AJP - Heart and Circulatory Physiology, Vol 266, Issue 1 291-H297, Copyright © 1994 by American Physiological Society

ARTICLES

Interactions of nitroglycerin and sulfhydryl-donating compounds in coronary microvessels

R. M. Wheatley, S. P. Dockery, M. A. Kurz, H. S. Sayegh and D. G. Harrison
Department of Medicine, Emory University, Atlanta, Georgia 30322.

Previous studies have shown the effect of nitroglycerin on coronary microvessels < 100 microns in diameter is markedly enhanced by L-cysteine. These studies were performed to examine the mechanisms responsible for this effect. Under control conditions, nitroglycerin caused potent dilations of large (> 200 microns diam) coronary microvessels while having minimal effects on small (< 100 microns diam) coronary microvessels [peak relaxations 85 +/- 4 vs. 23 +/- 3% (mean +/- SE) of endothelin-1-constricted vessels, respectively]. L-Cysteine (100 microM) and N-acetylcysteine (100 microM) markedly enhanced nitroglycerin-induced relaxations of small coronary microvessels (peak relaxation 84 +/- 6 and 87 +/- 12%, respectively) while having no effect on relaxations of vessels > 100 microns. In contrast, neither L-methionine (100 microM) nor glutathione (100 microM) enhanced nitroglycerin's vasodilation of small coronary microvessels. The effects of L-cysteine and N-acetylcysteine on the augmentation of nitroglycerin vasodilatation in smaller coronary microvessels was abolished in the presence of buthionine sulfoximine (100 microM), a potent inhibitor of intracellular glutathione synthesis. Buthionine sulfoximine had no effect on the vasodilatation produced by nitroprusside. These data demonstrate that, in smaller coronary microvessels, L-cysteine and N-acetylcysteine enhance nitroglycerin-induced vasodilatation by increasing intracellular glutathione concentrations. Intracellular glutathione, formed from either L-cysteine or N-acetylcysteine, may participate in the formation of an intermediate of nitroglycerin biotransformation or may maintain a redox potential within coronary microvessels that favors enzymatic bioconversion of nitroglycerin.

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