The American journal of physiology
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We examined whether blockade of prostaglandin synthesis by indomethacin could attenuate the effect of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition on cerebral arteriolar dilation during cortical spreading depression (CSD). CSD was induced by microinjection of 5% (670 mM) KCl onto the cerebral cortex of anesthetized adult rabbits. A closed cranial window and intravital microscopy were used to measure pial arteriolar diameter, and NOS activity was determined by the conversion assay of [14C]arginine to [14C]citrulline. ⋯ In addition, L-NNA inhibited topical acetylcholine (10(-5) M)-induced arteriolar dilation (n = 3, P < 0.05), and this effect was not altered by indomethacin (n = 4). In summary, L-NNA reduced arteriolar dilation during CSD. However, after administration of indomethacin, L-NNA does not reduce CSD-induced arteriolar dilation.
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Nerve cells release nitric oxide (NO) in response to activation of glutamate receptors of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) subtype. We explored the hypothesis that NO influences the changes of cerebral blood flow (CBF) during cortical spreading depression (CSD), which is known to be associated with NMDA receptor activation. CBF was monitored in parietal cortex by laser-Doppler flowmetry in halothane-anesthetized rats. ⋯ Functional denervation of cortical and pial arterioles by tetrodotoxin accentuated the pre-CSD hypoperfusion and the oligemia but did not affect the CBF increases. The results suggest that NO is important for the changes of cerebrovascular regulation following CSD. The observations may have clinical importance, since CBF changes during migraine may be triggered by CSD.
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Preconditioning protects the rat heart from ventricular arrhythmias. However, the mechanism of this beneficial effect and its existence in large animal models remain unknown. We submitted 49 pigs to 40 min of left anterior descending coronary occlusion and 2 h of reperfusion and assessed the incidence of ventricular fibrillation (VF) and time to VF. ⋯ This premature peak of VF in preconditioned hearts was associated with a significant decrease of VFT and shortening of MAPD. This suggests that preconditioning does not limit the incidence of VF in the pig model. Rather, preconditioning decreases the time to VF in this species, likely through lowering of the VFT and shortening of the action potential duration.