Evidence for the role of p38 MAP kinase in hypoxia-induced pulmonary vasoconstriction

• Published in: American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology 2002-10, Vol.283 (4), p.859-L866
• Main Authors: Karamsetty, M. R, Klinger, J. R, Hill, N. S
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Subjects: Acute Disease; Animals; Enzyme Inhibitors - pharmacology; Hypoxia - metabolism; Male; MAP Kinase Signaling System - drug effects; MAP Kinase Signaling System - physiology; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 1 - metabolism; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase 3; Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases - metabolism; p38 Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinases; Phenylephrine - pharmacology; Potassium Chloride - pharmacology; Pulmonary Artery - enzymology; Rats; Rats, Sprague-Dawley; Vasoconstriction - drug effects; Vasoconstriction - physiology; Vasoconstrictor Agents - pharmacology
• ISSN: 1040-0605; 1522-1504
• DOI: 10.1152/ajplung.00475.2001

1  Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine, Rhode Island Hospital and Brown University School of Medicine, Providence 02903; and 2  Veterans Administration Medical Center, Providence, Rhode Island 02908 Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinases regulate smooth muscle cell contraction. Hypoxia contracts pulmonary arteries by mechanisms that are incompletely understood. We hypothesized that hypoxic contraction of pulmonary arteries involves activation of the MAP kinases. To test this hypothesis, we studied the effects of SB-202190, a p38 MAP kinase inhibitor, PD-98059 and UO-126, two structurally different MEKK inhibitors, and anisomycin, a stimulator of p38 MAP kinase on acute hypoxia-induced contraction in rat conduit pulmonary artery rings precontracted with phenylephrine or KCl. Hypoxia induced a transient contraction, followed by a relaxation, and then a slowly developing sustained contraction. Hypoxia also significantly increased phosphorylation of p38 MAP kinase. SB-202190 did not affect the transient phase but abrogated the sustained phase of hypoxic contraction, whereas anisomycin enhanced both phases of contraction. SB-202190 also attenuated and anisomycin enhanced the phenylephrine-induced contraction. In contrast, PD-98059 and UO-126 had minimal effects on either hypoxic or phenylephrine-induced contraction. None of the treatments modified KCl-induced contraction. We conclude that p38, but not the ERK1/ERK2 MAP kinase pathway, mediates the sustained phase of hypoxic contraction in isolated rat pulmonary arteries. phospho-p38; extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2; mitogen-activated protein kinase kinase; rat pulmonary artery