Modulation of calcium movements by nitroprusside in isolated vascular smooth muscle cells

Spontaneous transient outward currents in smooth muscle cells

Spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs) lasting about 100 ms occur in single smooth muscle cells and represent the simultaneous opening of up to a hundred calcium-activated potassium (BK) channels. The recent observation of brief focal releases of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium ('sparks') in smooth muscle cells has provided support for the original suggestion that STOCs arise due to the spontaneous releases of calcium from the SR close to the sarcolemma. However, it is possible that such releases occur in a region of close apposition of SR membrane and sarcolemma about 0.1 microns wide ('junctional space') in which case they would be detectable by endogenous calcium-sensitive molecules such as BK channels but, using present confocal microscopy technique, not by calcium-indicator dyes introduced into the cell; should calcium escape from the junctional space then it may be visualised as 'sparks' by the fluorescent emission from calcium-indicator dyes using confocal microscopy. Some STOCs seem too large to represent the effect of a single 'spark' and some form of calcium-induced calcium release or 'macrospark' may be involved in their generation. Depletion of calcium stores by caffeine, ryanodine, or by activation of receptors linked to the phospholipase C/inositol trisphosphate system abolishes STOCs. However, low concentrations of caffeine or inositol trisphosphate accelerate STOC discharge by an unknown mechanism and often decrease STOC size presumably by depleting store calcium; similar effects are produced by agents such as cyclopiazonic acid and thapsigargin which inhibit calcium storage mechanisms (largely the SR calcium pump).

Inhibition by sodium nitroprusside of a calcium store depletion-activated non-selective cation current in smooth muscle cells of the mouse anococcygeus

1. The effects of sodium nitroprusside (SNP) on the non-selective cation current activated in response to intracellular calcium store depletion were studied using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique in single smooth muscle cells isolated from the mouse anococcygeus. Voltage-dependent calcium currents were blocked with extracellular nifedipine, and caesium and tetraethylammonium chloride were used to block voltage-dependent potassium currents. Calcium stores were depleted with caffeine (10 mM), carbachol (50 microM) or cyclopiazonic acid (CPA 10 microM; an inhibitor of the sarcoplasmic reticulum [SR] calcium-ATPase). 2. At a holding potential of -40 mV, both CPA and caffeine activated inward currents which consisted of two clearly distinguishable components; an initial transient current followed by a smaller sustained current. In the case of CPA, the amplitudes of the transient and sustained components were 19.7 +/- 2.1 pA and 3.5 +/- 0.3 pA respectively, whilst the equivalent values for caffeine were 188 +/- 21 and 4.8 +/- 0.3 pA. As described previously, the transient current results from activation of a calcium-dependent chloride conductance whilst the sustained current is a non-selective cation current, activated following intracellular calcium store depletion. 3. The muscarinic receptor agonist, carbachol, also activated a transient followed by a sustained current with amplitudes of 238 +/- 55 and 4.7 +/- 0.5 pA respectively. Superimposed on the sustained current were regular, oscillations of calcium-activated chloride current. 4. Both the transient and the sustained currents activated by CPA were absent in cells pretreated with SNP (10 microM). Application of SNP to a cell following activation of the sustained current by CPA inhibited the current by 88.6 +/- 3.8%. SNP (10 microM) did not inhibit the transient current activated by caffeine but abolished the sustained current. 5. SNP (10 microM) had no effect on the initial transient current activated by carbachol (50 microM). However, it did inhibit the oscillations in the inward current. In recordings from cells bathed in extracellular solution containing the chloride channel blocker, anthracene-9-carboxylic acid (A-9-C; 1 mM), carbachol activated only a sustained current. This current was inhibited by 88.1 +/- 6.5% by a concomitant application of SNP (10 microM) and was absent in cells pretreated with the nitrovasodilator. 6. The effects of SNP on the currents activated by caffeine (10 mM) were mimicked by 8-bromo-cyclic GMP (200 microM); thus the nucleotide had no effect on the transient current activated by caffeine but abolished the sustained current. The effects of SNP, but not those of 8-bromo-cyclic GMP, were inhibited by the nitric oxide-sensitive guanylyl cyclase inhibitor, 1H-[1, 2, 4]oxadiazolo[4, 3-a]quinoxaline-1-one (ODQ; 1 microM). ODQ alone produced a significant increase in the size of the sustained current activated by caffeine (7.8 +/- 0.7 pA). 7. These findings suggest that SNP activates guanylyl cyclase to inhibit the non-selective cation current activated as a result of intracellular calcium store depletion in mouse anococcygeus cells. Since the non-selective cation current appears to underlie the calcium entry process responsible for maintaining the sustained contractions to agonists in this tissue, this action of SNP may represent an important mechanism by which nitrates relax non-vascular smooth muscle.

Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release activates K+ currents by a cyclic GMP-dependent mechanism in single gastric smooth muscle cells

The participation of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ release channels in the activation of Ca(2+)-sensitive K+ currents (IK(Ca)) by cyclic dibutyryl GMP was investigated in smooth muscle cells from the circular layer of guinea-pig gastric fundus. All experiments were performed in the presence of 3 microM nicardipine into the bath and low Ca2+ buffering capacity of the pipette-filling solution (pCa 7.4). Ruthenium red (10 microM) as well as its combination with 10 microM heparin abolished the cyclic GMP-induced activation of IK(Ca), while 10 microM heparin remained ineffective. Ryanodine (10 microM) and the subsequently added 1 microM thapsigargin induced a relatively small increase in IK(Ca) amplitudes. The addition of 10 microM ryanodine to 1 microM thapsigargin-containing bath solution caused a vast increase in IK(Ca). It is hypothesyzed that protein kinase G-induced vectorial Ca2+ flux from the cell bulk and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ stores toward the plasma membrane is realized by a spontaneous Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release from a superficially situated Ca2+ store.

Photosensitization of oesophageal smooth muscle by 3-NO2-1, 4-dihydropyridines: evidence for two cyclic GMP-dependent effector pathways

1. Photoactivated mechanical responses that resulted from exposure to 3-NO2-1,4-dihydropyridines (3-NO2-DHP5) or NO-donors were examined in rat isolated oesophageal smooth muscle with a view to determining the role of calcium and cyclic GMP. 2. Isometric contractile force was recorded in preparations bathed in normal Tyrode or 110 mM K(+)-depolarizing solution. Exposure to (+)-PN 202791, (+/-)-Bay K 8644 and (-)-PN 2020791 or the photodegradable NO-donors, sodium nitroprusside (SNP), streptozotocin (STZ) and sodium nitrite photosensitized precontracted tunica muscularis mucosae preparations in a concentration-dependent fashion. Photosensitizing potency followed the order: (+/-)-PN 202791 > (+/-)-Bay K 8644 > (-)-PN 202791 > SNP > STZ > NaNO2. 3. A low amplitude, slow photorelaxation (slope: 1 mg s-1) was obtained with the L-channel antagonists (-)-PN 202791 and (+)-Bay K 4407. Photosensitization by the agonist enantiomers (+)-PN 202 791 and (-)-Bay K 5407, as well as racemic Bay K 8644, was mimicked by NO donors and showed at least three different components, consisting of (i) a fast relaxation (slope: 140 mg s-1), (ii) a fast "off-contraction', and (iii) a delayed slow relaxation. The fast components, but not the delayed slow relaxation, were abolished by blockade of L-type voltage-operated calcium channels, chelation of extracellular calcium and skinning of the plasmalemma, suggesting their mediation by a process linked to calcium entry through L-channels. 4. Both cyclopiazonic acid (3-30 microM) and ryanodine (30 microM) inhibited the fast response. This inhibition was accelerated in the presence of extracellular calcium and resembled that seen in tissues exposed to the calcium ionophore A 23187 (1 microM). In calcium depleted tissues, cyclopiazonic acid (3 microM) prevented restoration of the cis-dioxolane-induced contraction following re-exposure to a calcium containing high K+ buffer, but failed to inhibit the photoresponse. 5. Both the fast and slow relaxations were potentiated by zaprinast (10 microM) and inhibited by LY B3583 (10 microM). However, in calcium-depleted, calyculin A-precontracted preparations only the slow relaxation was evident. 6. The present results support the conclusion that: (i) functional L-channels are required for the expression of the fast components of the 3-NO2-DHP- or NO-donor-induced photoresponse, (ii) NO photorelease followed by activation of soluble guanylyl cyclase is responsible for the photosensitizing activity of 3-NO2-DHPs and (iii) regulation of the contractile proteins via cyclic GMP-dependent phosphorylation may underlie the slow relaxation.

Endothelium-dependent relaxations in sheep pulmonary arteries and veins: resistance to block by NG-nitro-L-arginine in pulmonary hypertension

1. The effect of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NOARG), on endothelium-dependent relaxation to a receptor-independent agent, ionomycin, was examined in isolated pulmonary arteries and veins from control, short-term and chronic pulmonary hypertensive sheep. All vessel segments were contracted to optimal levels of active force with endothelin-1 to record endothelium-dependent relaxation. 2. Pulmonary hypertension was induced by continuous pulmonary artery air embolization for 1 day (short-term) and 14 days (chronic) and was associated with a 2 and 3 fold increase in pulmonary vascular resistance respectively. 3. L-NOARG (0.1 mM) reduced the maximum relaxation (Rmax) to ionomycin in large and medium-sized pulmonary arteries from control sheep by approximately 70%. By contrast, L-NOARG (0.1 mM) did not inhibit the Rmax to ionomycin in matched vessels from short-term and chronic pulmonary hypertensive sheep. 4. Resistance of ionomycin-induced relaxations to inhibition by L-NOARG, was confined to the arterial vasculature in chronic pulmonary hypertensive animals, as relaxations to ionomycin in large and medium-sized chronic pulmonary hypertensive veins were, like those in control veins, abolished by L-NOARG. Both large and medium-sized pulmonary veins from short-term pulmonary hypertensive sheep, however, were resistant to block by L-NOARG. 5. Neither sensitivity (pEC50) nor Rmax to ionomycin in large, short-term pulmonary hypertensive arteries was affected when the extracellular concentration of K+ was increased isotonically to 30 mM. Nifedipine (0.3 microM) was present throughout to prevent high K(+)-induced smooth muscle contraction. In the presence of this high extracellular K+, however, L-NOARG (0.1 mM) caused complete inhibition of the relaxation to ionomycin, whereas in normal extracellular K+ (4.7 mM), L-NOARG only weakly inhibited ionomycin relaxations. 6. In conclusion, the onset of pulmonary hypertension in sheep following air embolization, is associated with the development of resistance of endothelium-dependent relaxations to block by L-NOARG. The mechanism of L-NOARG resistance appears to be due to the up-regulation of a K+ channel-mediated backup vasodilator mechanism which can compensate for the loss of nitric oxide (NO)-mediated relaxation. Although this mechanism remains functionally 'silent' in the presence of NO it is able to maintain adequate endothelium-dependent vasodilatation during pulmonary hypertension if NO synthesis is compromised.

Ca(2+)-mediated damage to rabbit gastric mucosal cells: modulation by nitric oxide

Pertubations in cellular Ca2+ homeostasis can lead to oxidative stress whereas nitric oxide has been shown to inactivate oxygen radicals. Therefore the effects of inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthase activity on Ca2+-mediated disruption to rabbit dispersed gastric mucosal cells have been examined. Addition of the Ca2+ ionophore A23187 (3-25 microM) to the incubation medium induced a concentration-dependent increase in cell damage is assessed by trypan blue dye uptake and decreased cellular metabolic activity as estimated by alamar blue absorbance. These responses were exacerbated by inhibition of NO synthase activity with NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (300 microM). The deleterious effects of ionophore A23187 and NG-monomethyl-L-arginine were ameliorated by addition of the NO donor S-nitroso-acetyl-penicillamine to the cell suspension. An increase in cellular Ca2+ in response to ionophore A23187 (12.5 microM) resulted in enhanced 2'7'-dichlorofluorescein fluorescence suggesting an elevation in oxidative stress. Ca2+-mediated cell injury was abolished by the oxygen radical scavengers, catalase and 2',2'-dipyridyl. However, the cytotoxic effect of combined treatment with A23187 and NG-monomethyl-L-arginine was not reduced by administration of oxygen radical scavengers. NG-monomethyl-L-arginine treatment exacerbated the increase in cytosolic Ca2+ in response to ionophore A23187 as assessed by indo-1 fluorescence. Furthermore this increase in cytosolic Ca2+ was reduced by addition of S-nitroso-acetyl-penicillamine to the incubation medium. These data suggest that NO synthase inhibition in gastric mucosal cells exacerbates the damaging actions of the Ca2+ ionophore A23187. The increase in cell damage in response to the NO synthase inhibitor NG-monomethyl-L-arginine does not appear to be mediated by an increase in oxidative stress and may be associated in part with changes in cellular Ca2+ flux.

Differential relaxant responses of guinea-pig lung strips and bronchial rings to sodium nitroprusside: a mechanism independent of cGMP formation

The biochemical mechanism subserving smooth muscle relaxant effects of sodium nitroprusside was examined on U46619, 9,11-dideoxy-9 alpha,11 alpha-methanoepoxy PGF2 alpha, precontracted guinea-pig lung strips and hilar bronchial rings. Lung strips were resistant to the relaxant action of sodium nitroprusside or sodium nitrite (NaNO2), whereas they markedly relaxed to 8-bromo-cyclic GMP (8-Br-cGMP), a membrane permeable analogue of cGMP. Precontracted bronchial rings completely relaxed to sodium nitroprusside, NaNO2, or 8-Br-cGMP in a concentration-dependent manner. Sodium nitroprusside (10 microM) substantially raised tissue cGMP level in lung strips. Conversely, sodium nitroprusside had no detectable effect on cGMP levels in bronchial rings. In the presence of 10 microM dipyridamole, an agent which preferentially inhibits cGMP-specific phosphodiesterase, cGMP levels in lung strips treated with sodium nitroprusside was significantly enhanced, but sodium nitroprusside demonstrated no relaxant effect on the preparations. However, dipyridamole potentiated sodium nitroprusside-induced precontracted bronchial ring relaxation without affecting the bronchial tissue cGMP level. In the presence of 10 microM LY83583 (6-anilino-5,8-quinoline-dione), a specific cGMP concentration-lowering agent, sodium nitroprusside-mediated elevation of cGMP level in lung strips was significantly reduced with no effect on the functional response. LY83583 demonstrated no inhibitory effect on either relaxation or cGMP level in bronchial rings treated with sodium nitroprusside. Our results suggest that precontracted smooth muscle in lung strips and in hilar bronchi respond distinctly to sodium nitroprusside. Furthermore, sodium nitroprusside mediates bronchial smooth muscle relaxation by mechanisms unrelated to cGMP.

Arterial hemodynamics in human hypertension. Effects of the calcium channel antagonist nifedipine

Previous studies have shown some distinct hemodynamic alterations in essential hypertension, including increased resistance, wave reflections, and pulse wave velocity and decreased arterial compliance. These abnormalities are completely normalized by nonspecific smooth muscle dilation with nitroprusside but not by combined alpha- and beta-adrenergic blockade or angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition, suggesting an enhanced smooth muscle tone that cannot be attributed solely to the sympathetic nervous or renin-angiotensin systems. Since hypertensive patients have an enhanced calcium influx-dependent vasoconstriction, we performed the present study to examine the extent to which the dihydropyridine calcium channel antagonist nifedipine could normalize the hemodynamic abnormalities in essential hypertension. An essential hypertensive patient group was compared with a normotensive group similar in age, body size, and proportion of men and women. During diagnostic cardiac catheterization, ascending aortic micromanometer pressures and electromagnetic flows were measured at baseline and after sufficient sublingual nifedipine (mean, 24 mg) to normalize blood pressure. From the pressures and flows, aortic input impedance, wave reflection magnitude, and compliance were computed. In the hypertensive group, the hemodynamic alterations were indistinguishable from those summarized above. Nifedipine produced sufficient vasodilation to completely normalize all of these hemodynamic alterations, including wave reflections. From these results, together with those reported in our previous studies, it is clear that the various classes of antihypertensive agents affect hemodynamics differently. All are capable of decreasing blood pressure to normotensive levels, but only nitroprusside and nifedipine can also completely normalize all the other pulsatile hemodynamic alterations. Thus, these hemodynamic effects of the different classes of antihypertensive agents should be considered in choosing a therapeutic modality.

Nitric oxide modulates agonist-evoked Ca2+ release and influx responses in PC12-64 cells

Nitric oxide (NO) is a signalling molecule involved in events crucial to neuronal cell function such as neurotransmitter release, gene transcription, and neurotoxicity. In these, as well as in many other neuronal processes, a key role may be played by the increases of the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) occurring in response to activation of plasma membrane receptors coupled to phosphatidylinositol 4,5-bisphosphate hydrolysis. Such a [Ca2+]i increases are sustained by release of the cation from intracellular stores and stimulation of influx through specific Ca2+ channels. We have investigated the role of NO in modulating the two above Ca2+ processes occurring subsequently to muscarinic receptor activation in a selected clone (PC12-64) of PC12 cells, a neurosecretory/neuronal cell model. Analysis of [Ca2+]i variations in fura-2-loaded cells, exposed to different NO synthase inhibitors or NO donors, showed that Ca2+ release from intracellular stores was moderately inhibited and stimulated by these two groups of drugs, respectively, while Ca2+ influx through the channels directly coupled to muscarinic receptors was found to be insensitive to NO action. In contrast, Ca2+ influx activated by muscarinic receptor-induced store depletion (investigated also by Mn2+ quenching of the fura-2 signal) was increased by NO generation and inhibited by NO synthase blockade. Incubation of the cells with 8-bromo cGMP did not mimick the action of NO, suggesting that the effect of the messenger on Ca2+ influx is exerted through a signalling pathway different from cGMP generation.

Control of pulmonary vascular smooth muscle tone by sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump blockers: thapsigargin and cyclopiazonic acid

The effect of thapsigargin (TG) and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) on the mechanical activity of the rat pulmonary artery were investigated. In chemically (beta-escin)-skinned arterial strips, application of TG (0.1-1 microM) or CPA (0.5-10 microM) prior and throughout the loading procedure of the internal Ca2+ stores (0.3 microM free Ca2+ ions for 8-10 min) concentration dependently inhibited the subsequent contractile response induced by noradrenaline (NA, 10 microM) or caffeine (25 mM). In intact strips repeatedly incubated in a Ca(2+)-containing solution (2.5 mM for 10 min), followed by incubation in a Ca(2+)-free solution 12 min before NA-stimulation, TG and CPA not only inhibited the NA-induced contraction but also increased the tension which appeared during the exposure time to Ca2+. The two phenomena developed with similar time courses. The increase in tension during the readmission of Ca2+ ions was not antagonized by verapamil (10 microM) or nifedipine (1 microM) but was blocked by La3+ (50 microM) and Co2+ (1 mM) ions. The amplitude of the verapamil-insensitive TG (or CPA)-induced contraction was dependent on the external [Ca2+] [0.1-10 mM, concentration for half maximal effect (EC50) = 0.85 mM], not modified by the reduction of the external [Na+] (from 130 to 10 mM) and decreased by depolarization of the strip using K(+)-rich (30-120 mM) solutions. Under the latter condition, 38 +/- 9 and 83 +/- 4% reduction (n = 5) was observed in the presence of 60 and 120 mM K+ respectively.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Cyclic GMP-mediated inhibition of L-type Ca2+ channel activity by human natriuretic peptide in rabbit heart cells

1. Effects of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) on the L-type Ca2+ channels were examined in rabbit isolated ventricular cells by use of whole-cell and cell-attached configurations of the patch clamp methods. ANP produced a concentration-dependent decrease (10-100 nM) in amplitude of a basal Ca2+ channel current. 2. The inactive ANP (methionine-oxidized ANP, 30 nM) failed to decrease the current. 3. 8-Bromo-cyclic GMP (300 microM), a potent activator of cyclic GMP-dependent protein kinase (PKG), produced the same effects on the basal Ca2+ channel current as those produced by ANP. The cyclic GMP-induced inhibition of the Ca2+ channel current was still evoked in the presence of 1-isobutyl-3-methyl-xanthine, an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase. ANP failed to produce inhibition of the Ca2+ channel current in the presence of 8-bromo-cyclic GMP. 4. In the single channel recording, ANP and 8-bromo-cyclic GMP also inhibited the activities of the L-type Ca2+ channels. Both agents decreased the open probability (NPo) without affecting the unit amplitude. 5. The present results suggest that ANP inhibits the cardiac L-type Ca2+ channel activity through the intracellular production of cyclic GMP and then activation of PKG.

Inhibition of voltage-dependent Ca(2+)-current by alpha-adrenoceptor agonists in smooth muscle cells

The cellular mechanisms underlying the inhibitory effects of phenylephrine on dihydropyridine-sensitive, voltage-dependent Ca2+ currents recorded from single smooth muscle cells dissociated from the rat anococcygeus muscle were examined. Phenylephrine (0.1-30 microM) produced a concentration-dependent inhibition of the Ca2+ current; the maximum response occurred at a concentration of 10 microM, which inhibited the peak inward current evoked at 0 mV by 57.7 +/- 4% (n = 8). The response to phenylephrine was reduced but not abolished in cells containing 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA; 10 mM), and it persisted in cells dialysed internally with heparin (5 mg.ml-1). This was despite the fact that both EGTA (5 mM) and heparin were able to block the phenylephrine-induced, Ca(2+)-dependent chloride current recorded in the same cells. The inhibition of the Ca2+ current produced by phenylephrine was abolished in cells containing guanosine 5'-[beta-thio]diphosphate (GDP-beta-S) but persisted in cells pre-treated with pertussis toxin. Our results suggest that the inhibition of L-type Ca2+ current seen following alpha-adrenoceptor activation occurs by a mechanism independent from the inositol trisphosphate-mediated release of Ca2+ from intracellular stores.

Cellular mechanisms of hypoxia-induced contraction in human and rat pulmonary arteries

The effect of hypoxia was investigated in human (HPA) and rat (RPA) pulmonary arteries. Hypoxia-induced contraction was 95 +/- 8.7% and 9.3 +/- 4.8% of the control response to K(+)-rich (80 mM) solution in HPA and RPA, respectively (n = 10). When RPA strips were precontracted with phorbol 12,13 dibutyrate (0.2 microM), hypoxia elicited a larger contraction (105 +/- 13.4% of the control response, n = 8). In both types of artery, hypoxia-induced contraction was dependent on the extracellular calcium concentration (66 +/- 8.4% and 40 +/- 14.4%, reduction for 1.25 mM Ca2+ in HPA and RPA, respectively, n = 6) and was inhibited by verapamil (0.05-10 microM) and nifedipine (0.05-1 microM). Glibenclamide (5-10 microM) increased the amplitude of hypoxia-induced contraction (+42 +/- 5.3%, n = 5). Hypoxia-induced contraction was blocked by cromakalim (1 microM) and this effect was reversed by glibenclamide (5 microM). This contraction was also inhibited by iodoacetic acid (250 microM). In beta-escin skinned pulmonary arterial strips, hypoxia had no effect on the calcium concentration-tension relationship. These results suggest that the O2 sensor in the pulmonary artery is located on the vascular smooth muscle plasmalemma. Hypoxia-induced contraction is dependent on calcium influx through voltage sensitive calcium channels. Its amplitude is modulated by the functioning of potassium channels.

The nitric oxide--cyclic GMP pathway and synaptic depression in rat hippocampal slices

The ability of exogenous nitric oxide (NO) to modify synaptic transmission was investigated in area CA1 of the rat hippocampal slice. The NO donors S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) and S-nitrosoglutathione (SNOG) depressed field excitatory postsynaptic potentials evoked by low frequency stimulation of the Schaffer collateral-commissural pathway. Upon washout of the NO donors, synaptic transmission rapidly returned to control levels. A similar reversible synaptic depression was produced by SNAP when tetanic stimulation (100 Hz; 1 s) was delivered in its presence. The effect of SNAP was not mimicked by its precursor or breakdown product and was blocked by haemoglobin, indicating that the effect involved NO. Roussin's black salt, a photolabile NO donor, also depressed transiently field excitatory postsynaptic potentials following photolysis. The depression was induced rapidly following a flash of UV light (20 s duration) focused onto the slice using a confocal microscope. The depressant effect of the NO donors on synaptic transmission was mimicked by zaprinast, a specific cGMP-phosphodiesterase inhibitor. Zaprinast depressed to a similar extent both the alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionate and N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor-mediated components of excitatory postsynaptic currents without affecting passive membrane properties, indicating a presynaptic locus of action. SNAP, SNOG and zaprinast all elevated cGMP levels in rat hippocampal slices. Immunocytochemical staining revealed that the cGMP accumulation was mainly in a network of varicose fibres running throughout the CA1 region, consistent with a presynaptic site of action of NO. We conclude that NO, possibly through activation of guanylate cyclase, may be involved in transient presynaptic depression in the CA1 region of the hippocampus.

Regulation of blood-brain barrier endothelial cells by nitric oxide

Nitric oxide (NO) synthesized by vascular endothelial cells is a potent vasodilator substance. The actions of NO extend well beyond its vasodilatory properties, and increasingly, NO has been recognized as an important signal for intercellular and intracellular communication. Recently, NO has been implicated in the regulation of vascular and blood-brain barrier permeability. NO has also been shown to modulate ion channels in excitable cells, thus affecting neuronal firing. We report the results of patch-clamp experiments that show a modulatory action of NO as well as cGMP and cAMP on a hyperpolarization-activated current (Iha) carried by both Na+ and K+ ions in blood-brain barrier endothelial cells. Iha was recorded in cells dialyzed with 0.2 mmol/L GTP-gamma-S to inhibit a large inwardly rectifying potassium current. This ionic current and its modulation by NO may play a role in the regulation of the transport of ions, nutrients, and other molecules to the brain and serve as an integral part of the blood-brain barrier. The modulation of Iha by a cyclic guanosine nucleotide may also explain previous reports suggesting a role for NO in the regulation of blood-brain barrier function.

Dorsal root ganglion neurons of embryonic chicks contain nitric oxide synthase and respond to nitric oxide

We investigated the function of nitric oxide (NO) in dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons from 10 day embryonic chicks and adult birds. NADPH-diaphorase activity, a histochemical marker for nitric oxide synthase (NOS) in paraformaldehyde-fixed neurons, and NOS-like immunoreactivity were localized in all neurons in thoracic and lumbar ganglia from embryos. However, only a subset of neurons from adults contained NOS-like immunoreactivity and NADPH-diaphorase activity. Thus, embryonic chick DRG neurons have the potential to synthesize NO in response to elevated cytoplasmic Ca2+. We also investigated the ability of dissociated embryonic chick DRG neurons to respond to NO by examining the effects of NO donors and 8-bromoguanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (8-Br-cGMP) on Ca2+ current (ICa) using the amphotericin-permeabilized patch-clamp technique: sodium nitroprusside (5 microM) reduced ICa to 0.68 +/- 0.06 (mean +/- S.D., n = 5) of control, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (1 microM) reduced ICa to 0.44 +/- 0.06 (n = 4) of control, while 8-Br-cGMP (1 mM) reduced ICa to 0.58 +/- 0.22 (n = 5) of control. ICa was reduced in every neuron tested and this effect was partially reversed after approximately 10 min of washing. Thus, ICa of embryonic chick DRG neurons is inhibited by NO, possibly by a cGMP-dependent mechanism. These results indicate that all DRG neurons in embryonic chicks contain NOS-like immunoreactivity and respond to NO. Further, the percentage of NADPH-diaphorase positive neurons is reduced during development.

Caffeine induces periodic oscillations of Ca(2+)-activated K+ current in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells

The periodic oscillations of outward currents were studied in smooth muscle cells of the rabbit pulmonary artery. The combined stimuli of superfusion with 1 mM caffeine and depolarization of the membrane potential to 0 mV evoked periodic oscillations of outward currents with fairly uniform amplitudes and intervals. The oscillating outward currents induced by caffeine were dependent on intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and had a reversal potential near to the equilibrium potential for K+. So the oscillating outward currents are carried by K+ through Ca(2+)-dependent K+ channels (IK(Ca)), and may reflect the oscillations of [Ca2+]i. The oscillating outward currents were abolished, or their frequency reduced, by lowering external [Ca2+], Ca2+ channel blockers, or by 1 microM ryanodine, indicating that: (1) there is a continuous influx of Ca2+ through the plasma membrane at a holding potential of 0 mV; (2) the periodic transient increases of [Ca2+]i are ascribed to the rhythmic release of Ca2+ from ryanodine-sensitive intracellular store by the mechanism of Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release (CICR). On the basis of the above results, we simulated the oscillation of [Ca2+]i induced by caffeine, which is known to lower the threshold of CICR. The patterns of peak amplitude histograms of spontaneous transient outward currents (STOC) in the oscillating cells were different from those in non-oscillating cells. The amplitudes of STOC in the latter were more variable than those in the former. The oscillating outward currents were modulated by 1 microM forskolin and 1 microM sodium nitroprusside, but STOC were little affected. The above differences between STOC and oscillating outward currents suggest that the two currents are activated by the Ca2+ originating from different intracellular Ca2+ stores which are functionally heterogeneous.

Nitric oxide decreases [Ca2+]i in vascular smooth muscle by inhibition of the calcium current

Endothelium derived relaxing factor (nitric oxide, or NO) activates cytoplasmic guanylate cyclase in vascular smooth muscle and decreases vascular tone through cGMP-dependent mechanisms that are not yet understood fully. In cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (A7r5 cell line) sodium nitroprusside (NP), a vasodilator that decomposes into nitric oxide, lowered [Ca2+]i in cells in which [Ca2+]i was elevated after depolarization. NP decreased current through voltage-gated calcium channels, but did not affect release of calcium from intracellular stores. Hemoglobin, a scavenger of NO, reversed the effect of NP on [Ca2+]i and 8-Br-cGMP, a membrane permeant form of cGMP, mimicked the effect of NP on [Ca2+]i and on calcium currents. Thus, the signal transduction mechanism of endothelium dependent relaxation of vascular smooth muscle involves a decrease in [Ca2+]i by inhibition of Ca2+ entry. Relaxation or vasodilation would then result from decreased activity of myosin light chain kinase, in addition to myosin light chain dephosphorylation.

Tonic inhibition of neuronal calcium channels by G proteins removed during whole-cell patch-clamp experiments

The barium current through voltage-dependent calcium channels was recorded from cultured rat cortical neurons with the whole-cell configuration of the patch-clamp technique. The maximal current evoked by depolarising pulses from -80 mV to 0 mV was divided into inactivating and non-inactivating fractions. During the first minutes of whole-cell recording, the amplitude of the inactivating fraction increased from less than 0.1 nA to an average value of 1 nA, whereas the amplitude of the non-inactivating component remained essentially the same. This increase in amplitude was prevented when the "perforated-patch technique" was used, suggesting that some intracellular factor that inhibited the barium current was lost or destroyed during conventional whole-cell experiments. When GTP[gamma-S] or GTP was added to the pipette solution, no increase or only a weak rise of the inactivating current was seen, whereas GDP[beta-S] accelerated its increase. The results suggest that some of the calcium channels expressed in cultured cortical neurons are inhibited by a G protein even in the absence of added neurotransmitter. The current increase observed during whole-cell recordings may be due to a loss of intracellular GTP and the subsequent inactivation of an inhibitory G protein.

Regulation of Ca2+ channels by cAMP and cGMP in vascular smooth muscle cells

Whole-cell Ca2+ channel currents in rabbit portal vein cells were recorded using the amphotericin B-perforated patch-clamp technique at 35 degrees C. This technique allowed recording of stable inward currents in the absence of run-down for more than 30 minutes. Depolarizing voltage steps from a holding potential of -70 mV elicited voltage-dependent inward currents. The voltage dependence of inward currents measured in either 2.5 mmol/L Ba(2+)- or 2.5 mmol/L Ca(2+)-containing solution were very similar. However, maximum Ba2+ current (obtained at around +10 mV) was approximately 1.5-fold larger than maximum Ca2+ current. Changing the holding potential from -70 to -40 mV decreased inward currents but did not shift the voltage dependence significantly. Inward currents were also completely blocked by the dihydropyridine Ca2+ channel blocker, nicardipine (10 mumol/L), suggesting the presence of predominantly L-type Ca2+ channels in rabbit portal vein cells. Isoproterenol caused small increases in the amplitude of Ba2+ currents in a concentration-dependent manner (10 nmol/L to 1 mumol/L), which were reversed with propranolol. Forskolin (1 mumol/L) or 8-bromo-cAMP (0.1 mmol/L) also caused small increases in the amplitude of Ba2+ currents, suggesting that the stimulatory actions of isoproterenol are importantly linked to the production of cAMP. Higher concentrations of of isoproterenol (10 mumol/L) or forskolin (10 mumol/L) caused a transient increase in Ba2+ currents followed by f decrease in current amplitude. Higher doses of 8-bromo-cAMP (1 mmol/L) and low doses of 8-bromo-cGMP (0.1 mmol/L) inhibited Ba2+ currents, increased the rate of current inactivation, and produced a negative voltage shift in steady-state availability. These results indicate that low concentrations of intracellular cAMP produce modest increases in Ca2+ channel activity, whereas cGMP and higher concentrations of cAMP result in inhibition of Ca2+ channel activity in vascular smooth muscle cells. The observed similarities of cGMP and high concentrations of cAMP on Ba2+ current amplitude, kinetics, and steady-state inactivation suggest mediation by a common mechanism, possibly involving activation of cGMP-dependent protein kinase.

Nitric oxide modulation of calcium-activated potassium channels in postganglionic neurones of avian cultured ciliary ganglia

1. A study has been made of the modulation of calcium-activated potassium channels in cultured neurones of avian ciliary ganglia by sodium nitroprusside and L-arginine. 2. Sodium nitroprusside (100 microM) reduced the net outward current by 22 +/- 1% at 4.8 ms (mean +/- s.e. mean) and 25 +/- 1% at 350 ms during a test depolarization to +40 mV from a holding potential of -40 mV. The outward current remained reduced for the duration of the recording following a single application of sodium nitroprusside. These effects did not occur if the influx of calcium ions was first blocked with Cd2+ (500 microM). Application of ferrocyanide (100 microM) reduced the net outward current by only 6 +/- 3% at 350 ms during a test depolarization to +40 mV. 3. L-Arginine (270 microM) reduced the net outward current on average by 19 +/- 2% at 4.8 ms and 22 +/- 2% at 350 ms during a test depolarization to +40 mV. The current remained in this reduced state for the duration of the recording following a single application of L-arginine. These effects were reduced to 11 +/- 1% at 4.8 ms and 11 +/- 2% at 350 ms in the presence of N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 microM). 4. In order to alleviate the dependence of calcium-activated potassium channels (Ik(Ca)) on the inward flux of calcium ions, the patch-clamp pipettes were filled with a solution containing 100 microM CaCl2, and the Ca2+ in the bathing solution was replaced with EGTA. Under these conditions sodium nitroprusside reduced the total outward current during a depolarizing pulse of + 40 mV by 9 +/_ 1% at 4.8 ms and by 36 +/- 3% at 350 ms. L-Arginine (270 microM) reduced this current under the same conditions by 9 +/- 1% at 4.8 ms and by 35 +/- 2% at 350 ms.5. Calcium-activated potassium currents were sensitive to apamin (50 nM), as this reduced the outward current by 23 +/- 3% at 350 ms when a high calcium-containing pipette was used during a depolarizing command to + 40 mV. L-Arginine still decreased the outward current in the presence of apamin(50 nM), by 5 +/- 1% at 4.8 ms and by 19 +/- 2% at 350 ms, indicating that L-arginine could reduce an apamin-insensitive Ik(Ca)6. Calcium-activated potassium currents were also sensitive to charybdotoxin (10 nM), as this reduced the outward current by 34 +/- 4% at 350 ms when a high calcium-containing pipette was used during a depolarizing command to + 40 mV. L-Arginine still decreased the outward current in the presence of charybdotoxin, by 6 +/- 1% at 4.8 ms and 12 +/- 4% at 350 ms, showing that L-arginine could reduce a charybdotoxin-insensitive Ik(Ca).7. The present results indicate that NO-synthase in ciliary ganglia can modulate Ik(Ca) by a method which is independent of the action of NO on the calcium channels. The Ik(ca) is decreased significantly at 4.8 ms into a depolarizing pulse, at a time that would decrease the rate of repolarization of the action potential. Ik(Ca) is also reduced at longer times (350 ms), indicating an affect on the inactivating process.

Neuropeptide Y potentiates calcium-channel currents in single vascular smooth muscle cells

The effect of neuropeptide Y (NPY) on Ca(2+)-channel currents in isolated vascular smooth muscle cells was studied with the perforated-patch recording technique. Using Ba2+ (10 mM) as the charge carrier, inward currents sensitive to Cd2+ and nifedipine were potentiated by NPY in a concentration-dependent manner. The threshold concentration for the potentiating effect of NPY was 50 nM and reached a maximum at 150 nM. NPY shifted the steady-state activation curve to less positive membrane potentials by about 6 mV so that the potentiating effect was most prominent near the activation threshold of the current. It had no effect on steady-state inactivation of the current. These results suggest that NPY may potentiate vasoconstriction by promoting calcium entry through L-type voltage-dependent Ca(2+)-channels.

Nitric oxide and arachidonic acid modulation of calcium currents in postganglionic neurones of avian cultured ciliary ganglia

1. A study has been made of the modulation of high-voltage activated transient and sustained calcium currents in cultured neurones of avian ciliary ganglia by nitric oxide (NO) and arachidonic acid. 2. Sodium nitroprusside (100 microM) reduced the transient calcium current (ICa) on average by 31% and the sustained ICa by 32% during a test depolarization to +20 mV from a holding potential of -100 mV. This reduction was maintained for at least 30 min following a single application of sodium nitroprusside. 3. L-Arginine (270 microM) reduced the transient ICa on average by 28% and the sustained ICa by 22% and these effects were prevented by the presence of the NO-synthase competitive blocker NG-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME; 100 microM) in the bathing solution. 4. Arachidonic acid (50 microM) reduced the transient ICa on average by 28% and the sustained ICa by 33%. When added together, arachidonic acid (50 microM) and L-arginine (270 microM) produced the same effects as arachidonic acid alone. 5. Blocking the conversion of arachidonic acid to prostaglandins by addition of indomethacin (20 microM) to the bathing solution did not prevent the depression of either the transient or the sustained calcium current during application of arachidonic acid (50 microM). The effects of arachidonic acid were also not occluded by L-NAME (100 microM) when present in the bathing solution. 6. Inhibiting the biosynthesis of leukotrienes by applying L-663,536 (MK-886; 3 microM) to the bathing solution prevented the depression of both components of ICa during application of arachidonic acid (50 microM). 7. These results indicate that endogenous NO and arachidonic acid pathways are present in parasympathetic ciliary neurones, and that both act to depress high-voltage, gated, calcium channel activity.

Maxi K+ channels are stimulated by cyclic guanosine monophosphate-dependent protein kinase in canine coronary artery smooth muscle cells

By using a patch clamp technique, we examined the effect of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP)-dependent protein kinase (G kinase) on Ca(2+)-activated maxi K+ channels in canine coronary artery smooth muscle cells. Maxi K+ channels (274 +/- 4 pS in symmetrical 140 mM KCl at 24-26 degrees C) were activated by cytoplasmic Ca2+ and were completely blocked by 100 nM charybdotoxin (CTX). G kinase (300 U/ml) added to the cytoplasmic face of the membrane patch shifted the voltage dependence of these channels by about 25 mV in the negative direction in the presence of 1 microM Ca2+, 50 microM cGMP and 1 mM magnesium adenosine triphosphate. At -50 mV and 1 microM Ca2+, G kinase treatment increased the mean number of open channels 4.5-fold compared with the control. alpha-Human atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP, 100 nM) reduced the isometric tension of coronary arterial rings elicited by 14 or 24 mM KCl, but failed to relax the artery contracted by 34 mM KCl. Addition of 100 nM CTX augmented tension development elicited by 24 mM KCl and totally prevented ANP from relaxing the arterial rings. These results indicate that G kinase-dependent protein phosphorylation activates maxi K+ channels in canine coronary smooth muscle, and further suggest that the G kinase-induced activation of maxi K+ channels may cause hyperpolarization and relaxation of coronary artery.

Repriming of L-type calcium currents revealed during early whole-cell patch-clamp recordings in rat ventricular cells

1. The establishment of the whole-cell patch-clamp recording configuration (WCR) revealed a type of inhibition to which L-type Ca2+ channels were subject in static rat ventricular myocytes before obtaining the WCR. 2. Immediately after membrane disruption (< 10 s), the Ca2+ current (ICa) was absent but gradually increased in amplitude to reach its final waveform (amplitude and kinetics) 2-3 min after the WCR was reached. 3. Three distinct phases (P) were identified. First, no inward but an outward current, blocked (1-2 min) by Cs+ dialysing from the patch pipette (P1), was recorded. Second, overlapping with (P1), ICa increased dramatically to reach a maximum peak amplitude within 2-3 min (P2). Concomitantly, its rate of decay, initially monoexponential and slow, became biexponential owing to the appearance of a fast component of inactivation (P3). Complete interconversion between slow and fast components sometimes occurred. 4. Changes in current waveform were not related to voltage loss or series resistance variation, and suppression of an outward current (P1) was unlikely to account for P2 and P3. 5. The run-up of ICa was independent of the nature of the permeating ions, the membrane holding potential, depolarization, rate of stimulation, the intracellular Ca2+, ATP, Mg2+, Cs+ and the pH of the pipette solution. Since large Ca2+ currents were recorded using the perforated patch technique, the run-up of ICa is not explained by the wash-out of an inhibitory endogenous macromolecule during cell-pipette exchanges. 6. Pharmacological manipulations, including the use of Ca(2+)-Ba(2+)-EGTA and exposure of the cells to isoprenaline and/or Bay K 8644 prior to recording, did not alter the mechanism primarily responsible for build-up. Unrepriming of channel activity was required before these modulations could be effective. 7. Currents could however be instantly augmented when cells were extracellularly superfused during the run-up step. The wash-out of an inhibitory agent originating in the cell itself (such as H+, NH4+ and lactate) and accumulating in the extracellular microenvironment of the cells seems unlikely. Rather, we suggest that pressure-induced mechanostimulation may be involved in the restoration of Ca2+ channel activity.

Differential expression of voltage-gated Ca(2+)-currents in cultivated aortic myocytes

The expression of different types of Ca(2+)-channels was studied using the whole-cell patch-clamp technique in cultured rat aortic smooth-muscle myocytes. Ca(2+)-currents were identified as either low- or high voltage-activated (ICa,LVA or ICa,HVA, respectively) based on their distinct voltage-dependences of activation and inactivation, decay kinetics using Ba2+ as the charge carrier and sensitivity to dihydropyridines. The heterogeneity in the functional expression of the two types of Ca(2+)-channels in the cultured myocytes delineated four distinct phenotypes; (i), cells exhibiting only LVA currents; (ii), cells exhibiting only HVA currents; (iii), cells exhibiting both LVA and HVA currents and (iv), cells exhibiting no current. The myocytes exclusively expressed HVA currents both during the first five days in primary culture and after the cells had reached confluence (> 15 days). In contrast, LVA currents were expressed transiently between 5 and 15 days, during which time the cells were proliferating and had transient loss of contractility. Thus, both LVA and HVA Ca(2+)-current types contribute to Ca(2+)-signalling in cultured rat aortic myocytes. However, the differential expression of the two Ca2+ current types associated with differences in contractile and proliferative phenotypes suggest that they serve distinct cellular functions. Our results are consistent with the idea that LVA current expression is important for cell proliferation.

Nitric oxide modulates NMDA-induced increases in intracellular Ca2+ in cultured rat forebrain neurons

We studied the effects of nitric oxide (NO) and the NO-releasing agents sodium nitroprusside (SNP), S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP) and isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN) on N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-induced increases in intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i), whole-cell patch-clamp currents and on glutamate-stimulated [3H]dizocilpine binding. NO and agents that release NO partially inhibit increases in [Ca2+]i at concentrations between 1 microM and 1 mM. These agents also decrease [Ca2+]i changes produced by kainate and potassium, but to a smaller extent. As the effects of NO are still present following alkylation of the redox modulatory site on the NMDA receptor this action of NO is probably not a consequence of oxidation of the redox site. In contrast to SNP, ISDN does not inhibit NMDA-induced whole cell patch-clamp currents suggesting that NO modulates [Ca2+]i via perturbation of a Ca2+ homeostatic process. Furthermore, SNP may have a direct action on the NMDA receptor complex in addition to the generation of NO. 8-Bromo-cGMP does not mimic the inhibitory effect of NO suggesting that this effect is not the result of NO stimulation of neuronal cGMP production. As the production of NO in neurons is dependent on increases in [Ca2+]i associated with NMDA receptor activation, these data suggest that NO-mediated decreases in [Ca2+]i may represent a novel feedback inhibitory mechanism for NO production in the brain.

Potential-dependent inward currents in single isolated smooth muscle cells of the rat ileum

1. Calcium (ICa) and sodium (INa) currents were studied in single smooth muscle cells freshly isolated from both the newborn (1-3 days old) and adult rat ileum, using the patch-clamp technique (whole-cell configuration). 2. Under conditions when INa was blocked, two components of ICa, low-voltage activated or ICa,low and high-voltage activated or ICa,high, were observed in the newborn rat ileal cells. ICa,high and ICa,low have differing voltage ranges of activation and steady-state inactivation and time courses of recovery from inactivation. Potential dependence of ICa,low was much steeper and shifted toward negative membrane potential than that for ICa,high (slope factors and the potential of half-maximal inactivation were 13.6 and -60.6 and 8.8 and -49 mV for ICa,low and ICa,high, correspondingly). 3. Nifedipine at the high concentration of 30 microM exerted no effect on ICa,low and only slightly suppressed ICa,high, decreasing its peak to 0.81 +/- 0.04 (n = 7) at the holding potential of -80 mV and to 0.66 +/- 0.05 (n = 3) at -50 mV. ICa,high was suppressed significantly by Cd2+ ions, while ICa,low was more sensitive to Ni2+ ions. 4. Results presented here suggest that the properties of high-voltage-activated (HVA) Ca2+ channels in the rat small intestine are quite different to those described for L-type Ca2+ channels found in other smooth muscles. It is proposed that HVA Ca2+ channels are similar to N-type Ca2+ channels. 5. Comparison of Ca2+ currents in newborn and adult rat ileal cells showed that the contribution of ICa,low to the net Ca2+ current was negligible in adults, whereas the properties of HVA Ca2+ channels were similar in the neonatal and adult animals. 6. INa, studied in nominally Ca(2+)-free physiological salt solution, activated in the voltage range between -50 and -40 mV and reached its peak at -10 mV. INa was blocked in a dose-dependent manner by TTX with an apparent dissociation constant of 4.5 nM. 7. INa decay was monoexponential in the voltage range studied and its time constant decreased monotonically with membrane depolarization from 4.7 +/- 0.2 ms (n = 6) at -30 mV to 0.51 +/- 0.03 ms (n = 7) at 20 mV.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Cyclic nucleotide-dependent regulation of Mn2+ influx, [Ca2+]i, and arterial smooth muscle relaxation

Elevations in cyclic nucleotide levels can decrease myoplasmic [Ca2+] ([Ca2+]i) and thereby induce arterial smooth muscle relaxation. We evaluated whether cyclic nucleotide-induced reductions in [Ca2+]i are caused by 1) decreased Ca2+ influx or 2) increased Ca2+ sequestration or efflux. Swine carotid medial tissues were loaded with fura-2, and Ca2+ influx was estimated from the quenching rate of 360-nm fluorescence after addition of extracellular Mn2+. Histamine stimulation or high KCl depolarization increased Mn2+ influx, [Ca2+]i, and contractile force. The Ca2+ channel blocker diltiazem attenuated histamine- or KCl-induced increases in Mn2+ influx, [Ca2+]i, and force. Addition of forskolin (which increases cAMP) or nitroglycerin (which increases cGMP) attenuated histamine-induced increases in Mn2+ influx, [Ca2+]i, and force. Addition of forskolin or nitroglycerin also relaxed KCl depolarized tissues; however, Mn2+ influx and [Ca2+]i remained high. These results suggest that Mn(2+)-induced quenching of 360-nm fluorescence is an estimate of Ca2+ influx in the intact swine carotid artery. These results also suggest that cyclic nucleotides can relax swine arterial smooth muscle by at least two mechanisms: 1) reduction of [Ca2+]i primarily induced by decreases in Ca2+ influx and 2) uncoupling force from [Ca2+]i without changing Ca2+ influx or [Ca2+]i.