Kinetics of ATP- and noradrenaline-mediated sympathetic neuromuscular transmission in rat tail artery

Respiratory modulated sympathetic activity: a putative mechanism for developing vascular resistance?

KEY POINTS

Sympathetic activity exhibits respiratory modulation that is amplified in hypertensive rats. Respiratory modulated sympathetic activity produces greater changes in vascular resistance than tonic stimulation of the same stimulus magnitude in normotensive but not hypertensive rats. Mathematical modelling demonstrates that respiratory modulated sympathetic activity may fail to produce greater vascular resistance changes in hypertensive rats because the system is saturated as a consequence of a dysfunctional noradrenaline reuptake mechanism. Respiratory modulated sympathetic activity is an efficient mechanism to raise vascular resistance promptly, corroborating its involvement in the ontogenesis of hypertension.

ABSTRACT

Sympathetic nerve activity (SNA) exhibits respiratory modulation. This component of SNA is important - being recruited under cardiorespiratory reflex conditions and elevated in the spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rat - and yet the exact influence of this modulation on vascular tone is not understood, even in normotensive conditions. We constructed a mathematical model of the sympathetic innervation of an arteriole, and used it to test the hypothesis that respiratory modulation of SNA preferentially increases vasoconstriction compared to a frequency-matched tonic pattern. Simulations supported the hypothesis, where respiratory modulated increases in vasoconstriction were mediated by a noradrenergic mechanism. These predictions were tested in vivo in adult Wistar rats. Stimulation of the sympathetic chain (L3) with respiratory modulated bursting patterns, revealed that bursting increases vascular resistance (VR) more than tonic stimulation (57.8 ± 3.3% vs. 44.8 ± 4.2%; P < 0.001; n = 8). The onset of the VR response was also quicker for bursting stimulation (rise time constant = 1.98 ± 0.09 s vs. 2.35 ± 0.20 s; P < 0.01). In adult SH rats (n = 8), the VR response to bursting (44.6 ± 3.9%) was not different to tonic (37.4 ± 3.5%; P = 0.57). Using both mathematical modelling and in vivo techniques, we have shown that VR depends critically on respiratory modulation and revealed that this pattern dependency in Wistar rats is due to a noradrenergic mechanism. This respiratory component may therefore contribute to the ontogenesis of hypertension in the pre-hypertensive SH rat - raising VR and driving vascular remodelling. Why adult SH rats do not exhibit a pattern-dependent response is not known, but further modelling revealed that this may be due to dysfunctional noradrenaline reuptake.

Modelling the vascular response to sympathetic postganglionic nerve activity

This paper explores the influence of burst properties of the sympathetic nervous system on arterial contractility. Specifically, a mathematical model is constructed of the pathway from action potential generation in a sympathetic postganglionic neurone to contraction of an arterial smooth muscle cell. The differential equation model is a synthesis of models of the individual physiological processes, and is shown to be consistent with physiological data.

The model is found to be unresponsive to tonic (regular) stimulation at typical frequencies recorded in sympathetic efferents. However, when stimulated at the same average frequency, but with repetitive respiratory-modulated burst patterns, it produces marked contractions. Moreover, the contractile force produced is found to be highly dependent on the number of spikes in each burst. In particular, when the model is driven by preganglionic spike trains recorded from wild-type and spontaneously hypertensive rats (which have increased spiking during each burst) the contractile force was found to be 10-fold greater in the hypertensive case. An explanation is provided in terms of the summative increased release of noradrenaline. Furthermore, the results suggest the marked effect that hypertensive spike trains had on smooth muscle cell tone can provide a significant contribution to the pathology of hypertension.

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We model the sympathetic-driven contraction of a vascular smooth muscle cell.

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The cell is unresponsive to tonic stimulation at typical sympathetic frequencies.

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We quantify the force produced by the cell in response to sympathetic bursting.

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The response of the cell is strongly dependent on burst amplitude and duration.

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Recordings from hypertensive animals produce significant contractile forces.

ATP overflow in skeletal muscle 1A arterioles

The purpose of this study was to investigate the sources of ATP in the 1A arteriole, and to investigate age-related changes in ATP overflow. Arterioles (1A) from the red portion of the gastrocnemius muscle were isolated, cannulated and pressurized in a microvessel chamber with field stimulation electrodes. ATP overflow was determined using probes specific for ATP and null probes that were constructed similar to the ATP probes, but did not contain the enzyme coating. ATP concentrations were determined using a normal curve (0.78 to 25 micromol l(-1) ATP). ATP overflow occurred in two phases. Phase one began in the first 20 s following stimulation and phase two started 35 s after field stimulation. Tetrodotoxin, a potent neurotoxin that blocks action potential generation in nerves, abolished both phases of ATP overflow. alpha1-Receptor blockade resulted in a small decrease in ATP overflow in phase two, but endothelial removal resulted in an increase in ATP overflow. ATP overflow was lowest in 6-month-old rats and highest in 12- and 2-month-old rats (P<0.05). ATP overflow measured via biosensors was of neural origin with a small contribution from the vascular smooth muscle. The endothelium seems to play an important role in attenuating ATP overflow in 1A arterioles.

The P2Y(1) and P2Y(12) receptors mediate autoinhibition of transmitter release in sympathetic innervated tissues

In the sympathetic nervous system, ATP is a co-transmitter and modulator of transmitter release, inhibiting noradrenaline release by acting on P2Y autoreceptors, but in peripheral tissues the subtypes involved have only scarcely been identified. We investigated the identity of the noradrenaline release-inhibiting P2Y subtypes in the epididymal portion of vas deferens and tail artery of the rat. The subtypes operating as autoreceptors, the signalling mechanism and cross-talk with alpha(2)-autoreceptors, was also investigated in the epididymal portion. In both tissues, the nucleotides 2-methylthioATP, 2-methylthioADP, ADP and ATP inhibited noradrenaline release up to 68%, with the following order of potency: 2-methylthioADP=2-methylthioATP>ADP=ATP in the epididymal portion and 2-methylthioADP=2-methylthioATP=ADP>ATP in the tail artery. The selective P2Y(1) antagonist 2'-deoxy-N(6)-methyladenosine 3',5'-bisphosphate (30microM) and the P2Y(12) antagonist 2,2-dimethyl-propionic acid 3-(2-chloro-6-methylaminopurin-9-yl)-2-(2,2-dimethyl-propionyloxymethyl)-propyl ester (30microM) increased noradrenaline release per se by 25+/-8% and 18+/-3%, respectively, in the epididymal portion but not in tail artery. Both antagonists attenuated the effect of nucleotides in the epididymal portion whereas in tail artery only the P2Y(1) antagonist was effective. The agonist of P2Y(1) and P2Y(12) receptors, 2-methylthioADP, caused an inhibition of noradrenaline release that was not prevented by inhibition of phospholipase C or protein kinase C but was abolished by pertussis toxin. 2-methylthioADP and the adenosine A(1) receptor agonist N(6)-cyclopentyladenosine were less potent at inhibiting noradrenaline release under marked influence of alpha(2)-autoinhibition. In both tissues, nucleotides modulate noradrenaline release by activation of inhibitory P2Y(1) receptors but in the epididymal portion P2Y(12) receptors also participate. P2Y(1) and P2Y(12) receptors are coupled to G(i/o)-proteins and operate as autoreceptors in the vas deferens where they interact with alpha(2)-adrenoceptors on the modulation of noradrenaline release.

Impaired purinergic neurotransmission to mesenteric arteries in deoxycorticosterone acetate-salt hypertensive rats

Sympathetic nerves release norepinephrine and ATP onto mesenteric arteries. In deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt hypertensive rats, there is increased arterial sympathetic neurotransmission attributable, in part, to impaired prejunctional regulation of norepinephrine release. Prejunctional regulation purinergic transmission in hypertension is less well understood. We hypothesized that alpha(2)-adrenergic receptor dysfunction alters purinergic neurotransmission to arteries in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. Mesenteric artery preparations were maintained in vitro, and intracellular electrophysiological methods were used to record excitatory junction potentials (EJPs) from smooth muscle cells. EJP amplitude was reduced in smooth muscle cells from DOCA-salt (4+/-1 mV) compared with control arteries (9+/-1 mV; P<0.05). When using short trains of stimulation (0.5 Hz; 5 pulses), the alpha(2)adrenergic receptor antagonist yohimbine (1 micromol/L) potentiated EJPs in control more than in DOCA-salt arteries (180+/-35% versus 86+/-7%; P<0.05). Norepinephrine (0.1 to 3.0 micromol/L), the alpha(2)adrenergic receptor agonist UK 14304 (0.001 to 0.100 micromol/L), the A(1) adenosine receptor agonist cyclopentyladensosine (0.3 to 100.0 micromol/L), and the N-type calcium channel blocker omega-conotoxin GVIA (0.0003 to 0.1000 micromol/L) decreased EJP amplitude equally well in control and DOCA-salt arteries. Trains of stimuli (10 Hz) depleted ATP stores more completely, and the latency to EJP recovery was longer in DOCA-salt compared with control arteries. These data indicate that there is reduced purinergic input to mesenteric arteries of DOCA-salt rats because of decreased ATP bioavailability in sympathetic nerves. These data highlight the potential importance of impaired purinergic regulation of arterial tone as a target for drug treatment of hypertension.

Role of purinergic cotransmission in the sympathetic control of arterial pressure variability in conscious rats

Previous studies have shown that the sympathetically mediated oscillations of arterial pressure (AP), the so-called Mayer waves, are shifted from 0.4 to 0.6 Hz after acute α-adrenoceptor blockade in conscious rats. This raises the possibility that, under physiological conditions, Mayer waves are mediated by the conjoint action of norepinephrine and other sympathetic cotransmitters. To evaluate the possible role of the cotransmitter ATP in determining the frequency of Mayer waves, AP and renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) were simultaneously recorded in 10 conscious rats with cardiac autonomic blockade before and after acute blockade of P2 receptors with pyridoxal phosphate-6-azophenyl-2′,4′-disulfonic acid. P2 receptor blockade did not alter the mean level and overall variability of AP and RSNA but shifted peak coherence between AP and RSNA from 0.43 ± 0.02 to 0.22 ± 0.01 Hz. A model of the sympathetic limb of the arterial baroreceptor reflex was designed to simulate Mayer waves at 0.2 and 0.6 Hz, with norepinephrine and ATP, respectively, acting as the sole sympathetic cotransmitter. When both cotransmitters acted in concert, a single oscillation was observed at 0.4 Hz when the gain ratio of the adrenergic to the purinergic components was set at 15. The model thus accounted for an important role for ATP in determining Mayer wave frequency, but not in sustaining the mean level of AP or controlling its overall variability.

P2X1 receptors mediate sympathetic postjunctional Ca2+ transients in mesenteric small arteries

Brief, spatially localized Ca(2+) transients occur in the smooth muscle adjacent to perivascular nerves of small arteries during neurogenic contractions. We named these "junctional Ca(2+) transients" (jCaTs) and postulated that they arose from Ca(2+) entering smooth muscle cells through P2X(1) receptors activated by neurally released ATP. Nevertheless, the lack of potent, subtype-selective P2X-receptor antagonists made determining the exact molecular identity of the channels difficult. Here we used small, pressurized mesenteric arteries from P2X(1)-receptor-deficient mice (KO) to test the hypothesis that jCaTs arise from Ca(2+) entering the smooth muscle cell via P2X(1) receptors. In wild-type (WT) arteries, confocal microscopy of fluo-4 fluorescence during electrical field stimulation (EFS) of perivascular sympathetic nerves revealed jCaTs in the smooth muscle cells adjacent to the perivascular nerves, similar to those reported previously in rat arteries, and alpha-latrotoxin (2.5 nM) markedly increased the frequency of "spontaneous" jCaTs. In the KO arteries, however, neither EFS nor alpha-latrotoxin elicited any jCaTs. A potent P2X-receptor agonist, alpha,beta-methylene ATP (10.0 microM), elicited strong contractions and increased intracellular Ca(2+) concentration in WT arteries but elicited neither in KO arteries. A biphasic vasoconstriction in response to EFS was observed in WT arteries. In KO arteries, however, the initial rapid, transient component of the biphasic vasoconstriction was absent. The data support the hypothesis that jCaTs represent Ca(2+) that enters the smooth muscle cells through P2X(1) receptors activated by neurally released ATP and that this Ca(2+) is involved in the initial rapid component of the sympathetic neurogenic contraction.

ATP and norepinephrine contributions to sympathetic vasoconstriction of tail artery are altered in streptozotocin-diabetic rats

Sympathetic vasoconstriction is susceptible to diabetes, but contributions made by purinergic neurotransmission in this state have not been investigated. We aimed to evaluate sympathetic vasoconstriction contributions by ATP and norepinephrine in the tail artery from streptozotocin-diabetic rats by using isometric vascular rings. Tail arteries were isolated from rats made diabetic 3 mo earlier with streptozotocin (diabetic group), age-matched nondiabetic rats (nondiabetic injected), age-matched untreated animals (noninjected normal), and age-matched untreated animals in high glucose control Krebs solution (high glucose control). Responses to KCl (60 mM) or nerve stimulus trains of 1-100 impulses were identical in all groups. Electrical stimulation produced progressively greater contractions with increasing impulse numbers. These were partially reduced by suramin (100 microM, P2 antagonist), NF-279 (1 microM, P2X blocker), and phentolamine (2 microM, alpha-blocker). For purinergic antagonists, blockade was greater in diabetic vessels compared with that in others. No differential effect could be detected for phentolamine between groups. Bath-applied ATP (1 nM-1 mM) and norepinephrine (0.1 nM-100 microM) showed increased potency with diabetic group vessels. Desipramine (1 microM, norepinephrine reuptake inhibitor) potentiated neurally evoked responses in all groups equally and increased sensitivity to exogenous norepinephrine in a similar fashion. Histochemical labeling of sympathetic nerves with neuronal marker protein PGP-9.5 and a sympathetic nerve-specific antibody for tyrosine hydroxylase showed no reduction in diabetic innervation density. We demonstrate, for the first time, changes in contributions of ATP and norepinephrine in sympathetic responses of rat tail artery in diabetes, which cannot be accounted for by axonal degeneration or by changes in norepinephrine reuptake.

A quantitative description of the contraction of blood vessels following the release of noradrenaline from sympathetic varicosities

A model is presented that highlights the principal factors determining the form and extent of contraction in arteries upon stimulation of their sympathetic nerve supply. This model incorporates a previous quantitative model of the process of noradrenaline (NAd) diffusion into the vascular media and reuptake into sympathetic varicosities during nerve stimulation (J. Theor. Biol. 226 (2004) 359). It is also dependent on a model of how the subsequent activation of metabotropic receptors initiates a G-protein cascade, resulting in the production of inositol trisphosphate (IP3) and an increase in intracellular calcium concentration, [Ca2+]i, in the smooth muscle cells (J. Theor. Biol. 223 (2003) 93). In the present work we couple this rise in [Ca2+]i to the increase in phosphorylated myosin bound to actin in the cells and hence determine the force development in arteries due to nerve stimulation. The model accounts for force development as a function of [Ca2+]i and for the rate of change of force as a function of the rate of change of [Ca2+]i in single smooth muscle cells. It also accounts for the characteristic time course of the force developed by the media of the rat-tail artery upon nerve stimulation. This consists of a rapid rise to a transient peak followed by a sustained plateau of contraction during the stimulation period, after which the contraction slowly decays back to baseline at a rate dependent on the strength of the stimulation. The model indicates that the transient peak is primarily due to the partial block of the IP3 receptor by the rise in [Ca2+]i and that the main determinant of the equilibrium condition indicated by the plateau phase is the rate of pumping of calcium into the sarcoplasmic reticulum. The relatively slow decline of contraction at the end of nerve stimulation is primarily a consequence of the slow rates of removal of NAd from the media by diffusion and reuptake into the sympathetic varicosities. The model thus provides a quantitative account of vascular smooth muscle contraction upon sympathetic nerve stimulation.

Mechanisms of release of ATP from vascular purinergic nerves

1. The vasoconstrictor response to periarterial nerve electrical stimulation (PNS) and neurotransmission by ATP are discussed and illustrated, using canine isolated and perfused splenic arterial preparations. 2. The conditions for appearance of dominant purinergic constrictor response to PNS are discussed. 3. Modulation of the purinergic vasoconstrictor responses to PNS by several kinds of presynaptic receptor agonists and antagonists is reviewed. 4. Influences of purinergic responses to PNS by guanethidine, reserpine, tetrodotoxin (TTX) or omega-conotoxin GVIA (omegaCTX) are also reviewed. 5. Effects of imipramine and removal of the endothelium are discussed. 6. Evidence is presented for selective inhibition of purinergic responses to PNS by an adequate cold storage of the vessel. 7. The roles of ATP released by PNS in isolated canine splenic arteries are proposed.

Effects of varying impulse number on cotransmitter contributions to sympathetic vasoconstriction in rat tail artery

We examined the contributions of the cotransmitters norepinephrine (NE), ATP, and neuropeptide Y (NPY) to sympathetically evoked vasoconstriction in the rat tail artery in isolated vascular rings by using 1-100 stimulation impulses at 20 Hz. Phentolamine (2 microM), the alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist, markedly reduced responses to all stimuli, although responses to lower impulse numbers were reduced less than responses to longer trains. The purinergic receptor antagonist suramin (100 microM) reduced all responses, but to a much greater extent with few impulse trains. Responses were further reduced or abolished by addition of the second antagonist. Any remaining responses were abolished by the NPY-Y(1) receptor antagonist BIBP-3226 (75 nM). NPY had a direct agonist action and potentiated sympathetically mediated responses. NPY (75 nM) potentiated responses and BIBP-3226 decreased responses to 2- and 20-impulse trains. Both affected responses from 2 impulses to >20 impulses, but there was no preferential effect on purinergic contributions to responses because neurally released NPY potentiated both "pure" NE and ATP responses equally. We conclude that all three cotransmitters contribute significantly to vascular responses and their contribution varies markedly with impulse numbers. There is considerable synergy between cotransmitters, especially with lower impulse numbers where NPY contributions are greater than expected.

Effect of alpha-adrenoceptor blockade on the 0.4 Hz sympathetic rhythm in conscious rats

1. The present study examined the origin of the 0.4 Hz rhythm in renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) in rats. It was anticipated that, after elimination of 0.4 Hz oscillations of arterial pressure (AP) by alpha-adrenoceptor blockade, the persistence or disappearance of a 0.4 Hz rhythm in RSNA would point to an endogenous (central oscillator) or baroreflex origin, respectively. 2. Arterial pressure and RSNA were recorded in seven conscious rats, before and after acute alpha-adrenoceptor blockade with phentolamine (5 mg/kg, i.v.). In each condition, power and coherence spectra were calculated over 15 min periods of rest. 3. In control conditions, highly coherent AP and RSNA oscillations were observed near 0.4 Hz. After phentolamine administration, spectral power in the mid-frequency (0.27-0.74 Hz) band was significantly reduced for both AP and RSNA and maximum power was shifted towards 0.7 Hz. 4. The disappearance of the RSNA rhythm at 0.4 Hz after phentolamine administration favours the hypothesis of a baroreflex origin. The new oscillation near 0.7 Hz can derive either from the activity of a previously unrecognized central oscillator or from a faster feedback mechanism involving cotransmitters of noradrenaline acting with shorter time constants (e.g. ATP).

Roles of norepinephrine and ATP in sympathetically evoked vasoconstriction in rat tail and hindlimb in vivo

In anesthetized rats, we characterized the contributions of norepinephrine (NE) and ATP to changes in tail and hindlimb (femoral) vascular resistances (TVR and FVR, respectively) evoked by three patterns of sympathetic stimulation: 1) couplets (2 impulses at 20 Hz), 2) short trains (20 impulses at 20 Hz), and 3) a natural irregular pattern previously recorded from a sympathetic fiber innervating the rat tail artery. All stimuli evoked greater changes in TVR than FVR. Judging from the effects of the alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine, the purinergic receptor antagonist suramin, or alpha,beta-methylene ATP (which desensitizes P2X receptors), we propose that NE has a major role in the constriction evoked by the couplet, as well as by the short train and by the low- and high-frequency components of the natural pattern, but that considerable synergy occurred between the actions of ATP and NE. This contrasts with previous in vitro studies that indicated that ATP dominates vascular responses evoked by sympathetic stimulation with a few impulses at low frequency and that NE dominates responses to longer trains or at high frequencies.

Multiple oscillators, dynamic synchronization and sympathetic control

1. Intermittent bursts of activity are a robust feature of the discharges of sympathetic nerves. There are at least two major mechanisms producing such discharges: (i) phasic inputs influencing sympathetic circuits; and (ii) oscillators embedded within sympathetic networks. The functional significance of patterned and synchronized activity underlying bursts of population activity may reside in their influence on information transfer between excitable cells. At the level of the single neuron, firing pattern appears to be an important determinant of synaptic/neuroeffector function (e.g. the probability of transmitter release, the types of transmitter released, the types of receptor activated and plasticity). Synchronization of inputs at a target favours summation and, therefore, may influence response (short term and long term). 2. In the present paper, I review the work from my laboratory that has focused on furthering understanding of the potential functional importance of pattern and synchrony coding in sympathetic nervous control of cardiovascular function. Because the rat tail artery has been used extensively as a model for studying neuroeffector transmission, in our investigations we have recorded from its sympathetic innervation. 3. In the anaesthetized preparation, under steady state conditions, we have established that the discharges of these sympathetic neurons have a distinct rhythm (frequency approximately 0.8 Hz). This can be detected both at single neuron and population levels. 4. A family of oscillators appears to control their discharge such that under some conditions all neurons do not have the same frequency of rhythmical activity. However, these weakly coupled or uncoupled oscillators can be synchronized dynamically by various inputs, such as central respiratory drive, lung inflation cycle-related inputs and inputs arising from visceral and somatic afferents. 5. The potential functional significance of dynamic synchronization of sympathetic oscillators in relation to sympathetic pattern generation and neuroeffector transmission is discussed.

Differential blocking effects of tetrodotoxin on double-peaked vasoconstrictor responses to periarterial nerve stimulation in canine isolated, perfused splenic artery

1. In the present study, we investigated the effects of progressive inhibition of neuronal sodium channels by increasing concentrations of tetrodotoxin (TTX; 1-30 nmol/L) on the double-peaked vasoconstrictor responses to electrical periarterial nerve stimulation in the canine isolated and perfused splenic artery. 2. Double-peaked vasoconstrictions (biphasic vasoconstrictor responses) were consistently observed in following electrical stimulation with 30 s trains of pulses at 1-10 Hz. At low frequencies of stimulation (1-3 Hz), a submaximal concentration of 3 nmol/L TTX had no effect on the first phase of the contractile response, but almost completely inhibited the second-phase response. At high frequencies (6-10 Hz), the two vasoconstrictor phases were almost equally inhibited by 50% by 3 nmol/L TTX. A three-fold increase in the concentration of TTX used (10 nmol/L) abolished the second-phase vasoconstriction at all stimulation frequencies tested, whereas this concentration of TTX failed to block the first-phase response. Further increasing the concentration of TTX to 30 nmol/L completely blocked the remaining first-phase response. 3. Treatment with 0.1 mumol/L prazosin did not modify the first-phase response to any of the stimulation frequencies in the presence of 3 nmol/L TTX. Moreover, 0.1 mumol/L prazosin had no affect on the second-phase response at low frequencies (1-3 Hz), while at high frequencies (6-10 Hz) it slightly, but significantly inhibited the second-phase response. The vasoconstrictor responses that persisted after 3 nmol/L TTX and 0.1 mumol/L prazosin were completely suppressed by subsequent application of 1 mumol/L alpha, beta-methylene ATP at all stimulation frequencies (1-10 Hz). 4. In conclusion, progressive inhibition of sodium channels by increasing the concentration of TTX may exert a more preferential inhibition on adrenergic rather than purinergic components, suggesting that TTX-sensitive sodium channels may have a more important role in determining the adrenergic rather than purinergic transmission of sympathetic nerves.

Frequency characteristics of blood pressure oscillations evoked by sympathetic transmitters, noradrenaline and adenosine triphosphate

Mean arterial pressure (MAP) was recorded beat-to-beat in chronically instrumented, conscious, unrestrained rats under control conditions and after pharmacological inhibition of vascular sympathetic influences by means of: (1) ganglion blockade with chlorisondamine; (2) alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine; (3) P2 receptor blockade with pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulphonic acid (PPADS). Angiotensin II was continuously infused to prevent drastic MAP decrease during chlorisondamine and phentolamine administration. Overall MAP variability increased after ganglion blockade and combined blockade of adreno- and purinoceptors. It increased also after inhibition of purinergic influences, but was not significantly changed after vascular adrenergic blockade. Spectral analysis of spontaneous MAP fluctuations in intact rats revealed a peak centered at 0.4-0.5 Hz. Ganglion blockade suppressed MAP fluctuations with frequencies from 0.1 to 0.8 Hz. After blockade of alpha-adrenoceptors, MAP spectral density was suppressed only within the 0.1-0.45-Hz band, but increased in the 0.45-0.8-Hz band. In the latter case, sympathetically-induced peak of MAP spectrum was centered on 0.6 Hz, being evoked, presumably, by adenosine triphosphate (ATP). Blockade of P2 receptors by PPADS enhanced MAP fluctuations in the 0.1-0.45-Hz frequency band, i.e. the noradrenaline-induced peak was centered on 0.2 Hz. No peaks were observed in the 0.1-0.8-Hz frequency band during combined blockade of adreno- and purinoceptors. The present study supports the concept that sympathetic purinergic co-transmission is essential for stabilization of MAP level. MAP fluctuations evoked by noradrenaline and ATP can be distinguished by their frequency characteristics.

Inhibitory and facilitatory presynaptic effects of endothelin on sympathetic cotransmission in the rat isolated tail artery

1. The present study was undertaken to determine the modulatory effects of the endothelin peptides on the neurogenically-induced release of endogenous noradrenaline (NA) and the cotransmitter adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP) from the sympathetic nerves of endothelium-free segments of the rat isolated tail artery. The electrical field stimulation (EFS, 8 Hz, 0.5 ms, 3 min) evoked overflow of NA and ATP, in the absence of endothelins, was 0.035+/-0.002 pmol mg(-1) tissue and 0.026+/-0.002 pmol mg(-1) tissue, respectively. 2. Endothelin-1 (ET-1; 1-30 nM) significantly reduced the EFS evoked overflow of both NA and ATP. The maximum inhibitory effect was produced by a peptide concentration of 10 nM, the amount of NA overflow being 0.020+/-0.002 pmol mg(-1) and that of ATP overflow 0.015+/-0.001 pmol mg(-1). Higher peptide concentrations (100 and 300 nM) reversed the EFS-evoked overflow of NA to control levels and that of ATP to above control levels. The inhibitory effect of ET-1 (10 nM) was resistant to the selective ET(A) receptor antagonist cyclo-D-Trp-D-Asp(ONa)-Pro-D-Val-Leu (BQ-123) but was prevented by ET(B) receptor desensitization with sarafotoxin S6c (StxS6c) or by ET(B) receptor blockade with N, cis-2,6-dimethylpiperidinocarbonyl-L-gmethylleucyl-D-1-me thoxycarbonyltryptophanyl-D-norleucine (BQ-788). 3. StxS6c, upon acute application, exerted a dual effect on transmitter release. At concentrations of 0.001-0.3 nM the peptide significantly reduced the EFS-evoked NA overflow, whereas at concentrations of 1-10 nM it caused a significant increase in the evoked overflow of both ATP and NA. Both the maximum inhibitory effect of StxS6c at a concentration of 0.003 nM (approximately 85% reduction of NA overflow and 40% of ATP overflow) and the maximum facilitatory effect of the peptide at a concentration of 3 nM (approximately 400% increase of ATP overflow and 200% of NA overflow) were completely antagonized by either BQ-788 or by StxS6c-induced ET(B) receptor desensitization. 4. ET-3 (10-100 nM) did not affect the EFS evoked overflow of either ATP or NA, but at a concentration of 300 nM significantly potentiated the release of both transmitters (0.118+/-0.02 pmol mg(-1) tissue ATP overflow and 0.077+/-0.004 pmol mg(-1) NA overflow). This effect was prevented either by BQ-123 or by BQ-788. 5. In summary, the endothelin peptides exerted both facilitatory and inhibitory effects on the neurogenically-induced release of the sympathetic cotransmitters ATP and NA in the rat tail artery. Both transmitters were modulated in parallel indicating that the endothelins do not differentially modulate the release of NA and ATP in this tissue.

Evidence for the differential release of the cotransmitters ATP and noradrenaline from sympathetic nerves of the guinea-pig vas deferens

1. Experiments were carried out to quantify the stimulation-evoked overflow of catecholamines and purines (ATP, ADP, AMP and adenosine) from an in vitro sympathetic nerve-smooth muscle preparation of the guinea-pig vas deferens and from isolated bovine adrenal chromaffin cells. The superfused preparations were stimulated for 60 s with electrical field stimulation (EFS; vas deferens), dimethylphenylpiperazinium (chromaffin cells) or KCl (both preparations). 2. Samples of superfusate were taken at 10 s intervals during the 60 s stimulation period for analysis of purines by HPLC-fluorescence detection and catecholamines by HPLC-electrochemical detection. 3. The evoked overflow of catecholamines and purines from chromaffin cells occurred with the same time course and in a constant ratio of approximately 4:1 (catecholamine to purine). These findings are compatible with the release of catecholamines and purines from a homogeneous population of exocytotic vesicles in the chromaffin cells. 4. The evoked overflow of purines and noradrenaline (NA) from the vas deferens preparation differed from the pattern of overflow from chromaffin cells and there was also some temporal disparity in the overflow of the two cotransmitters. The evoked overflow of ATP exceeded that of NA. In addition, the overflow of NA was tonic while the overflow of ATP and the other purines was phasic. 5. The EFS-evoked overflow of NA and the purines from the guniea-pig vas deferens preparation was examined after treatment with the neuronal amine-uptake inhibitors desipramine and cocaine, the alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonist methoxamine, the alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin, the alpha 2-adrenoceptor antagonists idazoxan and yohimbine, the noradrenaline-depleting drug reserpine and the adrenergic neuron-blocking agent guanethidine. The results of these studies, together with an analysis of the metabolic degradation of extracellular ATP, indicated that the temporal disparity in the overflow of NA and ATP is unlikely to be due to differences in the clearance of the cotransmitters or to the release of purines from non-neuronal sites. These results indicate that evoked overflow of the cotransmitters accurately reflects release from nerves. This pattern of release from nerves suggests that the two cotransmitters are released from two separate populations of exocytotic vesicles. 6. Superfusion of the vas deferens with exogenous epsilon-ATP, a fluorescent derivative of ATP, revealed that there was essentially no metabolism of the nucleotide over 60 s unless the tissue was subjected to EFS. Upon EFS, there was a rapid and nearly complete degradation of ATP with a corresponding increase in ADP, AMP and adenosine. This indicates the presence of a nerve stimulation-dependent metabolism of ATP.

Geometry, kinetics and plasticity of release and clearance of ATP and noradrenaline as sympathetic cotransmitters: roles for the neurogenic contraction

The paper compares the microphysiology of sympathetic neuromuscular transmission in three model preparations: the guinea-pig and mouse vas deferens and rat tail artery. The first section describes the quantal release of ATP and noradrenaline from individual sites. The data are proposed to support a string model in which: (i) most sites (> or = 99%) ignore the nerve impulse and a few (< or = 1%) release a single quantum of ATP and noradrenaline; (ii) the probability of monoquantal release is extremely non-uniform; (iii) high probability varicosities form 'active' strings; and (iv) an impulse train causes repeated quantal release from these sites. Analogy with molecular mechanisms regulating transmitter exocytosis in other systems is proposed to imply that coincidence of at least two factors at the active zone, Ca2+ and specific cytosolic protein(s), may be required to remove a 'fusion clamp', form a 'fusion complex' and trigger exocytosis of a sympathetic transmitter quantum, and that the availability of these proteins may regulate the release probability. The second section shows that clearance of noradrenaline in rat tail artery is basically > or = 30-fold slower than of co-released ATP, and that saturation of local reuptake and binding to local buffering sites maintain the noradrenaline concentration at the receptors, in spite of a profound decline in per pulse release during high frequency trains. The third section describes differences in the strategies by which mouse vas deferens and rat tail artery use ATP and noradrenaline to trigger and maintain the neurogenic contraction.

Nerve activity-dependent variations in clearance of released noradrenaline: regulatory roles for sympathetic neuromuscular transmission in rat tail artery

The aim of this study was to find out if clearance of noradrenaline released from sympathetic nerve terminals in rat isolated tail artery is a physiological variable and if so, to determine its role for the noradrenaline-mediated neurogenic contraction. The per pulse release of noradrenaline induced by electrical nerve stimulation and the fluctuations of the level of noradrenaline at the receptors driving the contractions were assessed from the electrochemically determined noradrenaline oxidation current at a carbon fibre electrode at the surface of the artery. Both were compared with the noradrenaline-mediated neurogenic contraction. The effects on these parameters of cocaine or desipramine, or of corticosterone, were used to assess the relative roles of neuronal and extraneuronal uptake, respectively. The effects of cocaine or desipramine, which enhance the noradrenaline level at the receptors by blocking neuronal reuptake, were compared with those of yohimbine, presumed to act exclusively by enhancing the per pulse release of noradrenaline. The results seem to support the following tentative conclusions. Clearance of released noradrenaline occurs by neuronal uptake and diffusion, while extraneuronal uptake is negligible. The noradrenaline-induced neurogenic contraction is mediated via adrenoceptors on cells near the plane of the nerve plexus; the excitation spreads from these cells throughout the syncytium. The contractile response to exogenous noradrenaline may also be mediated via receptors on the innervated key cells. Reuptake of noradrenaline into the releasing varicosities, i.e. in "active junctions", is highly efficient for single quanta but rapidly saturated by repeated release, while reuptake of noradrenaline in the "surround" of active junctions is probably rarely saturated and more independent of nerve activity. Saturation of the transporter by repeated release of quanta from the same varicosity and the consequent accumulation of "residual" noradrenaline and increased diffusion out of the junction and recruitment of noradrenaline receptors in the surround may be the cause of the rapid growth of the contraction during a high frequency train. Diffusion of released noradrenaline away from the postjunctional receptors is restricted by a local nerve activity-dependent buffering mechanism which, in spite of fading of the per pulse release, helps maintain the noradrenaline concentration at the receptors and the contraction during long high-frequency trains. Reactivation of the clearance mechanisms upon cessation of nerve activity accelerates the relaxation.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Spatiotemporal pattern of quantal release of ATP and noradrenaline from sympathetic nerves: consequences for neuromuscular transmission

The recent explosive development in research concerning the fundamental mechanisms of synaptic transmission helps put the present paper in context. It is now evident that not all transmitter vesicles in a nerve terminal, not even all those docked at its active zones, are immediately available for release (36). We watch, fascinated, the unraveling of the amazingly complex cellular mechanisms and molecular machinery that determine whether or not a vesicle is "exocytosis-competent" (77,78,39,79). Studies on quantal release in different systems show that neurons are fundamentally similar in one respect: that transmitter release from individual active zones is monoquantal (2). But they also show that active zones in different neurons differ drastically in the probability of monoquantal release and in the number of quanta immediately available for release (3). This implies that one should not extrapolate directly from transmitter release in one set of presynaptic terminals (e.g., in neuromuscular endplate or squid giant synapse) to that in other nerve terminals, especially if they have a very different morphology. As shown here, one should not even extrapolate from transmitter release in sympathetic nerves in one tissue (e.g., rat tail artery) to that in other tissues or species (e.g., mouse vas deferens). It is noteworthy that most studies of quantal release are based on electrophysiological analysis and therefore deal with release of fast, ionotropic transmitters from small synaptic vesicles at the active zones, especially in neurons in which these events may be examined with high resolution (49,48,46,33,32). Such data are useful as general models of the release of both fast and slow transmitters from small synaptic vesicles at active zones in other systems, provided that these transmitters are released in parallel, as are apparently ATP and NA in sympathetic nerves. They tell us little or nothing, however, about the release of transmitters (e.g., neuropeptides) from the large vesicles, nor about the spatiotemporal pattern of monoquantal release from small synaptic vesicles in the many neurons that have boutons-en-passent terminals. They show that the time course of effector responses to fast, rapidly inactivated transmitters such as ACh or ATP is necessarily release related. But they do not even address the possibility that the effector responses to slow transmitters such as NA, co-released from the same terminals, may obey completely different rules and perhaps rather be clearance related (7).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)

Dual contractile effects of ATP released by field stimulation revealed by effects of alpha,beta-methylene ATP and suramin in rat tail artery

1. The field stimulation-induced release of endogenous ATP and noradrenaline (NA) and contractile response in rat isolated tail artery were examined. The release of ATP was studied by extracellular electrophysiological recording and that of NA by a novel voltammetrical technique. The effects of the P2-purinceptor antagonist, suramin, on these parameters were compared with those of alpha,beta-methylene ATP, a P2X-purinoceptor desensitizing agent. 2. Neither alpha,beta-methylene ATP (10 microM) nor suramin (100-500 microM) had significant effects on the extracellularly recorded nerve terminal action potential but both abolished the ATP-induced excitatory junction current caused by stimulation at 0.1 Hz. Neither agent affected significantly the voltammetrically measured release of NA induced by 10 or 100 pulses at 20 Hz. 3. Combined blockade of both postjunctional alpha 1- and alpha 2-adrenoceptors by prazosin and yohimbine (both 0.1 microM) profoundly depressed the contractile response to 10 pulses at 20 Hz. The small and fast residual contraction in the presence of these agents was abolished by alpha,beta-methylene ATP (10 microM) and inhibited by suramin in a concentration-dependent manner (10-500 microM; IC50 75 microM) and was hence probably caused by ATP or a related nucleotide. 4. When added first, alpha,beta-methylene ATP (10 microM) or suramin (100-500 microM) delayed the onset and enhanced the amplitude of the neurogenic contraction. This enhanced response was abolished by further addition of prazosin and yohimbine (both 0.1 microM). 5. The K+ channel blocker, tetraethylammonium (10 mM), dramatically enhanced the contractile response to 100 pulses at 1 Hz and caused it to become diphasic. Addition of alpha,beta-methylene ATP (10 microM)or suramin (100-500 microM) abolished the large initial twitch component of this contraction and depressed the tonic phase.6. Like alpha,beta-methylene ATP, suramin (500 microM) had no effect on the contraction caused by exogenous NA (1O nM-l10 microM) or KCI (60 mM); both agents almost abolished the contraction caused by ATP(100 microM).7. In conclusion, (i) the contractile response of rat tail artery to electrical field stimulation is mediated by both ATP and NA, and is thus an expression of ATP-NA co-transmission, (ii) the released ATP exerts two opposite effects via 'P2x-like' purinoceptors, triggering the initial rapid phase of the neurogenic contraction and restricting the NA-mediated component of the contraction; and (iii) the source and possible physiological role of the ATP which causes the inhibitory effect are unknown at present.