Enhanced vasocontraction of rat tail arteries by toxoflavin

Diversities in virulence, antifungal activity, pigmentation and DNA fingerprint among strains of Burkholderia glumae

Burkholderia glumae is the primary causal agent of bacterial panicle blight of rice. In this study, 11 naturally avirulent and nine virulent strains of B. glumae native to the southern United States were characterized in terms of virulence in rice and onion, toxofalvin production, antifungal activity, pigmentation and genomic structure. Virulence of B. glumae strains on rice panicles was highly correlated to virulence on onion bulb scales, suggesting that onion bulb can be a convenient alternative host system to efficiently determine the virulence of B. glumae strains. Production of toxoflavin, the phytotoxin that functions as a major virulence factor, was closely associated with the virulence phenotypes of B. glumae strains in rice. Some strains of B. glumae showed various levels of antifungal activity against Rhizoctonia solani, the causal agent of sheath blight, and pigmentation phenotypes on casamino acid-peptone-glucose (CPG) agar plates regardless of their virulence traits. Purple and yellow-green pigments were partially purified from a pigmenting strain of B. glumae, 411gr-6, and the purple pigment fraction showed a strong antifungal activity against Collectotrichum orbiculare. Genetic variations were detected among the B. glumae strains from DNA fingerprinting analyses by repetitive element sequence-based PCR (rep-PCR) for BOX-A1R-based repetitive extragenic palindromic (BOX) or enterobacterial repetitive intergenic consensus (ERIC) sequences of bacteria; and close genetic relatedness among virulent but pigment-deficient strains were revealed by clustering analyses of DNA fingerprints from BOX-and ERIC-PCR.

Tetraethylammonium-evoked oscillatory contractions of rat tail artery: A K-K model

Spontaneously rhythmic contraction of peripheral blood vessels actively modulates the peripheral circulation and blood pressure. However, the underlying mechanisms for the complex rhythmic contraction patterns of various vascular tissues are not yet fully understood. In the present study, the tetraethylammonium (TEA)-induced spontaneously oscillatory contractions of isolated rat tail artery tissues were examined. It was found that TEA evoked arterial oscillatory contractions in a concentration-dependent, but endothelium-independent manner. The voltage- dependent K+ (Kv) channel specific blocker, 4-aminopyridine (4-AP), induced a sustained, but not oscillated, vascular contraction. The presence of 4-AP had no effect on the TEA-induced oscillatory contractions. The blockade of KCa channels with charybdotoxin or apamin did not affect the basal force of vascular tissues. Neither the TEA-induced oscillatory contraction was affected by these blockers. The opening of KATP channels by levcromakalim or their blockade by glybenclamide ceased or increased, respectively, the oscillation of TEA-induced contractions. The absence of Ca2+ or the presence of nifedipine in the bath solution completely abolished the effects of TEA. The inhibition of Ca2+-ATPase in the sarcoplasmic reticulum with micromolar concentrations of thapsigargin or cyclopiazonic acid either abolished or enhanced, respectively, the TEA-induced oscillatory contractions. Ryanodine did not affect the TEA-induced oscillatory contraction. In conclusion, the TEA-induced oscillatory contraction may be initiated by the blockade of the TEA-sensitive delayed rectifier K+ channels and maintained by the TEA-insensitive but ATP-sensitive K+ channels. This K-K model presents a novel mechanism for the depolarization-induced rhythmic contractions of small arteries.Key words: KATP channels, Kv channels, rhythmic contraction, tetraethylammonium, vascular smooth muscle.

Three different vasoactive responses of rat tail artery to nicotine

The vasoactive effects of nicotine on isolated rat tail artery tissues were studied. Nicotine transiently contracted rat tail artery tissues (EC50, 55.6 ± 2 µM) in an extracellular Ca2+ dependent and endothelium-independent fashion. The blockade of alpha1-adrenoceptors, but not alpha2-adrenoceptors or P2X purinoceptors, inhibited the nicotine-induced contraction by 38 ± 7% (p < 0.05). Nicotine (1 mM) depolarized membrane by 13 ± 3 mV, but did not affect L-type Ca2+ channel currents, of the isolated rat tail artery smooth muscle cells. The phenylephrine-precontracted tail artery tissues were relaxed by nicotine (EC50, 0.90 ± 0.31 mM), which was significantly inhibited after the blockade of nicotinic receptors. Simultaneous removal of phenylephrine and nicotine, after a complete relaxation of the phenylephrine-precontracted tail artery strips was achieved by nicotine at accumulated concentrations (>=10 mM), triggered a Ca2+-dependent rebound long-lasting vasoconstriction (n = 20). This rebound contraction was abolished in the absence of calcium or in the presence of tetracaine in the bath solution. Pretreatment of vascular tissues with a nicotinic receptor antagonist did not affect the nicotine-induced vasoconstriction or nicotine withdrawal induced rebound contraction. The elucidation of the triphasic vascular effects of nicotine and the underlying mechanisms is important for a better understanding of the complex vascular actions of nicotine.Key words: nicotine, smokeless tobacco, vascular smooth muscles, contraction, relaxation.

Kinin B2 receptor-mediated contraction of tail arteries from normal or streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats

1. The vasoactive effects of bradykinin (BK) are mediated by different subtypes of kinin receptors, of which the expression varies among different tissues. In rat tail artery tissues, BK elicited a concentration-dependent vasoconstriction (EC50, 25.9+/-2.4nM; Emax, 0.39+/-0.01 g; n=16). This effect of BK was endothelium independent and indomethacin insensitive. The BK-induced contraction of tail artery tissues, however, depended on both membrane potential-sensitive extracellular Ca2+ entry and thapsigargin-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ release. 2. Kinin B1 receptor antagonist or agonist did not affect the basal tension or the BK-induced contraction of tail artery tissues in the absence or presence of endothelium (P>0.05). In contrast, the BK-induced vasoconstriction was inhibited by kinin B2 receptor antagonists. Pretreatment of vascular tissues with Hoe 140 (1 nM) significantly changed EC50 of the BK-induced vasoconstriction from 25.5+/-7.4 nM to 82.6+/-16.8nM (n=8, P<0.01) and Emax from 0.43+/-0.03g to 0.16+/-0.01 g (n=8, P<0.01). 3. In the tail artery tissues from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats, the BK-elicited vasoconstriction was significantly reduced (EC50, 67.8+/-11 nM: Emax, 0.19+/-0.01 g) compared to their counterparts from normal rats. The decreased vasoconstrictive effects of BK on diabetic arteries were endothelium independent and indomethacin insensitive. 4. Our study demonstrated that the contraction of rat tail arteries induced by BK was mediated by B2 receptors located on vascular smooth muscles. The altered B2 receptor-mediated vascular activity may play an important role in the vascular complications of diabetes.

Enhanced inhibition by melatonin of alpha-adrenoceptor-induced aortic contraction and inositol phosphate production in vascular smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats

OBJECTIVE

To test the hypothesis that the enhanced inhibition by melatonin of the norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction and formation of inositol phosphate in spontaneously hypertensive rats are mediated by its antioxidant effect

METHODS

Aortic rings from spontaneously hypertensive rats and age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats were used for measuring vascular contraction forces. Cultured aortic smooth muscle cells were prelabelled with myo-[2-3H]-inositol for evaluation of formation of inositol phosphate after exposure to agonist or antagonist Basal or forskolin-induced formation of cyclic AMP was evaluated using a [3H]-cyclic AMP assay system. Oxygen-derived free radicals were generated with a hypoxanthine and xanthine oxidase system.

RESULTS

The inhibition of the norepinephrine-induced aortic contraction by melatonin was more potent in spontaneously hypertensive than it was in Wistar-Kyoto rats. The inhibition of the norepinephrine-induced formation of inositol phosphate by 0.3-300 micromol/l melatonin was also greater in smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats than it was in those cells from Wistar-Kyoto rats. In contrast, the inhibition of the norepinephrine-induced formation of inositol phosphate in smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive and Wistar-Kyoto rats by 2-iodomelatonin, an agonist of melatonin receptors, was not different. Prazosin, but not yohimbine, eliminated or partially inhibited the norepinephrine-induced formation of inositol phosphate in smooth muscle cells from Wistar-Kyoto rats or from spontaneously hypertensive rats, respectively. In the presence both of prazosin and of melatonin, the norepinephrine-induced production of inositol phosphate was abolished in smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats. Furthermore, superoxide dismutase significantly inhibited the norepinephrine-induced aortic contraction and formation of inositol phosphate in smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats, but not in those cells from Wistar-Kyoto rats. In contrast, catalase had no effect on the norepinephrine-induced formation of inositol phosphate and vascular contraction either in cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats or in cells from Wistar-Kyoto rats. Hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase induced formation of more inositol phosphate in smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats than it did in those from Wistar-Kyoto rats. Melatonin and superoxide dismutase similarly inhibited the hypoxanthine-xanthine oxidase-induced formation of inositol phosphate more in cells from spontaneously hypertensive rats than it did in those from Wistar-Kyoto rats. However, melatonin had no effect either on basal or on the forskolin-induced formation of cyclic AMP in smooth muscle cells from rats of both strains.

CONCLUSION

The enhanced inhibitory effect of melatonin on the norepinephrine-induced cellular production of inositol phosphate in spontaneously hypertensive rats was not mediated by melatonin receptors or alpha-adrenoceptors. Rather, the antioxidant effect of melatonin could become important in spontaneously hypertensive rats, which are suspected to have a lower cellular content of antioxidants or a greater sensitivity to superoxide anions, or both, of the vascular tissue.

Carbon monoxide-induced vasorelaxation and the underlying mechanisms

1. Carbon monoxide (CO) induced a concentration-dependent relaxation of isolated rat tail artery tissues which were precontracted with phenylephrine or U-46619. This vasorelaxing effect of CO was independent of the presence of the intact endothelium. 2. The CO-induced vasorelaxation was partially inhibited by the blockade of either the cyclicGMP pathway or big-conductance calcium-activated K (KCa) channels. When both the cyclicGMP pathway and KCa channels were blocked, the CO-induced vasorelaxation was completely abolished. 3. Incubation of vascular tissues with hemin, in order to enhance the endogenous production of CO, suppressed the phenylephrine-induced vasocontraction in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. The hemin-induced suppression of the vascular contractile response to phenylephrine was abolished after the vascular tissues were co-incubated with either oxyhaemoglobin or zinc protoporphyrin-IX, suggesting an induced endogenous generation of CO from vascular tissues. 4. The effect of hemin incubation on vascular contractility did not involve the endogenous generation of nitric oxide. 5. Our results suggest that CO may activate both a cyclicGMP signalling pathway and KCa channels in the same vascular tissues, and that the endogenously generated CO may significantly affect the vascular contractile responses.