Cytosolic Ca2+ transients in endothelium-dependent relaxation of pig coronary artery, and effects of captopril

Cytosolic-free calcium in smooth-muscle and endothelial cells in an intact arterial wall from rat mesenteric artery in vitro

The regulation of cytosolic-free calcium concentration of smooth-muscle and endothelial cells was mainly studied on cultured cells where the cross talk between these two coupled cell types is lost. In the present study, the cytosolic-free calcium concentration in the endothelial and the smooth-muscle cells was examined in an intact arterial wall in vitro. Strips of the main branch of rat mesenteric artery were used. Cytosolic-free calcium concentration [Ca2+]i was estimated by determining the fluorescence ratio of the two calcium probes, Fluo-4 and Fura red. The emitted fluorescence of both probes was measured with a confocal microscope. We showed that potassium and phenylephrine, which increase the cytosolic -free calcium concentration of the smooth-muscle cells, also indirectly influence the calcium concentration in the endothelial cells. By simultaneously determining [Ca2+]i in the endothelial and the smooth-muscle cells of an arterial strip, we observed that when calcium increases in the endothelial cells in response to acetylcholine, it slightly decreases in the smooth-muscle cells. We conclude that the regulation of [Ca2+]i in the arterial endothelial cell, depends according to the stimuli either upon the endothelial cells themselves, or upon the coupled smooth-muscle cells.

Bradykinin attenuates the [Ca(2+)](i) response to angiotensin II of renal juxtamedullary efferent arterioles via an EDHF

1. Bradykinin (BK) effect on the [Ca(2+)](i) response to 1 nM angiotensin II was examined in muscular juxtamedullary efferent arterioles (EA) of rat kidney. 2. BK (10 nM) applied during the angiotensin II-stimulated [Ca(2+)](i) increase, induced a [Ca(2+)](i) drop (73+/-2%). This drop was prevented by de-endothelialization and suppressed by HOE 140, a B2 receptor antagonist. It was neither affected by L-NAME or indomethacin, nor mimicked by sodium nitroprusside, 8-bromo-cyclic GMP or PGI(2). The BK effect did not occur when the [Ca(2+)](i) increase was caused by 100 mM KCl-induced membrane depolarization and was abolished by 0.1 microM charybdotoxin, a K(+) channel blocker. 3. Although proadifen prevented the BK-caused [Ca(2+)](i) fall, more selective cytochrome P450 inhibitors, 17-octadecynoic acid (50 microM) and 7-ethoxyresorufin (10 microM) were without effect. 4. Increasing extracellular potassium from 5 to 15 mM during angiotensin II stimulation caused a [Ca(2+)](i) decrease (26+/-4%) smaller than BK which was charybdotoxin-insensitive. Inhibition of inward rectifying K(+) channels by 30 microM BaCl(2) and/or of Na(+)/K(+) ATPase by 1 mM ouabain abolished the [Ca(2+)](i) decrease elicited by potassium but not by BK. 5. A voltage-operated calcium channel blocker, nifedipine (1 microM) did not prevent the BK effect but reduced the [Ca(2+)](i) drop. 6. These results indicate that the BK-induced [Ca(2+)](i) decrease in angiotensin II-stimulated muscular EA is mediated by an EDHF which activates charybdotoxin-sensitive K(+) channels. In these vessels, EDHF seems to be neither a cytochrome P450-derived arachidonic acid metabolite nor K(+) itself. The closure of voltage-operated calcium channels is not the only cellular mechanism involved in this EDHF-mediated [Ca(2+)](i) decrease.

Mechanisms of the thapsigargin-induced Ca(2+) entry in in situ endothelial cells of the porcine aortic valve and the endothelium-dependent relaxation in the porcine coronary artery

The mechanisms of the thapsigargin (TG)-induced capacitative Ca(2+) entry in in situ endothelial cells and its role in the regulation of arterial tone were investigated using front-surface fluorimetry and fura-2-loaded strips of porcine aortic valve and coronary artery. In the presence of extracellular Ca(2+), TG induced an initial rapid and a subsequent sustained elevation of cytosolic Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)) in valvular strips. In the absence of extracellular Ca(2+), TG induced only a transient increase in [Ca(2+)](i). The TG-induced sustained elevation of [Ca(2+)](i) in endothelial cells was inhibited completely by 1 mM Ni(2+) and partly by 10 microM econazole and 30 microM ML-9, but not by 900 ng ml(-1) pertussis toxin or 100 microM wortmannin. Therefore, cytochrome P450 and protein phosphorylation are suggested to be involved in the TG-induced Ca(2+) influx in in situ endothelial cells. TG induced an endothelium-dependent large relaxation consisting of an initial and a late sustained relaxation in coronary arterial strip precontracted with U46619 (a thromboxane A2 analogue). Indomethacin alone had no effect, while indomethacin plus N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NOARG) markedly inhibited the sustained phase and slightly inhibited the initial phase of the TG-induced relaxation. TG induced a smaller but sustained relaxation during the 40 mM K(+)-induced precontraction than that seen during the U46619-induced precontraction. This relaxation was completely abolished by the pretreatment with indomethacin plus L-NOARG. In conclusion, both nitric oxide (NO) and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor were suggested to mediate the TG-induced relaxation, while NO plays a major role in the sustained relaxation. The TG-induced sustained [Ca(2+)](i) elevation in endothelial cells was thus suggested to be mainly linked to the sustained production of NO.

Sarcoplasmic reticulum and endothelium independently regulate venous smooth muscle [Ca(2+)](i) and contraction

In rings of rabbit facial vein (RFV), depletion of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) by caffeine abolished the subsequent isometric contraction to 25 mM K(+) physiological salt solution (25K-PSS). However, the associated steady-state increase of smooth muscle intracellular free Ca(2+) concentration ([Ca(2+)](i)), measured using fura PE3 and cuvette photometry, was not altered. Treatment with the specific SR Ca(2+) pump inhibitor cyclopiazonic acid (30 microM) after caffeine-induced SR Ca(2+) depletion restored and greatly augmented the 25K-PSS-induced contraction. This suggests that SR Ca(2+) depletion leads to a dissociation of K(+)-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increase from contraction that was dependent on Ca(2+) pump-mediated SR Ca(2+) uptake. Endothelium removal augmented the 25K-PSS-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increase after caffeine-induced SR Ca(2+) depletion. However, this was associated with only a small and transient contraction. Exposure of endothelium-denuded RFV to cyclopiazonic acid after caffeine-induced SR Ca(2+) depletion further amplified the 25K-PSS-induced [Ca(2+)](i) increase, which was associated with a large and sustained contraction. However, the latter [Ca(2+)](i) increase was still higher than in endothelium-intact RFV. This suggests that the endothelium dampens the [Ca(2+)](i) rise associated with K(+)-induced Ca(2+) influx, but independently of Ca(2+) pump-mediated SR Ca(2+) uptake.

The effects of a novel vasodilator, LP-805, on cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations and on tension in rabbit isolated femoral arteries

1. LP-805, 8-tert-butyl-6,7-dihydropyrrolo-[3,2-e]-5-methylpyrazolo- [1,5a]-pyrimidine-3-carbonitrile, is a newly synthesized potent vasodilator. To investigate the cellular mechanisms of vasorelaxation induced by LP-805, we simultaneously determined the effects of LP-805 on cytosolic Ca2+ concentrations ([Ca2+]i) and on tension of smooth muscle of rabbit femoral arterial strips, with or without the endothelium, using front-surface fluorometry and fura-2. 2. In the absence of the endothelium, LP-805, in a concentration-dependent manner, decreased [Ca2+]i and tension during the contraction induced by K(+)-depolarization, at relatively low concentrations ([K+]o < or = 30 mM). The decreases in [Ca2+]i and tension were fully antagonized by treatment with 2 x 10(-6) M glibenclamide. The [Ca2+]i-tension relationship in the LP-805-induced relaxation was similar to that of K(+)-depolarization-induced contractions. 3. LP-805, in a concentration-dependent manner (IC50 for inhibition of tension; 1.7 x 10(-6) M), decreased both [Ca2+]i and tension during the steady-state of contractions induced by 1 x 10(-7) M noradrenaline (NA) in the strips without the endothelium. Glibenclamide completely inhibited these reductions of [Ca2+]i and tension. At the steady-state of relaxation induced by LP-805 during NA-induced contraction, [Ca2+]i-tension relation was shifted to the left of that obtained with high K(+)-induced contraction. 4. NA induced transient increases in [Ca2+]i and tension in the absence of extracellular Ca2+. LP-805 (up to 3 x 10(-6) M) had no effect on these intracellular Ca2+ mobilisation and tension development induced by NA. 5. In strips with an intact endothelium, LP-805 decreased both [Ca2+]i and tension during contraction induced by 1 x 10(-7) M NA. The concentration-response curve for inhibition of [Ca2+]i and tension obtained in the presence of the endothelium was shifted to the left from that obtained in the absence of endothelium. IC50 for the inhibition of tension obtained in the strips with the endothelium was 4.0 x 10(-7) M. Treatment with 1 x 10(-4) M NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NOARG) attenuated reductions of both [Ca2+]i and tension induced by LP-805 and the concentration-response curve shifted to the right and overlapped that obtained in the absence of the endothelium. Treatment with glibenclamide almost fully overcame the reduction of [Ca2+]i induced by LP-805, while the reversion of tension was 50% at most. 6. In the presence of the endothelium with L-NOARG, LP-805 reduced the tension to the extent of that expected from the reduction of [Ca2'ji, as based on the [Ca2+]i-tension relationship obtained with LP-805 in the absence of endothelium. On the contrary, in the presence of the endothelium without L-NOARG, LP-805 induced a greater reduction of tension than expected from the reduction of [Ca2+J1.This effect became more apparent after treatment with glibenclamide.7. These results suggest that: (1) LP-805 relaxes smooth muscle mainly by activating ATP-sensitive K+channels of smooth muscle and by releasing endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF). (2) Activation of ATP-sensitive K+ channels decrease [Ca2+]i and thereby relax smooth muscle with no effect on Ca2"-sensitivity of the contractile apparatus of smooth muscle or on the agonist-induced Ca2"-release process. (3) EDRF induced by LP-805 relaxes smooth muscle not only by decreasing [Ca2+]i but also decreasing Ca2+-sensitivity of the contractile apparatus of smooth muscle. In the presence of an intact endothelium, a decrease in Ca2+-sensitivity of the contractile apparatus may play an important role in LP-805-induced relaxation.