AJP - Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Vol 265, Issue 6 2137-H2141, Copyright © 1993 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Endothelin-1 and -3 cause endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization in the rat mesenteric artery

M. Nakashima and P. M. Vanhoutte
Center for Experimental Therapeutics, Baylor College of Medicine, Houston, Texas 77030.

The present study was designed to determine whether endothelin (ET) induces endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization in the isolated rat mesenteric artery and, if so, to identify the receptor subtype involved. Main superior mesenteric arteries of Wistar-Kyoto and spontaneously hypertensive rats were used for the measurement of electrical responses of smooth muscle cells, using glass microelectrode. In tissues with endothelium of both strains, ET-1 (10(-8) M) caused an initial transient hyperpolarization followed by a sustained depolarization. In tissues without endothelium, only depolarization was observed. ET-3 (10(-8) M) produced transient hyperpolarizations only in preparations with endothelium. There was no significant difference in maximal amplitude of hyperpolarization between the two strains. BQ-123 (selective ETA-receptor antagonist) blocked the depolarization to ET-1 but did not inhibit hyperpolarizing responses to either isopeptide. IRL-1620 (specific ETB-receptor agonist) produced transient membrane hyperpolarizations in tissues with endothelium. The hyperpolarizations induced by ET were not affected by NG-nitro-L-arginine. These data suggest that both ET-1 and ET-3 can cause endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization in the rat mesenteric artery and that the endothelial receptor involved may belong to ETB subtype.

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