Electrical field stimulation of rat mesenteric small arteries: force and free cytosolic calcium during neurogenic contractions and mechanisms of non-neurogenic relaxations

Rat mesenteric small artery neurogenic dilatation is predominantly mediated by β1 -adrenoceptors in vivo

KEY POINTS

The prevailing dogma about neurogenic regulation of vascular tone consists of major vasodilatation caused by CGRP (and possibly substance P) released from sensory-motor nerves and vasoconstriction caused by noradrenaline, ATP and neuropeptode Y release from sympathetic nerves. Most studies on perivascular nerve-mediated vasodilatation are made in vitro. In the present study, we provide evidence indicating that in vivo electrical perivascular nerve stimulation in rat mesenteric small arteries causes a large β1-adrenoceptor-mediated vasodilatation, which contrasts with a smaller vasodilatation caused by endogenous CGRP that is only visible after inhibition of Y1 NPY receptors.

ABSTRACT

Mesenteric arteries are densely innervated and the nerves are important regulators of vascular tone and hence blood pressure and blood flow. Perivascular sensory-motor nerves have been shown to cause vasodilatation in vitro. However, less is known about their function in vivo. Male Wistar rats (10-12 weeks old; n = 72) were anaesthetized with ketamine (3 mg kg^-1 ) and xylazine (0.75 mg kg^-1 ) or pentobarbital (60 mg kg^-1 ). After a laparotomy, a section of second-order mesenteric artery was visualized in an organ bath after minimal removal of perivascular adipose tissue. The effects of electrical field stimulation (EFS) and drugs on artery diameter and blood flow were recorded with intravital microscopy and laser speckle imaging. EFS caused vasodilatation in arteries constricted with 1 μm U46619 in the presence of 140 μm suramin and 1 μm prazosin. The vasodilatation was inhibited by 1 μm tetrodotoxin and 5 μm guanethidine, although not by the 1 μm of the CGRP receptor antagonist BIBN4096bs. In the presence of 0.3 μm Y1 receptor antagonist BIBP3226, BIBN4096bs partly inhibited the vasodilatation. Atenolol at a concentration 1 μm inhibited the vasodilatation, whereas 0.1 μm of the β₂ -adrenoceptor selective antagonist ICI-118,551 had no effect. Increasing the extracellular [K⁺ ] to 20 mm caused vasodilatation but was converted to vasoconstriction in the presence of 1 μm BIBN4096bs, and constriction to 30 mm potassium was potentiated by BIBN4096bs. Atenolol but not BIBN4096bs increased contraction to EFS in the absence of suramin and prazosin. In mesenteric small arteries of anaesthetized rats, EFS failed to stimulate major dilatation via sensory-motor nerves but induced sympathetic β₁ -adrenoceptor-mediated dilatation.

Field stimulation-induced tetrodotoxin-resistant vasorelaxation is mediated by sodium hypochlorite

This study was done to determine the mechanism of field stimulation-induced tetrodotoxin (TTX)- and NG- nitro-l-arginine (LNA)-resistant vasorelaxation. Field stimulation with platinum and carbon, but not with silver, electrodes (30 V, 30 HZ, 2-5 ms pulse width) as well as electrically stimulated salt (0.9% NaCl) solution (ESSS) or Krebs solution caused 100% relaxation of phenylephrine-contracted rat aortic strips, which was TTX and LNA resistant and endothelium independent. ESSS also relaxed other vascular preparations (rabbit aorta and renal artery, dog coronary artery, pig ductus arteriosus, and rat portal vein). The electric current generated hypochlorite (OCl-) and H2O2 from the salt solution; however, vasorelaxation was caused by NaOCl and not by H2O2. ESSS and NaOCl caused contraction failure of spontaneously beating right atria of rats and did not affect uterine contractions, vascular cAMP, cGMP, or the pH of the tissue bath. Field stimulation, ESSS, and NaOCl did not relax aortic preparations contracted by 32 mmol/L potassium and their vasorelaxant effects on phenylephrine-contracted rat aortic strips and rings were completely reversed by tetraethylammonium and partially by glibenclamide and iberiotoxin. We conclude that electric pulses generate the oxidant OCl- from the salt solution, which causes vasorelaxation by increasing K+ conductance.

Phase Resetting of Arterial Vasomotion by Burst Stimulation of Perivascular Nerves

Arteries display cyclic diameter variations, vasomotion. In vivo, these rhythmic contractions are modulated by the influence of sympathetic nerves. In this study, we investigated the effect of burst stimulation of intramural nerves in vitro on the vasomotion of rat mesenteric small arteries. Vessels were mounted for isometric force measurement. After initiation of vasomotion with noradrenaline (0.5-2 microM), periarterial sympathetic nerves were stimulated electrically (10 impulses at 20 Hz) at approximately half-minute intervals. With a delay of 2-3 s, a neurogenic burst caused a brief contraction of the vascular smooth muscle and altered the period of the current vasomotion cycle. The effect on amplitude decayed rapidly and was practically not apparent in the next vasomotion cycle after the burst. With respect to period, stimulation at increasing intervals from the trough in force of vasomotion caused gradual prolongation of the cycle until a critical interval was reached, after which cycle duration was reduced instead. Since subsequent cycles were not affected, a change in phase remained. When two segments of oscillating arteries were mounted in a two-vessel myograph, simultaneously applied bursts of impulses synchronized their oscillation. The data suggest that changes in neural activity are able to make different vessels oscillate in phase, thereby coordinating vasomotion in different parts of the vascular tree, possibly explaining the synchronicity of vasomotion in different vascular beds that can be observed in vivo.

Changes in reactivity of rat arteries subjected to dynamic stretch

The effect of dynamic stretch on the reactivity of the rat tail and mesenteric artery segments was studied. Segments mounted on a myograph were stretched by a computer-controlled motorized micromanipulator. Dynamic stretch (1, 5 or 7 Hz) inhibited the artery constriction induced by noradrenaline (10 microM), 5-hydroxytryptamine (0.7 microM), or electrical field stimulation of intramural nerves. In contrast, dynamic stretch enhanced the tetrodotoxin-insensitive dilation induced by electrical field stimulation of noradrenaline-contracted arteries. Maximal increase of dilation evoked by electrical field stimulation (24.5 +/- 5.0% in mesenteric and 50.3 +/- 15.6% in the tail artery) was observed at a dynamic stretch-frequency of 5 Hz. An inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis, NG-nitro-L-arginine (100 microM), abolished the difference in reactivity between static and dynamic conditions. The results indicate that dynamic stretch of the arteries activates nitric oxide synthesis/secretion, thus reducing constrictor and increasing dilator responses to the stimuli used.

Action of ryanodine on neurogenic responses in rat isolated mesenteric small arteries

1. Rat mesenteric (approximately 250 microns) were set up in a single-channel isometric myograph designed to allow with 6 microM fura-2AM for 2 h and simultaneous recordings of neurogenic contraction (force) and intracellular calcium [Ca2+]i were obtained. In other experiments, arteries were loaded with 1 microCi ml-1 [3H]-noradrenaline (NA) for 30 min in order to measure release of [3H]-NA in response to field stimulation to examine whether ryanodine directly inhibited neuronal release of NA. 2. Arteries were activated by single intermittent field stimulation or continuously to excite intrinsic sympathetic nerves, or by cumulative addition of noradrenaline (1 nM-10 microM) to the bathing solution. 3. Pre-incubation with ryanodine markedly inhibited the contraction and [Ca2+]i release in response to single-pulse nerve stimulation. Ryanodine also inhibited an early phasic component of the response to continuous field stimulation and reduced the rate of rise in force in response to continuous field stimulation. However, stable maximal contraction and [Ca2+]i in response to continuous field stimulation as well as maximal responses to exogenous NA were unaffected. Release of [3H]-NA in response to single intermittent field stimulation was not affected by ryanodine when compared to vehicle. 4. Our results suggest that brief intermittent activation of intramural sympathetic nerves increases [Ca2+]i and contracts small arteries primarily by releasing Ca2+ from a ryanodine-sensitive intracellular store. In contrast, the stable rise in tone and [Ca2+]i resulting from continuous nerve stimulation may largely depend on sources of Ca2+ other than the ryanodine-sensitive intracellular store.