bluuebunny/crossref_metadata_2025 huggingface dataset:
Diffusivity of oxygen in microvascular beds as determined from PO2 distribution maps
Authors: Yaegashi K. , Itoh T. , Kosaka T. , Fukushima H. , Morimoto T.
Published: December 2017

Dynamic changes in the distribution of PO2 in the rat mesentery were measured to determine the O2 diffusion coefficient (DO2) and consumption rate (VO2). The distribution of PO2 was obtained in two-dimensional maps by microscopic fluorometry on the basis of oxygen quenching. The corresponding vasculature was also recorded on a video recorder to analyze the PO2 distribution consistent with the arrangement of the microvessels. Anesthetized rats breathing room air were subjected to 100% O2 ventilation to induce dynamic changes in PO2 distribution. We assumed a homogenous and constant VO2 in the tissue, and a one-dimensional diffusion equation was applied to simulate oxygen transport. The PO2 data corresponded very well to the theoretical curves, and calculated DO2 was 1.04 +/- 0.78 X 10(-5) cm2/s (mean +/- SD, n = 38) and VO2 was 8.2 +/- 3.9 x 10(-6) cm3 O2.cm-3 tissue.s-1 (n = 27) at 37 degrees C. However, PO2 values at points remote from the arterioles remained higher than the theoretical prediction.
Roles of carotid baroreceptor and cardiac afferents in hemodynamic responses to acute central hypovolemia
Authors: Ludbrook J. , Ventura S.
Published: December 2017

When central blood volume is progressively reduced, there is a biphasic hemodynamic response. In phase I, sympathetic vasoconstrictor drive and systemic vasoconstriction steadily increase so arterial pressure is well maintained. In phase II, these compensatory mechanisms fail abruptly. The origin of the signal that triggers the onset of phase II is unclear. In this study of conscious rabbits, we have compared the responses of arterial pressure, systemic vascular conductance, the heart rate with acute central hypovolemia produced by gradual constriction of the inferior vena cava with those resulting from graded reduction in carotid sinus pressure, with the input from carotid baroreceptors and cardiac afferents present or absent. We confirm that the compensatory changes in phase I are due to input from arterial baroreceptors with no contribution from cardiac afferents. Input from cardiac afferents played an important role in triggering phase II during acute central hypovolemia, but there was no suggestion of a central switch from sympathoexcitation to sympathoinhibition when input from carotid baroreceptors reached a critically low level during carotid constriction.
Characterization of a stimulatory adenosine A2a receptor in adult rat ventricular myocyte
Authors: Xu H. , Stein B. , Liang B.
Published: December 2017

The expression and function of stimulatory adenosine A2 receptor on the cardiac myocyte is not well defined. The objective of the present study is to characterize the A2a receptor in adult rat cardiac ventricular myocytes. After selection of an optimal lot of collagenase for myocyte isolation and for consistent measurement of adenosine-mediated responses, the A1-receptor pathway was inactivated by pertussis toxin and by the A1-selective antagonist 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine. Effects of the adenosine agonist and antagonist or cardiac myocyte contractile amplitude and on adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) levels were determined. The A2a-receptor-selective agonist 2-[p-(2-carboxyethyl)phenylethylamino]-5'-N-ethylcarboxamidoade nos ine (CGS-21680) caused a pronounced stimulation of myocyte contractile amplitude and an increase in the cAMP level, as did the nonselective agonists 5'-(N-ethylcarboxamido) adenosine (NECA) and adenosine. The A2a-receptor-selective antagonist 8-(3-chlorostyryl)caffeine blocked the NECA- and adenosine-induced positive inotropic response. Probing of myocyte RNA with a rat A2a-receptor cDNA demonstrated a 2.6-kb mRNA, corresponding to that encoding the A2a receptor. Together, data from contractile, cAMP, and RNA studies indicate that A2a receptors are expressed and are functionally coupled to stimulation of cAMP accumulation and cardiac contractility in adult rat ventricular myocytes.
Beta-adrenoceptor-mediated hyperpolarization in lymphatic smooth muscle of guinea pig mesentery
Authors: Von der Weid P. Y. , Van Helden D. F.
Published: December 2017

Intracellular microelectrode recordings were performed to investigate the consequences of beta-adrenoceptor activation in smooth muscle of guinea pig mesenteric lymphatic vessels. Isoproterenol (Iso) hyperpolarized the membrane with an associated increase in membrane conductance and decreased the amplitude of spontaneous transient depolarizations. Iso effects were mimicked by forskolin (FSK), 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine, and two adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) derivatives. Iso- and FSK-induced hyperpolarizations were inhibited by H89, an inhibitor of cAMP-dependent protein kinase A, increased in K+-free solution, but were not affected by ouabain or by the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine. They were partially inhibited by 20 mM tetraethylammonium (approximately 40%) or by 2.5 mM 4-aminopyridine (approximately 55%). The-Iso-induced hyperpolarization was partially inhibited by iberiotoxin (20 nM) and charybdotoxin (40 nM), whereas the FSK-induced hyperpolarization was less affected. In cells where the Iso-induced hyperpolarization was decreased by 40 microM 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid, acetoxymethyl ester form, the FSK-induced hyperpolarization was little changed. Our results indicate that in guinea pig mesenteric lymphatic vessels, beta-adrenoceptor stimulation activates a protein kinase A-dependent K+ conductance, involving more than one channel type.
Perfusate viscosity and hematocrit determine pulmonary vascular responsiveness to NO synthase inhibitors
Authors: Wilson P. S. , Khimenko P. , Moore T. M. , Taylor A. E.
Published: December 2017

The pulmonary vascular responses to changes in perfusate viscosity were studied in isolated rat lungs treated with the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors, N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and N omega- monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA). Lungs were isolated according to standard protocols and perfused with varying concentrations of albumin in physiological salt solution (PSS) and with low, intermediate, and normal hematocrits using washed erythrocytes. Pressure-flow curves were generated by increasing pulmonary arterial pressure (PPA) while keeping pulmonary venous pressure (PPV) constant and measuring flow at each pressure interval. Neither perfusate flow nor pulmonary vascular resistance changed after L-NAME or L-NMMA (300 microM) at any pressure interval in lungs perfused with 4 and 10% albumin/PSS. In lungs perfused with 20% albumin/PSS, L-NMMA decreased flow at all PPA tested except 10 cm H2O (P < 0.05). L-NAME decreased flow in lungs perfused with normal (39.2 +/- 2.1%) hematocrits at all PPA tested. Conversely, L-NAME decreased flow in lungs perfused with low and intermediate hematocrits only at the highest pressure intervals. L-Arginine, when given after NOS inhibitors, failed to restore flow to baseline values in any group of lungs. N omega-nitro-D-arginine methyl ester (300 microM) did not change flow at any pressure interval in lungs perfused with normal (43 +/- 1.5%) hematocrit, washed erythrocytes. We conclude that lungs perfused with intermediate and normal hematocrit, washed erythrocytes, as well as with high-viscosity albumin/PSS solutions, show increased pulmonary vascular responses to NOS inhibitors.
Temperature and relative contributions of Ca transport systems in cardiac myocyte relaxation
Authors: Puglisi J. L. , Bassani R. A. , Bassani J. W. , Amin J. N. , Bers D. M.
Published: December 2017

The relative contributions of the different Ca transport systems involved in cardiac relaxation were evaluated at 25 and 35 degrees C in isolated rabbit, ferret, and cat ventricular myocytes during twitches, caffeine-induced contractures in normal Tyrode solution, and caffeine-induced contractures in Na- and Ca-free solution. The time course of intracellular [Ca] decline these contractions in rabbit ventricular myocytes allowed estimates of the relative contributions of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca pump, Na/Ca exchange, sarcolemmal Ca pump, and the mitochondrial calcium uniporter (with the latter two considered together as “slow mechanisms”).The percent contributions of the SR Ca pump, the Na/Ca exchange, and the slow mechanisms were 70, 27 and 3% at 25 degrees C and 74, 23, and 3% at 35 degrees C. Warming from 25 to 35 degrees C decreases twitch contractions in rabbit and ferret myocytes and caffeine-induced contractures in normal Tyrode solution and Na- and Ca-free solution in all species. In contrast, in cat myocytes warming increased twitches, possibly because of a stronger effect of temperature on Ca influx. We conclude that increased temperature accelerates all of the Ca transport systems involved in relaxation. Despite large changes in each Ca transport system with warming, the relative contributions during relaxation remain similar at physiological temperature.
Mechanical determinants of myocardial oxygen consumption in conscious dogs
Authors: Elbeery Jospeh R. , Lucke John C. , Feneley Michael P. , Maier George W. , Owen Clarence H. , Lilly R. Eric , Savitt Michael A. , Hickey Mark St. J. , Gall Stanley A. , Davis James W. , VanTrigt Peter , Rankin J. Scott , Glower Donald D.
Published: December 2017

Pages H609–H620: Jospeh R. Elbeery, John C. Lucke, Michael P. Feneley, George W. Maier, Clarence H. Owen, R. Eric Lilly, Michael A. Savitt, Mark St. J. Hickey, Stanley A. Gall, Jr., James W. Davis, Peter VanTrigt, J. Scott Rankin, and Donald D. Glower. “Mechanical determinants of myocardial oxygen consumption in conscious dogs.” Page H618: Equations 12, 14, and 15 should read as follows.

There should only be one SW term in Eq. 12

MVo2 = Hun + Hp + Hc + SW (12)

Equations 14 and 15 should contain end-diastolic volume (EDV) instead of end-systolic volume (ESV)

MVo2 = Hun + k · EDV · MEP + SW (14)

= Hun + M(EDV · MEP + SW) (15)
Decrease in oxygen cost of contractility during hypocapnic alkalosis in canine hearts
Authors: Onishi K. , Sekioka K. , Ishisu R. , Tanaka H. , Nakamura M. , Ueda Y. , Nakano T.
Published: December 2017

Ca2+ sensitization of contractile machinery could theoretically enhance the mechanoenergetics of the heart. We studied the effects of alkalosis with Ca2+ sensitization on mechanoenergetics within the framework of the relationships of left ventricular pressure-volume area (PVA; a measure of the total mechanical energy), myocardial oxygen consumption per beat (VO2), and the contractility index [E(max) (slope of end-systolic pressure-volume relation)] in 10 excised, cross-circulated canine hearts. Alkalosis was stably maintained without hypoxia (mean pH 7.66). Alkalosis increased E(max) without changing the slope of the VO2-PVA relation, a reflected contractile efficiency. The incremental ratio of unloaded VO2 to E(max) in alkalosis was significantly lower than that in Ca2+ sensitization (0.0012 +/- 0.0010 vs. 0.0062 +/- 0.0030 ml O2 . mmHg-1 . ml . beat-1 . 100 g LV-2; P < 0.01). Basal metabolism under KCl arrest was unchanged by alkalosis, indicating the decreased energy cost of the excitation-contraction coupling by alkalosis. Compared with the control, alkalosis increased E(max) during the Ca2+ infusion of various concentrations without any further increase in unloaded VO2. Thus we demonstrated a decreased oxygen cost of contractility during alkalosis, presumably due to Ca2+ sensitization.
Are there oxygen-deficient regions in resting skeletal muscle?
Authors: Toth A. , Pal M. , Tischler M. E. , Johnson P. C.
Published: December 2017

The purpose of this study was to determine whether there are local regions in resting skeletal muscle in which the oxygen delivery is insufficient to support oxidative metabolism. This hypothesis was tested by stopping the blood supply to the exteriorized cat sartorius muscle for 5 min while monitoring NADH fluorescence in localized tissue areas 15–25 microns in diameter. A rise in fluorescence was taken to indicate a shift to anaerobic metabolism. Tissue sites in the arteriolar and venular regions of the capillary network were selected for study. After flow stoppage, fluorescence did not change for an average of 48 +/- 22 (SD) s and then rose over a period of 61 +/- 27 s to an average value 55 +/- 19% above control for arteriolar and venular sites combined. Fluorescence began to rise within 5 s of flow stasis in only 1 of 61 sites and within 10 s in 2 sites. There was no difference in the time course or magnitude of fluorescence changes at arteriolar and venular sites. The data indicate that in resting skeletal muscle, oxygen supply appears sufficient to support oxidative metabolism in over 95% of the tissue.
Dual effects of arachidonic acid on ATP-sensitive K+ current of coronary smooth muscle cells
Authors: Xu X. , Lee K. S.
Published: December 2017

ATP-sensitive K-channels (K(ATP)) play a major role in controlling blood vessel tone, particularly in coronary vasculature. Arachidonic acid (AA) exhibits potent vasorelaxant effects on coronary arteries with unclear mechanisms. We examined the activity of AA on the K(ATP) channel of dog coronary artery smooth muscle cells using the whole cell voltage-clamp technique. AA was found to have dual effects or the K(ATP) current. In cells dialyzed with 1 mM ATP pipette solution, external application of AA activated the K(ATP) current with a bell-shaped concentration-response curve. K(ATP) current (-50 mV) increased from 1.0 +/- 1.1 to 4.6 +/- 3.0, 25 +/- 9, 43 +/- 13, 26 +/- 10, and 23 +/- 16 pA by 1, 2, 4, 8, and 16 microM AA, respectively. If K(ATP) current was activated by dialyzing the cell with ATP-free pipette solution, external application of AA (from 2 to 16 microM) inhibited the K(ATP) current (half-maximal inhibitory concentration = 3.8 microM). Pretreatment of cells with 10 microM indomethacin or 10 microM nordihydroguaiaretic acid, which respectively blocked the cyclooxygenase or lipoxygenase pathway of AA metabolism, did not prevent the dual effects of AA. Eicosatetraynoic acid (ETYA), the nonmetabolizable analogue of AA, also produced dual effects on the K(ATP) current. ETYA (4 microM) increased the K(ATP) current (-50 mV) from 2.9 +/- 1.2 to 37 +/- 7 pA in 1 mM intracellular ATP, whereas 8 microM ETYA inhibited the K(ATP) current in 0 mM intracellular ATP by 71 +/- 3%. These results suggest that the dual effects of AA on the K(ATP) current of dog coronary smooth muscle cells do not require AA metabolism. Activation of K(ATP) ch annels in smooth muscle cells may contribute to the AA-induced coronary vasodilation.
Dilation of isolated skeletal muscle arterioles by insulin is endothelium dependent and nitric oxide mediated
Authors: Chen Y. L. , Messina E. J.
Published: December 2017

Studies in humans and animals have shown that insulin administration increases cardiac output and both forearm and hindlimb blood flow. In this study we tested the hypothesis that insulin dilates skeletal muscle arterioles and that the dilation is endothelium dependent. First-order arterioles (77 microns) from rat cremaster muscle were isolated, pressurized (65 mmHg), equilibrated in a Krebs bicarbonate-buffered solution (pH 7.4) gassed with 10% O2 (5% CO2-85% N2), and studied in a no-flow state. Cumulative concentration-response curves to insulin (10 microU/ml-10 mU/ml) were obtained in intact arterioles before and after either endothelium removal or administration of indomethacin (Indo, 10(-5) M) or nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 10(-4) M). Insulin evoked concentration-dependent increases in control diameter of 13-61%, which were completely inhibited by endothelium removal or L-NNA. In contrast, Indo had no effect on insulin-evoked arteriolar dilation. These results indicate that dilation to insulin in skeletal muscle arterioles is endothelium dependent and mediated by nitric oxide.
Protein kinase C inhibits delayed rectifier K+ current in rabbit vascular smooth muscle cells
Authors: Aiello E. A. , Clement-Chomienne O. , Sontag D. P. , Walsh M. P. , Cole W. C.
Published: December 2017

The effect of protein kinase C (PKC) activation on 4-aminopyridine (4-AP)-sensitive delayed rectifier current (IdK) was studied in isolated rabbit portal vein smooth muscle cells by use of standard whole cell voltage clamp. The effects of the phorbol ester, 4 beta-phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PdBu, 100 nM) and diacylglycerol analogues, 1,2-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol (1,2-diC8, 10 microM) and 1,3-dioctanoyl-sn-glycerol (1,3-diC8, 10 microM), on macroscopic whole cell IdK were assessed in myocytes dialyzed with 10 mM 1,2-bis(2-aminophenoxy)ethane-N,N,N',N'-tetraacetic acid (BAPTA) and 5 mM ATP (20-22 degrees C). Activation of PKC by 1,2-diC8 or PdBu caused a decline in IdK that was reversed with washout of drug. 1,2-diC8 had no effect on outward current present after exposure to 4-AP (20 mM). The inactive analogue, 1,3-diC8, did not affect IdK, but subsequent exposure to the active analogue, 1,2-diC8, caused a marked depression of the current. The inhibition of IdK by 1,2-diC8 was significantly reduced by intracellular dialysis with the inhibitors of PKC, chelerythrine (50 microM) and calphostin C (1 microM). Substitution of extracellular Ca2+ with Mg2+ in the presence of 10 mM intracellular BAPTA did not affect the suppression of IdK by 1,2-diC8, indicating the involvement of a Ca(2+)-independent isoform of PKC. This study suggests a novel signal transduction mechanism for inhibition of 4-AP-sensitive IdK involving a phosphotransferase reaction catalyzed by PKC in vascular smooth muscle myocytes.
Mitochondrial dysfunction accompanies diastolic dysfunction in diabetic rat heart
Authors: Flarsheim C. E. , Grupp I. L. , Matlib M. A.
Published: December 2017

The objective of this study was to determine whether a defect in mitochondrial respiratory function accompanies the development of diabetic cardiomyopathy. The hypothesis tested in this study is that a decrease in Ca2+ uptake into mitochondria may prevent the stimulation of Ca(2+)-sensitive matrix dehydrogenases and the rate of ATP synthesis. Streptozotocin (55 mg/kg)-induced diabetic rats were used as a model of insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. Hearts from 4-wk diabetic rats had basal heart rates and rates of contraction and relaxation similar to control. Isoproterenol caused a similar increase in the rate of contraction in diabetic and control hearts, whereas the peak rate of relaxation was reduced in diabetic hearts. Mitochondrial Ca2+ uptake was reduced in mitochondria from diabetic hearts after 2 wk of diabetes. Na(+)-induced Ca2+ release was unchanged. State 3 respiration rate was depressed in mitochondria from diabetic rats only when the respiration was supported by the substrate of a Ca(2+)-regulated matrix enzyme. The pyruvate dehydrogenase activity was reduced in diabetic mitochondria compared with that of control. It was concluded that mitochondria from diabetic hearts had a decreased capacity to upregulate ATP synthesis via stimulation of Ca(2+)-sensitive matrix dehydrogenases. The impairment in the augmentation of ATP synthesis rate accompanies a decreased rate of relaxation during increased work load.
Stimulation of 5-HT3 receptors in the NTS inhibits the cardiac Bezold-Jarisch reflex response
Authors: Sevoz C. , Nosjean A. , Callera J. C. , Machado B. , Hamon M. , Laguzzi R.
Published: December 2017

Intra-atrial administration of phenylbiguanide has been shown to trigger, through the stimulation of vagal afferent C-fibers, reflex bradycardia, hypotension, and sympathoinhibition classically known as the Bezold-Jarisch (B-J) reflex (O. Krayer. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch. Exp. Pathol. Pharmacol. 240: 361-368, 1961). The effects of microinjections, into the nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), of serotonin (5-HT) and 1-(m-chlorophenyl)-biguanide (CPBG), a potent 5-HT3 receptor agonist, on these reflex responses were studied in urethananesthetized rats. 5-HT (600 and 900 pmol) and CPBG (10-150 pmol) produced a dose-dependent inhibition of the atropine-sensitive bradycardiac component of the B-J reflex. The effect of both agonists was reversed by prior local microinjection of the 5-HT3 receptor antagonists zacopride (100 pmol) and ondansetron (100 pmol), but not by that of the 5-HT2 receptor antagonist ketanserin (10 pmol) or the mixed 5-HT1/5-HT2 receptor antagonist methysergide (100 pmol). In contrast, CPBG (150 pmol) did not affect the B-J reflex inhibition of lumbar sympathetic nerve discharge. These results show that stimulation of NTS 5-HT3 receptors produced an inhibition of the cardiovagal component of the B-J reflex without affecting its sympathetic component. Because the stimulation of these receptors also inhibits the cardiac component of the baroreflex, the present data suggest the participation of NTS 5-HT3 receptors in the mechanisms that modulate cardiac reflex responses elicited by messages from different vagal afferents.
Effect of length and contraction on coronary perfusion in isolated perfused papillary muscle of rat heart
Authors: Allaart C. P. , Westerhof N.
Published: December 2017

We studied the impeding effect of cardiac muscle contraction on coronary arterial inflow in six isolated, perfused papillary muscles of the rat. Special attention was given to the effect of changes in muscle length and contractility on flow impediment in systole. Contractility was changed by resumption of pacing after a quiescent period of 60-100 s or by doubling the calcium concentration in the perfusate and the superfusion fluid from 1 to 2 mM. The vascular bed was maximally dilated with adenosine, and perfusion pressure was kept constant at 69 +/- 3 cmH2O. We found that contractions impede arterial inflow by 29% [from 17.3 +/- 2.2 ml.min-1.g-1 during diastole to 12.4 +/- 1.8 (SE) ml.min-1.g-1 at peak systole, P < 0.001] while the muscle was kept at 90% of maximum muscle length (MLmax). When the muscle was stretched from 80 to 97% of MLmax, diastolic force increased from 0.5 +/- 0.3 to 11.1 +/- 1.2 mN/mm2, systolic force increased from 11.1 +/- 1.5 to 44.6 +/- 4.0 mN/mm2, diastolic flow decreased by 12% (from 18.2 +/- 2.3 to 15.9 +/- 1.9 ml.min-1.g-1, P < 0.05), and systolic flow decreased by 3% (12.4 +/- 2.3 to 12.0 +/- 1.6 ml.min-1.g-1, P = NS). Increased contractility by elevated [Ca2+] did not affect diastolic flow but increased systolic flow impediment from 29 to 39% (systolic flow decreased from 12.4 +/- 1.8 to 10.3 +/- 1.4 ml.min-1.g-1, P < 0.01). The results are qualitatively similar to findings in the intact heart. Limitations on quantitative comparison due to differences in muscle architecture and differences in force vectors in the papillary muscle and the left ventricle are discussed. The results show that ventricular pressure is not essential in systolic coronary arterial flow impediment. The findings are in agreement with the varying elastance concept where the flow impediment is predicted to depend on myocardial elastic properties.
Hydroxyl radical production during myocardial ischemia and reperfusion in cats
Authors: O'Neill C. A. , Fu L. W. , Halliwell B. , Longhurst J. C.
Published: December 2017

We previously showed that generation of reactive oxygen species during myocardial ischemia and reperfusion stimulates cardiac sympathetic afferent nerve endings. We hypothesized that, in this feline model of brief ischemia and reperfusion, HO. is produced during ischemia and the rate and concentration of production of HO.during reperfusion is dependent on the duration of myocardial ischemia. Therefore, we evaluated the time dependency of production of HO. during reperfusion after 2, 5, and 10 min of reversible occlusion of the left anterior descending (LAD) coronary artery to induce ischemia in cats (n = 10). Blood samples collected from the coronary vein at 0.25, 1, 2, and 4 min after 2 min of ischemia revealed net cumulative rate of production of p-, m-, and o-tyrosine of 99 +/- 31, 10 +/- 5.1, and 0.8 +/- 0.2 nmol.min-1.g-1, respectively. After 5 min of ischemia, net cumulative rates of production of p-, m-, and o-tyrosine during reperfusion were 177 +/- 63, 74 +/- 26, and 1.6 +/- 0.8 nmol.min-1.g-1, respectively, whereas after 10 min of ischemia production rates were 153 +/- 42, 78 +/- 29, and 2.1 +/- 0.5 nmol.min-1.g-1, respectively. The highest rate of production of tyrosines was observed immediately after ischemia, perhaps indicating a washout of HO.-derived products that had accumulated in the myocardium during ischemia. To evaluate production of HO. during ischemia, deoxygenated saline (PO2 10 +/- 0.9 mmHg) containing phenylalanine was perfused into the ischemic coronary vascular bed through a cannula placed in the LAD (n = 16). Perfusate was collected from the coronary vein during the 10 min of ischemia. Net production of HO. during ischemia, measured by the production of p-, m-, and o-tyrosine, was 82 +/- 11, 6.6 +/- 0.4, and 1.7 +/- 0.3 nmol.min-1.g-1, respectively. Pretreatment with deferoxamine (10 mg/kg, n = 7) or dimethylthiourea (10 mg/kg, n = 6) decreased net production of HO. during ischemia and reperfusion. These results demonstrate that HO. is produced during brief ischemia and reperfusion, with the greatest amount being produced immediately after ischemia. Additionally, we show that the duration of brief ischemia determines the rate of production of HO. during reperfusion.
Chronic alpha 1-adrenergic blockade stimulates terminal and arcade arteriolar development
Authors: Price R. J. , Skalak T. C.
Published: December 2017

The arteriolar network undergoes structural adaptation in several physiological and pathological conditions, including exercise, maturation, hypertension, and reduced tissue perfusion due to arterial ligation. Although many physical and biochemical stimuli for arteriolar adaptation have been proposed, the individual contributions of these specific stimuli have yet to be elucidated. We tested the hypothesis that hemodynamic stress is an important determinant of growth and remodeling in the arteriolar network. An immunofluorescence, dual-labeling technique for the smooth muscle (SM) contractile proteins SM alpha-actin and SM myosin heavy chain (MHC) was used to assess terminal and arcade arteriolar (AA) remodeling in the rat gracilis muscle arteriolar network in response to chronic vasodilation, a stimulus that elevates circumferential wall stress levels in the arterioles and capillaries. SM alpha-actin, a marker of SM from the earliest stages of differentiation, was used to delineate the terminal and AAs. SM-MHC, a marker of SM in later stages of differentiation, was used to assess the relative maturity state of SM in terminal arteriolar endings. Mean percentage of SM-MHC negative terminal arteriolar endings per muscle, a measure of terminal arteriolar development, increased from 37.6 to 56.0% after 1 wk of prazosin treatment and from 36.3 to 57.6% after 2 wk of treatment. Mean number of AA segments with diameters < 15 microns increased more than threefold from 1.25 to 5.25 after 2 wk, consistent with the formation of new AA segments by the anastomoses of small-diameter terminal arterioles. Because arteriolar remodeling proceeded in a network pattern that has been shown to be consistent with a circumferential wall stress-growth rule and inconsistent with a wall shear stress-growth rule, the experimental results suggest that circumferential wall stress is a stimulus for arteriolar network remodeling.
Cardiac electrophysiological variables in blood-perfused and buffer-perfused, isolated, working rabbit heart
Authors: Gillis A. M. , Kulisz E. , Mathison H. J.
Published: December 2017

Effects of crystalloid buffer and blood-buffer perfusates on cardiac electrophysiological parameters were compared in four groups of isolated, working rabbit hearts. Hearts were perfused with Krebs-Henseleit buffer or blood plus Krebs-Henseleit buffer (10% hematocrit) over a range of left ventricular afterload (30-100 cmH2O) and cardiac outputs (30-180 ml/min). Left ventricular monophasic action potential duration (APD) was significantly shorter at low afterload and high cardiac output in buffer-perfused (114 +/- 35 ms) compared with blood-perfused hearts (177 +/- 23 ms, P < 0.001). APD shortened in blood-perfused hearts after an increase in afterload to 100 cmH2O (P < 0.05), and APD was similar in blood-perfused (151 +/- 19 ms) compared with buffer-perfused hearts (142 +/- 24 ms, P = NS). Ventricular effective refractory period (VERP) was significantly shorter at low afterload in buffer-perfused (154 +/- 32 ms) compared with blood-perfused hearts (227 +/- 17 ms, P < 0.001). VERP shortened in blood-perfused hearts after an increase in afterload to 100 cmH2O (P < 0.05) and was similar in blood-perfused (166 +/- 26 ms) compared with buffer-perfused hearts (151 +/- 37 ms, P = NS). Determination of VERP was associated with induction of ventricular fibrillation in 10 of 15 buffer-perfused hearts, whereas ventricular fibrillation was not observed in blood-perfused hearts (P < 0.001). Thus significant differences in ventricular repolarization and cardiac hemodynamics are observed in working rabbit hearts perfused with a blood-buffer perfusate compared with a crystalloid buffer. Blood-perfused working hearts are electrophysiologically more stable.
Analysis of heart rate-based control of arterial blood pressure
Authors: Rose W. C. , Schwaber J. S.
Published: December 2017

Vagal control of the heart is the most rapidly responding limb of the arterial baroreflex. We created a mathematical model of the left heart and vascular system to evaluate the ability of heart rate to influence blood pressure. The results show that arterial pressure depends nonlinearly on rate and that changes in rate are of limited effectiveness, particularly when rate is increased above the basal level. A 10% change in heart rate from rest causes a change of only 2.4% in arterial pressure due to the reciprocal relation between heart rate and stroke volume; at higher rates, insufficient filling time causes stroke volume to fall. These findings agree well with published experimental data and challenge the idea that changes in heart rate alone can strongly and rapidly affect arterial pressure. Possible implications are that vagally mediated alterations in inotropic and dromotropic state, which are not included in this model, play important roles in the fast reflex control of blood pressure or that the vagal limb of the baroreflex is of rather limited effectiveness.
Cardioprotection with ischemic preconditioning and MLA: role of adenosine-regulating enzymes?
Authors: Przyklenk K. , Zhao L. , Kloner R. A. , Elliott G. T.
Published: December 2017

Both ischemic preconditioning and pretreatment with the endotoxin derivative monophosphoryl lipid A (MLA) protect the heart against infarction, yet the cellular mechanisms responsible for the cardioprotection achieved with either intervention are unknown. Using pentobarbital-anesthetized dogs, we tested the hypothesis that increased activity of 5'-nucleotidase (5'-NT), the enzyme that catalyzes the formation of adenosine from AMP, may play a role. Twenty-two dogs underwent 1 h of coronary occlusion and 4 h of reperfusion: eight controls received no intervention, seven animals were preconditioned with four 5-min episodes of brief ischemia, and seven received MLA (35 micrograms/kg iv) 24 h previously. Collateral blood flow was measured by injection of radiolabeled microspheres, infarct size was delineated by tetrazolium staining, and myocardial 5'-NT activities were measured by quantifying the release of adenosine from AMP. Despite comparable values of collateral blood flow in all groups, infarct size was reduced in preconditioned and MLA-treated dogs vs. controls. In addition, 5'-NT activities were increased throughout the heart with preconditioning and MLA treatment. However, single and multivariate regression analyses revealed no correlation between infarct size and 5'-NT activities for either treatment group. In fact, in the preconditioned cohort, animals with the highest enzyme activities developed the largest infarcts. This dissociation between infarct size and 5'-NT suggests that increased activity of 5'-NT is not the mechanism by which preconditioning or MLA treatment protects the canine heart against infarction.
Brain angiotensin II tonically modulates sympathetic baroreflex in rabbit ventrolateral medulla
Authors: Saigusa T. , Iriki M. , Arita J.
Published: December 2017

The role of endogenous angiotensin II (ANG II) at the level of the rostral (RVLM) and caudal ventrolateral medulla (CVLM) in the control of sympathetic baroreflex function was investigated in urethan-anesthetized rabbits. The baroreflex relationship between mean arterial pressure and integrated renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA) was compared before and during microinfusion of saralasin, an ANG II receptor antagonist into RVLM or CVLM. The infusion of saralasin (20 pmol/min) into RVLM reduced the upper plateau, the range, and the range-dependent gain of the baroreflex, as well as the resting level of RSNA. The infusion of saralasin into CVLM augmented the upper plateau, the reflex range, and the range-dependent gain, whereas it did not alter the resting level of RSNA or mean arterial pressure. These results suggest that 1) the ANG II networks in RVLM are tonically active, influencing the resting level of the sympathetic outflow and facilitating the sympathetic baroreflex function, and 2) the ANG II networks in CVLM do not significantly influence the sympathetic activity in the resting state but exert an inhibitory effect on the baroreflex response when arterial pressure falls below the resting level.
Cardiorespiratory and tissue oxygen dose response to rat endotoxemia
Authors: Rosser D. M. , Stidwill R. P. , Jacobson D. , Singer M.
Published: December 2017

The dose response to endotoxin (Escherichia coli serotype 127:B8) was assessed in a spontaneously breathing, halothane-anesthetized, Sprague-Dawley rat model monitoring blood pressure, aortic and renal blood flows, blood gases, and bladder epithelial PO2, a marker of organ perfusion. The animals received either saline or endotoxin at doses of 1, 10 and 100 mg/kg body wt. Blood pressure changed significantly in all three endotoxin groups, though only the 100 mg/kg group showed significant changes in arterial PCO2, arterial PO2, and body temperature compared with controls. Whereas aortic and renal blood flow rose significantly in the two lower-dose groups, an approximate one-third fall occurred in the 100 mg/kg group (P < 0.001). Notwithstanding these macrocirculatory hemodynamic changes, both bladder epithelial PO2 and arterial base deficit rose significantly in all groups, though only the base deficit showed a progressive dose response. This model illustrates that responses to endotoxin are dose dependent but with changing patterns for different variables. The consistent finding of an elevated tissue PO2 in endotoxemia, regardless of dose, is suggestive of defective cellular oxygen metabolism.
Power spectral analysis for autonomic influences in heart rate and blood pressure variability in fetal lambs
Authors: Kimura Y. , Okamura K. , Watanabe T. , Murotsuki J. , Suzuki T. , Yano M. , Yajima A.
Published: December 2017

Variability of R-R intervals and arterial blood pressure signals in chronically instrumented fetal lambs was analyzed by power spectral analysis based on an assumption of maximum entropy. There were four consistent components, very low (VL, 0.01-0.025 cycle/beat), low (L, 0.025-0.125 cycle/beat), middle (M, 0.125-0.2 cycle/beat), and high (H, 0.2-0.5 cycle/beat), in the normal heart rate variability and blood pressure spectra. Integrated peaks in the power spectrum were compared before and after the administration of sympathetic and parasympathetic blockades. beta-Sympathetic blockade reduced the spectral power in the VL and L frequency components. alpha-Sympathetic blockade reduced only the M frequency component in the spectrum of R-R interval variability. Parasympathetic blockade reduced the H and L frequency components in the R-R interval variability spectrum but increased these components in the systolic blood pressure variability spectrum. The results clearly demonstrate the association between fetal autonomic activity and change of power spectrum of heart rate and blood pressure variability.
Effects of TNF-alpha on [Ca2+]i and contractility in isolated adult rabbit ventricular myocytes
Authors: Goldhaber J. I. , Kim K. H. , Natterson P. D. , Lawrence T. , Yang P. , Weiss J. N.
Published: December 2017

The mechanism of the acute negative inotropic effect of tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) was studied in enzymatically isolated adult rabbit ventricular myocytes. In cells loaded with fura 2 acetoxymethyl ester (AM) and paced intermittently at 0.2 Hz, TNF-alpha at doses < or = 10,000 U/ml caused a significant reduction in active cell shortening at 20 min, without reducing the amplitude of the accompanying intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) transient. Similar results were obtained in cells loaded with indo 1-AM and paced continuously at 0.2 Hz during exposure to TNF-alpha (10,000 U/ml). The effect of TNF-alpha on cell shortening could be prevented by the nitric oxide (NO) synthase blocker NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) but not its inactive enantiomer NG-nitro-D-arginine methyl ester (D-NAME). The NO scavenger hemoglobin also attenuated the effects of TNF-alpha. TNF-alpha also caused a significant increase in diastolic cell length without any change in diastolic [Ca2+]i. The effect on cell length was prevented by L-NAME but not D-NAME. In cells loaded with the pH indicator seminaphthorhodafluor-AM, TNF-alpha did not alter pH sufficiently to account for the negative inotropic effect. These data suggest that high doses of TNF-alpha can acutely induce NO synthesis in isolated myocytes and reduce contractility by decreasing myofilament [Ca2+]i responsiveness. The mechanism of this altered myofilament [Ca2+]i response is unknown but does not appear to be pH mediated.
Recurrent appearance of protective zones after an unsuccessful defibrillation shock
Authors: Hwang C. , Fan W. , Chen P. S.
Published: December 2017

This study was designed to test the hypothesis that protective zones appear recurrently at the initiation of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and that when shocks are delivered during protective zones, there can be a decrease in the defibrillation energy requirement. A total of 12 open-chest dogs were studied. Six dogs were included in protocol 1. After eight baseline pacing stimuli (S1) with cycle lengths of 300 ms, a strong premature stimulus (S2) (73 +/- 10 mA) was given to induce VF. In subsequent episodes, a second strong premature stimulus (S3) was given at progressively longer S2-S3 intervals in 20-ms increments. In protocol 2, we delivered unsuccessful defibrillation shocks via a transvenous defibrillation electrode placed in the right ventricular apex of six dogs. A second shock was then delivered to patch electrodes on the right ventricular outflow tract and the posterior wall of the left ventricle. The results of protocol 1 showed that the S3 terminated reentry and prevented VF only when it occurred at specific time intervals after the S2 (the protective zones). These protective zones appear recurrently up to 375 ms after the onset of VF. The results of protocol 2 showed that the total energy required for successful defibrillation was dependent on the interval between the first and second shocks. Intervals favoring effective defibrillation (protective zones) appeared recurrently for up to 280 ms after the first shock. When the second shock was delivered during a protective zone, the defibrillation energy requirement was decreased by up to 23% (from 13.1 +/- 2.0 to 10.1 +/- 1.8 J, P < 0.003). However, when the shock was delivered outside the protective zone, a significant increase in the defibrillation energy requirement was observed. We conclude that protective zones appear recurrently at the onset of VF and after unsuccessful defibrillation shocks.
Arginine analogues inhibit responses mediated by ATP-sensitive K+ channels
Authors: Kontos H. A. , Wei E. P.
Published: December 2017

Because arginine analogues have been reported to block the vasodilator response to hypercapnia, we investigated the effect of nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) on the dilation of pial arterioles to arterial hypercapnia induced by inhalation of 3, 5, and 7% CO2 in anesthetized cats equipped with cranial windows. L-NNA at 250 microM, but not at lower concentrations, significantly reduced hypercapnia-induced dilation. This effect could be reversed by L-arginine. However, hypercapnic hyperemia is not the result of increased guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate via the usual NO-mediated activation of guanylate cyclase, because application of LY-83583, which blocks guanylate cyclase, did not alter the vessel response to CO2. L-NNA at 250 microM also abolished the pial arteriolar dilation in response to cromakalim, minoxidil, and pinacidil, three known openers of ATP-sensitive K+ channels, and this effect could be reversed by L-arginine. Application of glyburide, which blocks ATP-sensitive K+ channels, also reduced the response to CO2. Subsequent application of L-NNA in these experiments had no additional effect. Vasodilation induced by sodium nitroprusside and 3-morpholinosydnonimine, two known NO donors, was unaffected by glyburide. NG-monomethyl-L-arginine had effects similar to those of L-NNA in the cat and rat at concentrations as low as 20 microM. Our findings suggest that arginine analogues inhibit hypercapnic vasodilation by blocking ATP-sensitive K+ channels, independently of activation of guanylate cyclase via increased production of NO. Furthermore, the data suggest that ATP-sensitive K+ channels may have an arginine site that influences their function.
Control of renal and mesenteric conductance during hemorrhage in conscious hypertensive rabbits
Authors: Weichert G. , Courneya C. A.
Published: December 2017

Control of renal and mesenteric conductance during hemorrhage was examined in conscious renal-wrap hypertensive rabbits. Hemorrhage was performed under control conditions and during blockade of 1) vasopressin (AVP) and angiotensin II (ANG II); 2) the autonomic nervous system (ANS); and 3) the ANS, AVP, and ANG II. We hypothesized that hypertensive rabbits would have impaired hormonal and autonomic control of renal and mesenteric conductance. When the ANS was intact, hypertensive rabbits had an impaired ability to control blood pressure but no impairment in renal and mesenteric vasoconstriction during hemorrhage. When the ANS was blocked, AVP- and ANG II-mediated control of blood pressure was not observed during hemorrhage but was observed during a 2-min pause after hemorrhage was terminated. During this pause (ANS blocked), the hypertensive rabbits did not exhibit an impaired vasoconstriction of the renal or mesenteric beds. We conclude that, although the hypertensive rabbits had an impaired ability to control blood pressure during hemorrhage, this was not associated with an impaired ANS- or AVP- and ANG II-mediated control of renal or mesenteric vascular conductance.
Coarse graining spectral analysis of HR and BP variability in patients with autonomic failure
Authors: Blaber A. P. , Bondar R. L. , Freeman R.
Published: December 2017

We examined heart rate and blood pressure variability (HRV and BPV) during graded tilt (5 min in each position: supine, -10 degrees, 10 degrees, 30 degrees, 60 degrees, -10 degrees, supine) in autonomic failure patients and age-matched controls. Heart rate was not different between patients and controls and increased with tilt (P < 0.001). Total HRV was reduced in patients (P < 0.03). Patients had reduced low-frequency (0-0.15 Hz) HRV and BPV (P < 0.005). With tilt, low-frequency BPV increased in controls, whereas high-frequency (> 0.15 Hz) BPV increased in patients. The slope of the fractal component (beta) for HRV and BPV was not different between patients and controls. HRV-beta increased (1.5-1.9, P < 0.01) with tilt, but BPV-beta (approximately 1.8) was unaffected. Values of beta close to 1 indicate high signal regulatory complexity, and values of beta close to 2 indicate low complexity. HRV and BPV provide clear evidence of impaired sympathetic and parasympathetic autonomic nervous system response to tilt with autonomic failure. The similarity in signal complexity with reduced fractal and harmonic spectral power, in patients compared with controls, suggests unchanged cardiovascular neural input and integration with reduced output in autonomic failure.
Isolation, mapping, and regulated expression of the gene encoding mouse C-type natriuretic peptide
Authors: Huang H. , Acuff C. G. , Steinhelper M. E.
Published: December 2017

Genomic sequences encoding mouse C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) were isolated from bacteriophage libraries and characterized by restriction enzyme and sequence analysis. The mouse CNP gene (Nppc) comprised at least two exons and one intron and included several cis-regulatory elements in the 5'-flanking sequence. The deduced amino acid sequence of mouse CNP-22 was identical to other mammalian CNPs. Analysis of allele distributions in interspecific back-cross and recombinant inbred strains assigned Nppc to chromosome 1. CNP transcripts were detected by ribonuclease protection analysis in brain, ovary, and uterus, with lower levels in testes and epididymus. Uterine CNP transcripts and protein were low in sexually immature mice and adults at estrus and increased at proestrus, but similar variations in ovarian CNP expression were not statistically significant. Atrial natriuretic peptide and B-type natriuretic peptide transcripts were not detected in mouse ovary or uterus. Thus CNP gene expression is regulated by tissue-specific and inducible mechanisms in female reproductive organs. Correlations between CNP expression and uterine fluid content suggest that CNP may regulate uterine fluid balance in mice and other mammals.
Regulation of oxygen diffusion in hypoxic isolated cardiac myocytes
Authors: Takahashi E. , Doi K.
Published: December 2017

In the normal beating heart, oxygen pressure (PO2) gradients between capillary blood and intracellular space are so large that cytosolic PO2 may decline to around PO2 at half saturation of myoglobin (2-5 Torr). Hence, a decrease in capillary blood PO2 of a few Torr would easily deplete oxygen in mitochondria if PO2 gradients are unchanged. The aim of the present study was to demonstrate, in a single isolated cardiac myocyte of the rat, a mechanism that reduces PO2 gradients in hypoxia so that oxygenation of the intracellular space would be sustained. Using a newly developed microspectrophotometric device, we were able to follow changes in cytosolic PO2 of an individual ventricular myocyte in an hypoxic medium. For extracellular PO2 of 4.4 Torr, we found an elevation (2.1 Torr) of the cytosolic PO2 when oxygen consumption of the cell was abolished by 2 mM NaCN, thus demonstrating PO2 gradients from extracellular medium to cytosolic space in a single individual cardiomyocyte. The magnitude of these PO2 gradients was reduced as extracellular PO2 was further lowered, and they were no longer detectable for extracellular PO2 of 0.6 Torr. To further elucidate physiological effects of the PO2-dependent changes in PO2 gradients demonstrated above, we conducted a simulation of ischemia in a single cardiac myocyte. The stop-flow procedure (simulated ischemia) quickly decreased cytosolic PO2 from 7.3 to 1.8 Torr in 5 min, while the rate of fall of PO2 considerably decreased when the cytosolic PO2 decreased to < 2 Torr. Consequently, even 30 min after the onset of the stop flow, cytosolic PO2 was significantly higher than that of the anoxic perfusion. These results together suggest that in severe hypoxia oxygenation of the intracellular space might be partially maintained by relative elevation of cytosolic PO2, resulting from progressive decrease in PO2 gradients from extracellular space to cytosol.