Sex hormone modulation of serotonin-induced coronary vasodilation in isolated heart.

The present study was designed to evaluate the differences in the coronary vasodilator actions of serotonin (5-HT) in isolated heart obtained from naive or castrated male and female rats that were treated with either estrogen or testosterone. Hearts from 12 groups of rats were used: male and female naive animals, castrated, castrated and treated with 17beta-estradiol (0.5 microg kg(-1) day(-1)) for 7 or 30 days, and castrated and treated with testosterone (0.5 mg kg(-1) day(-1)) for 7 or 30 days. After treatment, the vascular reactivity of the coronary bed was evaluated. Baseline coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) was determined and dose-response curves to 5-HT were generated. Baseline CPP differed between male (70 +/- 6 mmHg, N = 10) and female (115 +/- 6 mmHg, N = 12) naive rats. Maximal 5-HT-induced coronary vasodilation was higher (P<0.05) in naive female than in naive male rats. In both sexes, 5-HT produced endothelium-dependent coronary vasodilation. After castration, there was no significant difference in baseline CPP between hearts obtained from male and female rats (75 +/- 7 mmHg, N = 8, and 83 +/- 5 mmHg, N = 8, respectively). Castration reduced the 5-HT-induced maximal vasodilation in female and male rats (P<0.05). Estrogen treatment of castrated female rats restored (P<0.05) the vascular reactivity. In castrated male rats, 30 days of estrogen treatment increased (P<0.05) the responsiveness to 5-HT. The endothelium-dependent coronary vasodilator actions of 5-HT are greater in female rats and are modulated by estrogen. A knowledge of the mechanism of action of estrogen on coronary arteries could aid in the development of new therapeutic strategies and potentially decrease the incidence of cardiovascular disease in both sexes.

Sex hormone modulation of serotonin-induced coronary vasodilation in isolated heart

The present study was designed to evaluate the differences in the coronary vasodilator actions of serotonin (5-HT) in isolated heart obtained from naive or castrated male and female rats that were treated with either estrogen or testosterone. Hearts from 12 groups of rats were used: male and female naive animals, castrated, castrated and treated with 17ß-estradiol (0.5 æg kg-1 day-1) for 7 or 30 days, and castrated and treated with testosterone (0.5 mg kg-1 day-1) for 7 or 30 days. After treatment, the vascular reactivity of the coronary bed was evaluated. Baseline coronary perfusion pressure (CPP) was determined and dose-response curves to 5-HT were generated. Baseline CPP differed between male (70 Ý 6 mmHg, N = 10) and female (115 Ý 6 mmHg, N = 12) naive rats. Maximal 5-HT-induced coronary vasodilation was higher (P<0.05) in naive female than in naive male rats. In both sexes, 5-HT produced endothelium-dependent coronary vasodilation. After castration, there was no significant difference in baseline CPP between hearts obtained from male and female rats (75 Ý 7 mmHg, N = 8, and 83 Ý 5 mmHg, N = 8, respectively). Castration reduced the 5-HT-induced maximal vasodilation in female and male rats (P<0.05). Estrogen treatment of castrated female rats restored (P<0.05) the vascular reactivity. In castrated male rats, 30 days of estrogen treatment increased (P<0.05) the responsiveness to 5-HT. The endothelium-dependent coronary vasodilator actions of 5-HT are greater in female rats and are modulated by estrogen. A knowledge of the mechanism of action of estrogen on coronary arteries could aid in the development of new therapeutic strategies and potentially decrease the incidence of cardiovascular disease in both sexes

Long-term nitric oxide inhibition and chronotropic responses in rat isolated right atria.

The long-term administration of nitric oxide synthesis inhibitors induces arterial hypertension accompanied by left ventricular hypertrophy and myocardial ischemic lesions. Because the enhancement of sympathetic drive has been implicated in these phenomena, the current study was performed to determine the potency of beta-adrenoceptor agonists and muscarinic agonists on the spontaneous rate of isolated right atria from rats given long-term treatment with the nitric oxide inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Atrial lesions induced by long-term treatment with L-NAME were also evaluated. Long-term L-NAME treatment caused a time-dependent, significant (P<0.05) increase in tail-cuff pressure compared with control animals. Our results showed that the potency of isoproterenol, norepinephrine, carbachol, and pilocarpine in isolated right atria from rats given long-term treatment with L-NAME for 7, 15, 30, and 60 days was not affected as compared with control animals. Addition of L-NAME in vitro (100 microl/L) affected neither basal rate nor chronotropic response for isoproterenol and norepinephrine in rat heart. Stereological analysis of the right atria at 15 and 30 days revealed a significant increase on amount of fibrous tissues in L-NAME-treated groups (27+/-2.3% and 28+/-1.3% for 15 and 30 days, respectively; P<0.05) as compared with the control group (22+/-1.1%). Our results indicate that nitric oxide does not to interfere with beta-adrenoceptor-mediated and muscarinic receptor-mediated chronotropic responses.

Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase causes profound enhancement of the Bezold-Jarisch reflex.

The Bezold-Jarisch reflex function was evaluated in rats made hypertensive by the chronic oral intake of a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, averaging 35 mg/kg/day), for 3, 6, and 12 days (n = 9/group) and in untreated control rats (CR, n = 9/group). L-NAME-treated rats showed a marked hypertension (MAP: 148 +/- 3, 182 +/- 4, and 179 +/- 4 mm Hg, respectively) compared with CR (110 +/- 2 mm Hg). The 6- and 12-day groups showed tachycardia (447 +/- 20 and 466 +/- 13 beats/min, respectively) when compared with CR (355 +/- 10 beats/min). When compared with CR, left ventricular hypertrophy was observed in rats treated with L-NAME for 6 and 12 days. The Bezold-Jarisch reflex, a decrease in heart rate (HR) accompanied by a decrease in diastolic arterial pressure (DAP), was evoked in a dose dependent manner by the intravenous injection of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT, 5 to 10 microg/kg). Relative to responses observed in CR, 5-HT at 10 microg/kg caused a four- to fivefold greater decrease in HR and a two- to threefold greater decrease in DAP in all the L-NAME treatment groups. Using a Langendorff technique, we observed a significant increase in the responsiveness of the pacemaker to acetylcholine (1.25 to 80 microg/mL). These data suggest that the pharmacological inhibition of the nitric oxide synthase causes profound changes in the mechanisms of cardiovascular regulation as shown by a marked enhancement of the Bezold-Jarisch reflex in L-NAME-treated rats. The enhancement of this reflex seems to be in great part due to the hyperresponsiveness of the cardiac pacemaker to cholinergic stimulation.

Sino-aortic denervation causes right atrial beta adrenoceptor down-regulation.

Rat isolated right atria obtained 1 wk after sinoaortic denervation were less sensitive to the chronotropic actions of beta-agonists than were tissues obtained from animals that underwent sham surgery or no surgery at all. The potencies, but not the maximal responses for two high efficacy agonists, norepinephrine and isoproterenol, were reduced about 3- to 4-fold. Sino-aortic denervation (SAD) caused about a 3-fold decrease in potency and about a 60% decrease in maximal response for a low efficacy agonist, prenalterol. The changes in the actions of these agonists occurred in the absence of any changes in the subtype of beta receptor mediating the chronotropic response. The results of analyses of the data for prenalterol showed that SAD caused a decrease in the operational efficacy of this agonist without any changes in its KD value for beta-1 adrenoceptors. SAD had no effect on the responses of the tissue to blockade of uptake 1 and uptake 2, suggesting no compensatory changes in the removal processes caused the decreased potency. The results of radioligand binding assays showed that SAD caused a decrease in the maximal binding of 125I-cyanopindolol without altering its KD. Also, the results of competition binding assays confirmed the lack of effect of SAD on the KD for prenalterol. The SAD-induced changes in the actions of agonists acting at right atrial beta-1 receptors were caused by a down-regulation of beta-1 adrenoceptors, which probably occurred in response to SAD-induced increases in sympathetic tone.

Hepatitis B virus infection in the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome.

Testing of paired serum samples of 12 children with the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome for the presence of hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) antibody to HB, Ag, and antibody to the hepatitis B core antigen revealed evidence of hepatitis B virus infection in three. None of the three, however, developed overt clinical hepatitis or the chronic HBsAg carrier state. These data suggest that the immunologic defects seen in the Wiskott-Aldrich syndrome permit adequate immune responses to the hepatitis B virus and do not predispose to the chronic HBsAg carrier state.