Effects of phosphodiesterase inhibitors on hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. Influence of K(+) channels and nitric oxide

Effect of nitric oxide-cyclic GMP-K+ channel pathway blockers, naloxone and metformin, on the antinociception induced by the diuretic pamabrom

Pamabrom is a diuretic that is effective in treating premenstrual syndrome and primary dysmenorrhea. The aim of this study was to examine the effect of metformin and modulators of the opioid receptor-nitric oxide (NO)-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-K⁺ channel pathway on the local antinociception induced by pamabrom. The rat paw 1% formalin test was used to assess the effects. Rats were treated with local administration of pamabrom (200-800 µg/paw) or indomethacin (200-800 µg/paw). The antinociception of pamabrom or indomethacin was evaluated with and without the local pretreatment of the blockers. Local administration of pamabrom and indomethacin produced dose-dependent antinociception during the second phase of the test. Local pretreatment of the paws with naloxone (50 µg/paw), l-nitro-arginine methyl ester (10-100 µg/paw), or 1H-(1,2,4)-oxadiazolo[4,2-a]quinoxalin-1-one (10-100 µg/paw) reverted the antinociception induced by local pamabrom, but not of indomethacin. Similarly, the K⁺ channel blockers glibenclamide, glipizide, 4-aminopyridine, tetraethylammonium, charybdotoxin, or apamin reverted the pamabrom-induced antinociception, but not of indomethacin. Metformin significantly blocked the antinociception of pamabrom and indomethacin. Our data suggest that pamabrom could activate the opioid receptor-NO-cGMP-K⁺ channel pathway to produce its peripheral antinociception in the formalin test. Likewise, a biguanide-dependent mechanism could be activated by pamabrom and indomethacin to generate antinociception.

Bacillus anthracis edema toxin inhibits hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction via edema factor and cAMP-mediated mechanisms in isolated perfused rat lungs

Bacillus anthracis edema toxin (ET) inhibited lethal toxin-stimulated pulmonary artery pressure (Ppa) and increased lung cAMP levels in our previous study. We therefore examined whether ET inhibits hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV). Following baseline hypoxic measures in isolated perfused lungs from healthy rats, compared with diluent, ET perfusion reduced maximal Ppa increases (mean ± SE percentage of maximal Ppa increase with baseline hypoxia) during 6-min hypoxic periods (FIO2 = 0%) at 120 min (16 ± 6% vs. 51 ± 6%, P = 0.004) and 180 min (11.4% vs. 55 ± 6%, P = 0.01). Protective antigen-mAb (PA-mAb) and adefovir inhibit host cell edema factor uptake and cAMP production, respectively. In lungs perfused with ET following baseline measures, compared with placebo, PA-mAb treatment increased Ppa during hypoxia at 120 and 180 min (56 ± 6% vs. 10 ± 4% and 72 ± 12% vs. 12 ± 3%, respectively, P ≤ 0.01) as did adefovir (84 ± 10% vs. 16.8% and 123 ± 21% vs. 26 ± 11%, respectively, P ≤ 0.01). Compared with diluent, lung perfusion with ET for 180 min reduced the slope of the relationships between Ppa and increasing concentrations of endothelin-1 (ET-1) (21.12 ± 2.96 vs. 3.00 ± 0.76 × 108 cmH2O/M, P < 0.0001) and U46619, a thromboxane A2 analogue (7.15 ± 1.01 vs. 3.74 ± 0.31 × 107 cmH2O/M, P = 0.05) added to perfusate. In lungs isolated from rats after 15 h of in vivo infusions with either diluent, ET alone, or ET with PA-mAb, compared with diluent, the maximal Ppa during hypoxia and the slope of the relationship between change in Ppa and ET-1 concentration added to the perfusate were reduced in lungs from animals challenged with ET alone (P ≤ 0.004) but not with ET and PA-mAb together (P ≥ 0.73). Inhibition of HPV by ET could aggravate hypoxia during anthrax pulmonary infection.NEW & NOTEWORTHY The most important findings here are edema toxin's potent adenyl cyclase activity can interfere with hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, an action that could worsen hypoxemia during invasive anthrax infection with lung involvement. These findings, coupled with other studies showing that lethal toxin can disrupt pulmonary vascular integrity, indicate that both toxins can contribute to pulmonary pathophysiology during infection. In combination, these investigations provide a further basis for the use of antitoxin therapies in patients with worsening invasive anthrax disease.

Early alcohol exposure disrupts visual cortex plasticity in mice

There is growing evidence that deficits in neuronal plasticity underlie the cognitive problems seen in fetal alcohol spectrum disorders (FASD). However, the mechanisms behind these deficits are not clear. Here we test the effects of early alcohol exposure on ocular dominance plasticity (ODP) in mice and the reversibility of these effects by phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors. Mouse pups were exposed to 5 g/kg of 25% ethanol i.p. on postnatal days (P) 5, 7 and 9. This type of alcohol exposure mimics binge drinking during the third trimester equivalent of human gestation. To assess ocular dominance plasticity animals were monocularly deprived at P21 for 10 days, and tested using optical imaging of intrinsic signals. During the period of monocular deprivation animals were treated with vinpocetine (20mg/kg; PDE1 inhibitor), rolipram (1.25mg/kg; PDE4 inhibitor), vardenafil (3mg/kg; PDE5 inhibitor) or vehicle solution. Monocular deprivation resulted in the expected shift in ocular dominance of the binocular zone in saline controls but not in the ethanol group. While vinpocetine successfully restored ODP in the ethanol group, rolipram and vardenafil did not. However, when rolipram and vardenafil were given simultaneously ODP was restored. PDE4 and PDE5 are specific to cAMP and cGMP respectively, while PDE1 acts on both of these nucleotides. Our findings suggest that the combined activation of the cAMP and cGMP cascades may be a good approach to improve neuronal plasticity in FASD models.

ZAPRINAST ATTENUATES HYPOXIC PULMONARY ARTERY INJURY AND CAUSES LESS AORTIC RELAXATION THAN MILRINONE

Hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction is a challenging clinical problem with limited therapeutic options. Milrinone, a phosphodiesterase (PDE)-3 inhibitor, is frequently used to treat perioperative pulmonary hypertension. However, recent evidence suggests that the PDE-5 isoform may be more specific for lung tissue. We hypothesized that the PDE-5 inhibitor zaprinast has greater efficacy for pulmonary vasorelaxation, attenuation of hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, and inhibition of hypoxia-induced pulmonary artery cytokine expression when compared with milrinone. To study this, isolated rat pulmonary artery and thoracic aorta rings suspended in physiologic organ baths for measurement of isometric force transduction were treated with vehicle (dimethyl sulfoxide), milrinone, or zaprinast to assess pulmonary artery relaxation, thoracic aorta relaxation, inhibition of hypoxic (pO2 = 30-35 mmHg) pulmonary vasoconstriction, and hypoxia-induced pulmonary artery TNF-alpha and IL-1beta expression (reverse transcriptase-PCR). Milrinone and zaprinast resulted in dose-dependent pulmonary artery and aortic relaxation, but zaprinast caused significantly less aortic relaxation compared with milrinone (50.12% +/- 3.36% versus 91.03% +/- 2.97%, P < 0.001). Zaprinast, but not milrinone, significantly inhibited hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (zaprinast, 58.42% +/- 5.37%; milrinone, 77.65% +/- 4.42% versus vehicle: 74.42% +/- 7.54%). Hypoxia-induced upregulation of TNF-alpha and IL-1beta mRNA in pulmonary artery was decreased by zaprinast, but not milrinone, pretreatment. These results suggest that zaprinast, but not milrinone, preferentially vasodilates pulmonary artery over aorta, attenuates hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction, and inhibits hypoxia-induced pulmonary artery TNF-alpha and IL-1beta expression. Therefore, PDE-5 inhibition may be advantageous in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension.

Glibenclamide Reveals Role for Endothelin in Hypoxia-Induced Vasoconstriction in Rat Intrapulmonary Arteries

The present study investigated whether activation of vasodilatory mechanisms masks the involvement of endothelin in hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction. Rat intrapulmonary arteries were mounted in microvascular myographs. In arteries with endothelium and contracted with phenylephrine, hypoxia, evoked by exchanging 5% CO2 in air for CO2 in N2, caused a transient contraction followed by a sustained contraction. Hypoxia evoked relaxation in preparations without endothelium. An inhibitor of ATP-sensitive K+ channels (KATP), glibenclamide (10 microM), blunted hypoxic relaxation in arteries without endothelium and enhanced the sustained hypoxic vasoconstriction in arteries with endothelium. Hypoxic contraction was more pronounced in endothelin compared with phenylephrine-contracted preparations in the absence, but not in the presence of glibenclamide. Antagonism of the endothelin ETA and ETB receptors with SB217242 or the combination of BQ123 and BQ788 inhibited endothelin and hypoxic contraction, but the latter only in the presence of glibenclamide. An inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, N-nitro-L-arginine (100 microM), evoked contractions, which were left unaltered by SB217242 in hypoxic conditions. In conclusion, hypoxic contraction is mediated in part by an unknown endothelium-derived contractile factor and incubation with glibenclamide shows endothelin enhances hypoxic contraction in part through inhibition of KATP channels. Moreover, inhibition of NO formation in pulmonary arteries does not change endothelin receptor activation in severe hypoxia.

Relaxant effects of selective phosphodiesterase inhibitors on U46619 precontracted human intralobar pulmonary arteries and role of potassium channels

We examined the influence of K+ channel antagonists on the vasorelaxation induced by theophylline (non selective PDEI), siguazodan (PDE3I), rolipram (PDE4I) and zaprinast (PDE5I) in human intralobar pulmonary arteries. All PDEI tested induced a concentration-dependent relaxation with theophylline being significantly (p < 0.05) more efficient and rolipram more potent than PDE5I and PDE3I (Emax values, expressed as a percentage of maximal relaxation by papaverine 10(-4)M, were 92% +/- 2%, 84% +/- 8%, 90% +/- 4% and 99% +/- 1%, and pD2 values were 7.30 +/- 0.35, 6.14 +/- 0.25, 5.86 +/- 0.17, and 4.85 +/- 0.47 for rolipram, siguazodan, zaprinast and theophylline, respectively). 4-Aminopyridine (4-AP, Kv, voltage dependent channel blocker, 1 mM) induced a significant increase (+17% p < 0.05) of U46619-induced vasoconstriction whereas the other K+-channels blockers, glibenclamide (KATP channels, 1 microM) charybdotoxin (predominant BKCa, large conductance Ca2+-sensitive K+ channels, 0.1 microM) and apamine (SKCa, small conductance, 0.3 microM) were without effect. The concentration response curves (CRC) for rolipram were significantly shifted to the right by glibenclamide (1 microM), charybdotoxin (0.1 microM) and 4-AP (1 mM). The CRC for siguazodan was significantly displaced to the right by 4-AP. None of the potassium channel blockers displaced the CRC for zaprinast and theophylline. Apamine was without effect on the CRC for all the PDEI used in this study. (1) PDE3, 4 and 5 are functionally present in human intralobar pulmonary arteries; (2) the vasoconstriction induced by U46619 is downregulated by 4-aminopyridine sensitive-K+ channels; (3) the relaxant effects of rolipram (PDE4I) are partly mediated through KATP, BKCa, and Kv potassium channels and those of siguazodan (PDE3I) by Kv potassium channels.