamine significantly inhibited the AMPH-induced rise in corticosterone. In addition, the serotonergic blocking agent methysergide, but not cyproheptadine, inhibited the corticosterone increase induced by AMPH.