European journal of pharmacology
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We studied the function of autoinhibitory muscarinic M2 receptors on vagal nerve endings in the airways of conscious, unrestrained, ovalbumin-sensitized guinea pigs after the early and late allergic reaction. For this purpose, the effects of the selective muscarinic M2 receptor antagonist gallamine were examined on unilateral vagus nerve stimulation-induced bronchoconstriction, which was determined as an increase in basal respiration amplitude, measured as changes in pleural pressure. Under control conditions, i.e., before antigen challenge, a significant increase in the pleural pressure was found after inhalation of 0.1 mM and, even more pronounced, 1.0 mM gallamine, at medium stimulation frequencies (2-16 Hz), leading to a leftward shift of the frequency-response curve. ⋯ The results clearly demonstrate that prejunctional muscarinic M2 receptors control bronchoconstriction in conscious, unrestrained guinea pigs in vivo. Furthermore, these autoinhibitory receptors appear to be completely dysfunctional after the early allergic phase, but their function is largely restored after the late phase. The results indicate that dysfunction of autoinhibitory muscarinic M2 receptors might contribute to the strongly enhanced responsiveness to histamine after the early allergic response.
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We investigated the influence of endothelial nitric oxide (NO) on the pulmonary pressor activity of the stable thromboxane A2 analogue, U-46619 (9,11-dideoxy-9 alpha-(methanoepoxy) prostaglandin F2 alpha), in anesthetized open-chest Sprague-Dawley rats (n = 6-9 per group). NO synthase inhibition, as obtained by N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 0.63 mg/kg i.v. + 20 mg/kg/h), induced sustained systemic hypertension (mean maximal increase, delta, in mean systemic arterial pressure = 38 +/- 6 mmHg; P < 0.05 vs. vehicle) associated with slight bradycardia (delta heart rate = -42 +/- 8 beats/min; P < 0.05 vs. vehicle) and delayed- (> 30 min) onset pulmonary hypertension (delta mean pulmonary arterial pressure = 10 +/- 3.4 mmHg; P < 0.05 vs. vehicle). In separate experiments, when mean systemic arterial pressure was maximally increased by L-NAME, the difference between mean pulmonary arterial pressure and mean left atrial pressure was greater in L-NAME-treated rats (41 +/- 16% compared to 10 +/- 1% in the vehicle group; P < 0.05), strongly suggesting that spontaneously released NO modulated pulmonary vascular resistance. ⋯ U-46619 in control rats). These results indicate that, under normal circumstances, pulmonary vasomotor tone is regulated by spontaneously released NO. Moreover, pulmonary vascular NO attenuates TP receptor-mediated pressor responses, strongly suggesting that in addition to mediating pulmonary vasoconstriction, TP receptor activation also concomitantly releases NO within the pulmonary vasculature.