Effects of indomethacin and iloprost on contraction of the afferent arterioles by endothelin-1 in juxtamedullary nephron preparations from normotensive Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats

Effect of endothelin-1 on regional kidney blood flow and renal arteriole calibre in rabbits

1. Medullary blood flow (MBF) is important in the long-term control of arterial pressure. However, it is unclear which vascular elements regulate MBF. 2. Exogenous endothelin (ET)-1 decreases cortical more than medullary blood flow. We hypothesized that ET-1 would therefore constrict afferent (AA) and efferent arterioles (EA) of juxtamedullary glomeruli less than those of cortical glomeruli. 3. Mean arterial pressure, renal blood flow and cortical (CBF) and medullary (MBF) blood flow, via laser-Doppler flowmetry, were measured before and after intrarenal ET-1 (2 ng/kg per min; n = 6) or vehicle (n = 6) in anaesthetized rabbits. Kidneys were perfusion fixed, vascular casts formed, lumen diameters measured via scanning electron microscopy and relative resistance calculated. 4. Mean arterial pressure was not significantly affected by ET-1 infusion. Cortical glomerular arteriole lumen diameters were significantly reduced in the ET-1-infused group (AA approximately 30%, EA approximately 18%; PA < 0.01), compatible with the decrease in CBF (42 +/- 3%; PGT < 0.01). Juxtamedullary arteriole lumen diameters were also significantly reduced in the ET-1-infused group (AA approximately 34%, EA approximately 21%; PA < 0.01); however, MBF did not decrease. 5. In conclusion, our data suggest that juxtamedullary arterioles are not of primary importance in the regulation of MBF because, despite reductions in juxtamedullary arteriole diameters in response to ET-1, MBF was not decreased.

Eicosanoid regulation of the renal vasculature

Even though it has been recognized that arachidonic acid metabolites, eicosanoids, play an important role in the control of renal blood flow and glomerular filtration, several key observations have been made in the past decade. One major finding was that two distinct cyclooxygenase (COX-1 and COX-2) enzymes exist in the kidney. A renewed interest in the contribution of cyclooxygenase metabolites in tubuloglomerular feedback responses has been sparked by the observation that COX-2 is constitutively expressed in the macula densa area. Arachidonic acid metabolites of the lipoxygenase pathway appear to be significant factors in renal hemodynamic changes that occur during disease states. In particular, 12(S)- hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid may be important for the full expression of the renal hemodynamic actions in response to angiotensin II. Cytochrome P-450 metabolites have been demonstrated to possess vasoactive properties, act as paracrine modulators, and be a critical component in renal blood flow autoregulatory responses. Last, peroxidation of arachidonic acid metabolites to isoprostanes appears to be involved in renal oxidative stress responses. The recent developments of specific enzymatic inhibitors, stable analogs, and gene-disrupted mice and in antisense technology are enabling investigators to understand the complex interplay by which eicosanoids control renal blood flow.

Cytochrome P450 and cyclooxygenase metabolites contribute to the endothelin-1 afferent arteriolar vasoconstrictor and calcium responses

Arachidonic acid metabolites contribute to the endothelin-1 (ET-1)-induced decrease in renal blood flow, but the vascular sites of action are unknown. Experiments performed in vitro used the rat juxtamedullary nephron preparation combined with videomicroscopy. The response of afferent arterioles to ET-1 was determined before and after cytochrome P450 (CYP450) or cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibition. Afferent arteriolar diameter averaged 20+/-1 microm (n=17) at a renal perfusion pressure of 100 mm Hg. Superfusion with 0.001 to 10 nmol/L ET-1 caused a graded decrease in diameter of the afferent arteriole. Vessel diameter decreased by 30+/-2% and 41+/-2% in response to 1 and 10 nmol/L ET-1, respectively. The afferent arteriolar response to ET-1 was significantly attenuated during administration of the CYP450 hydroxylase inhibitor N-methylsulfonyl-12,12-dibromododec-11-enamide (DDMS), such that afferent arteriolar diameter decreased by 19+/-3% and 22+/-3% in response to 1 and 10 nmol/L ET-1, respectively. COX inhibition also greatly attenuated the vasoconstriction elicited by ET-1, whereas the CYP450 epoxygenase inhibitor N-methylsulfonyl-6-(2-proparglyoxyphenyl) hexanamide enhanced the ET-1-mediated vascular response. Additional studies were performed using freshly isolated smooth muscle cells prepared from preglomerular microvessels. Renal microvascular smooth muscle cells were loaded with the calcium-sensitive dye fura 2 and studied by use of single-cell fluorescence microscopy. Basal renal microvascular smooth muscle cell [Ca(2+)](i) averaged 95+/-3 nmol/L (n=42). ET-1 (10 nmol/L) increased microvascular smooth muscle cell [Ca(2+)](i) to a peak value of 731+/-75 nmol/L before stabilizing at 136+/-8 nmol/L. Administration of DDMS or the COX inhibitor indomethacin significantly attenuated the renal microvascular smooth muscle cell calcium response to ET-1. These data demonstrate that CYP450 hydroxylase and COX arachidonic acid metabolites contribute importantly to the afferent arteriolar diameter and renal microvascular smooth muscle cell calcium responses elicited by ET-1.

Chronic endothelin-1 improves nitric oxide-dependent flow-induced dilation in resistance arteries from normotensive and hypertensive rats

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is released on stimulation by shear stress of the vascular wall. In several pathological situations, an involvement of ET-1 is suspected. Nevertheless, the effect of a chronic increase in circulating ET-1 on vascular tone in resistance arteries is not yet fully understood. We investigated the response to tensile stress (pressure-induced myogenic tone) and shear stress (flow-induced dilation, FD) of rat mesenteric resistance arteries cannulated in an arteriograph. Intraluminal diameter was measured continuously. Rats (normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats [WKYs] and spontaneously hypertensive rats [SHRs]) were treated for 2 weeks with ET-1 (5 pmol. kg(-1). min(-1) SC; n=8 to 16 per group). Systolic arterial blood pressure increased significantly in ET-1-treated rats (171+/-7 versus 196+/-6 mm Hg in WKYs and 216+/-8 versus 245+/-6 mm Hg in SHRs, P<0.05). Passive arterial diameter in isolated resistance arteries ranged from 78+/-9 to 169+/-4 microm in WKYs and from 62+/-6 to 149+/-7 microm in SHRs (pressure from 10 to 150 mm Hg). Myogenic tone was not significantly affected by chronic ET-1. Flow (9 to 150 microL/min) significantly increased the arterial diameter by 2+/-0.5 to 22+/-2 microm in WKYs and by 1.3+/-0. 7 to 8.3+/-0.8 microm in SHRs (P<0.001 versus WKYs). The NO synthesis blocker N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 100 micromol/L) attenuated FD in WKYs (eg, 22+/-2 versus 15+/-3 microm after L-NAME, flow=150 microL/min) and, to a lesser extent, in SHRs (P<0.001 versus WKYs). The cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (3 micromol/L) attenuated the remaining FD in WKYs (eg, 15+/-3 versus 8+/-3 microm, flow=150 microL/min) and in SHRs (eg, 7.5+/-0.5 versus 5.0+/-0.6 microm). Chronic ET-1 significantly increased FD in SHRs but not in WKYs. In both strains, NO-dependent FD was significantly increased by chronic ET-1. Furthermore, indomethacin-sensitive FD was increased by chronic ET-1 in SHRs only. Thus, chronic ET-1 increased NO-dependent FD in resistance mesenteric arteries from both WKYs and SHRs and increased indomethacin-sensitive FD in SHRs only.