Transmural Field Stimulation-induced Relaxation in the Rat Common Hepatic Artery

Hepatic arteries are reportedly innervated by vasoconstrictor and vasodilator nerves. Experiments were carried out to investigate the possible involvement of calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) and nitric oxide as neurotransmitters during the relaxation of the rat common hepatic artery produced b...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Journal of Smooth Muscle Research 2000, Vol.36(4), pp.137-144
Main Authors: SHIMAMURA, Keiichi, YAMAMOTO, Kazuo, SEKIGUCHI, Fumiko, SUNANO, Satoru, KIMURA, Shinichi, SAITO, Hideya
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
Acetylcholine - pharmacology
Animals
Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide - pharmacology
capsaicin
Capsaicin - pharmacology
CGRP
Electric Stimulation
Female
Hepatic Artery - drug effects
Hepatic Artery - innervation
Hepatic Artery - physiology
In Vitro Techniques
Isometric Contraction - drug effects
Isometric Contraction - physiology
Muscle Relaxation - drug effects
Muscle Relaxation - physiology
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular - drug effects
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular - innervation
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular - physiology
nitric oxide
Nitroarginine - pharmacology
Peptide Fragments - pharmacology
rat common hepatic artery
Rats
Rats, Wistar
Tetrodotoxin - pharmacology
Vasodilation
vasodilator nerve
Vasopressins - pharmacology
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Summary:Hepatic arteries are reportedly innervated by vasoconstrictor and vasodilator nerves. Experiments were carried out to investigate the possible involvement of calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) and nitric oxide as neurotransmitters during the relaxation of the rat common hepatic artery produced by transmural electrical field stimulation (ES). Common hepatic arteries were excised under ether-anesthesia from 6 weeks-old female rats, and isometric tensions recorded from endothelium-damaged ring preparations. In the presence of atropine and guanethidine, ES relaxed arteries which had been previously contracted with vasopressin. The relaxation response to ES was attenuated by either tetrodotoxin or capsaicin-pretreatment. CGRP induced a concentration-dependent relaxation, which was inhibited by the CGRP antagonist CGRP 8-37 . The ES-induced relaxation was attenuated either slightly by the nitric oxide synthesis inhibitor L-nitroarginine (L-NNA) or markedly by CGRP 8-37 . The relaxation response was nearly abolished in the presence of both CGRP 8-37 and L-NNA. These results may indicate that the nerve stimulation-induced vasodilatation of the rat common hepatic artery is mediated mainly by CGRP and partly by nitric oxide.
ISSN:0916-8737
1884-8796
DOI:10.1540/jsmr.36.137