Inhibition of 3,4-diaminopyridine-induced coronary oscillation by adenyl compounds

Rhythmicity in arterial smooth muscle

Many arteries and arterioles exhibit rhythmical contractions which are synchronous over considerable distances. This vasomotion is likely to assist in tissue perfusion especially during periods of altered metabolism or perfusion pressure. While the mechanism underlying vascular rhythmicity has been investigated for many years, it has only been recently, with the advent of imaging techniques for visualizing intracellular calcium release, that significant advances have been made. These methods, when combined with mechanical and electrophysiological recordings, have demonstrated that the rhythm depends critically on calcium released from intracellular stores within the smooth muscle cells and on cell coupling via gap junctions to synchronize oscillations in calcium release amongst adjacent cells. While these factors are common to all vessels studied to date, the contribution of voltage-dependent channels and the endothelium varies amongst different vessels. The basic mechanism for rhythmical activity in arteries thus differs from its counterpart in non-vascular smooth muscle, where specific networks of pacemaker cells generate electrical potentials which drive activity within the otherwise quiescent muscle cells.

Tension oscillation in arteries and its abnormality in hypertensive animals

1. The mechanisms of oscillatory contraction of arterial smooth muscle in vitro are discussed. 2. The membrane potential and cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration in smooth muscle cells oscillate in the presence of agonists. 3. The oscillatory change in the membrane potential of smooth muscle cells is related to Ca2+ release from intracellular stores. 4. Gap junctions between smooth muscle cells play important roles in the synchronized oscillation of the cytoplasmic free Ca2+ concentration in this population of cells. 5. Endothelial cells may increase or decrease the tension oscillation of smooth muscle cells. 6. In arteries from hypertensive rats, an increase in membrane excitability and the number of gap junctions between smooth muscle cells and impaired endothelial function are the main factors responsible for the modulation of tension oscillation.

Different utilization of Ca2+ in the contractile action of endothelin-1 on cerebral, coronary and mesenteric arteries of the dog

Vasoconstrictor responses to endothelin-1 (ET) were compared between endothelium-denuded strips of cerebral, coronary and mesenteric arteries of the dog. Contractile responses to lower concentrations (below 3 x 10(-10) M) of ET were significantly greater in the cerebral and coronary arteries than in the mesenteric artery. The cerebral and coronary arteries, but not the mesenteric artery, relaxed significantly from the resting level when placed in a 0-Ca solution. Readdition of Ca2+ to the cerebral and coronary arteries placed in the 0-Ca solution caused a biphasic contraction which was susceptible to inhibition by nifedipine. When ET below 10(-10) M was introduced before the Ca2+ contraction, this peptide produced no detectable contraction, but augmented the Ca2+ contraction. The augmented Ca2+ contractions were abolished by 10(-7) M nifedipine. These effects of ET were not observed in the mesenteric artery. The contractile responses of the mesenteric artery to ET determined in the presence of elevated extracellular K+ concentrations were comparable to the responses of the cerebral artery to this peptide determined in the presence of normal K+ concentrations. These results indicate that the enhanced responses to ET in the cerebral and coronary arteries were dependent on the Ca2+ influx through voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels and suggest that these channels are in an activated state when these arteries are in a resting state.

Effects of adenosine analogs and ouabain on rhythmicity in human coronary artery

The effects of adenosine receptor agonists and ouabain on rhythmicity were studied in coronary arteries obtained from 12 human donors. Ring segments of left anterior descending coronary arteries were suspended in organ baths for measurement of isometric tension. Prostaglandin F2 alpha (PGF2 alpha:10 microM) produced tonic contractions followed by phasic relaxations. The phasic relaxations were completely abolished by either 100 nM ouabain or 50 mM KCl and changed to tonic contraction. The rhythmicity was also inhibited in K+-free medium. The adenosine analogs, 5'-N-ethylcarbo-xamidoadenosine (NECA) and 2-chloroadenosine (CAD) caused a concentration-dependent relaxation of the maximum force, minimum force, and decreased the frequency of rhythmicity. In rings that did not show phasic activity in response to PGF2 alpha, NECA and CAD produced concentration-dependent relaxation of the tonic contraction. Prior treatment with ouabain (100 nM) prevented the relaxing response of these compounds and the development of rhythmicity. Our data show that PGF2 alpha-induced rhythmicity in human coronary arteries could be inhibited by ouabain, alterations in K+ concentrations and by adenosine analogs. The relaxations produced by adenosine analogs could also be inhibited by ouabain.

Effects of adenosine and calcium entry blockers on 3,4-diaminopyridine-induced rhythmic contractions in dog coronary artery

3,4-Diaminopyridine, a potassium (K+) channel blocker, was used to induce phasic contractions in an isolated K+-contracted dog left anterior descending coronary artery ring preparation. The effects of adenosine, N6-L-phenyl-isopropyl-adenosine (L-PIA) and 5'-N-ethylcarboxamide-adenosine (NECA) were compared with those of calcium (Ca2+) entry blockers (nifedipine, verapamil, diltiazem) on the maximum developed force, minimum developed force and contraction frequency in this model. Adenosine, L-PIA and NECA significantly relaxed the minimum force and decreased the contraction frequency without any effect on the maximum force. The order of potency was: NECA greater than L-PIA greater than adenosine. Nifedipine, verapamil and diltiazem significantly relaxed the maximum force and increased the contraction frequency without a significant relaxing effect on minimum force. It is, therefore, likely that adenosine (and its analogs) and Ca2+ entry blockers have different mechanisms for the relaxation of coronary smooth muscle and that adenosine probably relaxes the vessels through A2 receptor.