286 Evaluation of Serotonin as a Vasorelaxant in Ovine Saphenous Artery and Vein
Authors: Klotz James L , Duckett Susan K , Greene Maslyn A , Checura Celina M 
Published: November 2023

Herbivores that consume ergot alkaloids frequently suffer from vasoconstriction that can result in a myriad of symptoms that can range from necrosis of peripheral tissues to fetal intra-uterine growth restriction. As part of a larger study screening compounds that may mitigate the vasoconstrictive effects of ergot alkaloids, the objective of this experiment was to evaluate serotonin (5-HT) as vasorelaxant in the ovine saphenous artery and vein. Blood vessels were collected from a total mixed breed market rams (n = 16; approximate BW = 58 kg) at slaughter, cleaned of surrounding adipose and connective tissue, sliced into 2-mm cross-sections, and mounted in a multimyograph. Artery and vein cross-sections were equilibrated to 1 g tension in continuously gassed (95% O2/5% CO2) Krebs-Henseleit buffer (pH 7.4; 37.5 °C) for 90 min, precontracted with 0.0001 M phenylephrine for 15 min, exposed to concentrations of 5-HT that ranged from 1 x 10-9 to 1 x 10-4 M for a 5-min interval. Response data were normalized to the 0.0001 M phenylephrine response and were analyzed as a completely randomized design in SAS. The lateral saphenous vein (n = 5 lambs) relaxed to increasing concentrations of 5-HT (P &lt; 0.05) with 65 to 75 % relaxation occurring at 1 x 10-7 M through 1 x 10-4 5-HT. Conversely, the lateral saphenous artery (n = 6 lambs) contracted in response to increasing concentrations of 5-HT (P &lt; 0.05) resulting in a 255% increase from the phenylephrine response by the 1 x 10-4 M addition. In a subsequent experiment, saphenous veins from the remaining lambs (n = 5) were treated the same, but in place of increasing concentrations of 5-HT, saphenous veins were exposed to increasing concentrations of selective 5-HT receptor agonists to determine the receptor subtypes involved in the previously observed vasorelaxation. Agonists for receptors 5-HT2B (BW 723C86; α-methyl-5-(2-thienylmethoxy)-1H-indole-3-ethanamine hydrochloride), 5-HT4 (BIMU-8; 2,3-Dihydro-N-[(3-endo)-8-methyl-8-azabicyclo[3.2.1]oct-3-yl]-3-(1-methylethyl)-2-oxo-1H-benzimidazole-1-carboxamide hydrochloride), and 5-HT7 (LP44; 4-[2-(methylthio)phenyl]-N-(1,2,3,4-tetrahydro-1-naphthalenyl)-1-piperazinehexanamide, monohydrochloride) were used. These 5-HT receptor subtypes were selected based on their association with vascular smooth muscle relaxation. While all three 5-HT receptor subtypes resulted in vasorelaxation (P &lt; 0.05), the 5-HT2B agonist only stimulated a maximal relaxation of 32% compared with the agonists for 5-HT4 and 5-HT7 that resulted in maximal relaxation of 68% and 50%, respectively. The agonist for 5-HT4 produced the greatest relaxation in the ovine lateral saphenous vein and should be targeted in subsequent research. It is likely that the combined effect of binding multiple receptor subtypes contributes to the overall effect of 5-HT. The focus on development of ergot alkaloid mitigation strategies should consider the divergent responses of arteries and veins to serotonin in peripheral tissues.