Acetylcholine induces vasoconstriction in the microcirculation of cardiomyopathic hamsters: Reversal by L-arginine

William G. Mayhan, Israel Rubinstein

Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

25 Scopus citations

Abstract

The goal of this study was to determine whether endothelium-dependent responses of the microcirculation are altered during cardiomyopathy. We examined in vivo responses of cheek pouch arterioles to an endothelium-dependent agonist (acetylcholine) and an endothelium-independent agonist (nitroglycerin) in normal and in cardiomyopathic hamsters. In normal hamsters, acetylcholine produced dose-related dilatation of arterioles. In contrast, acetylcholine produced constriction of arterioles in cardiomyopathic hamsters. Nitroglycerin produced similar dose-related dilatation in normal and cardiomyopathic hamsters. We also examined whether impaired responses to acetylcholine in cardiomyopathic hamsters were related to an alteration in the L-arginine/nitric oxide pathway. We found that L-arginine (100 μM) restored endotheliumdependent vasodilatation to acetylcholine in cardiomyopathic hamsters. Thus, cardiomyopathy impairs endothelium-dependent responses of the microcirculation which is reversed by L-arginine.

Original languageEnglish (US)
Pages (from-to)1372-1377
Number of pages6
JournalBiochemical and Biophysical Research Communications
Volume184
Issue number3
DOIs
StatePublished - May 15 1992

ASJC Scopus subject areas

  • Biophysics
  • Biochemistry
  • Molecular Biology
  • Cell Biology

Fingerprint

Dive into the research topics of 'Acetylcholine induces vasoconstriction in the microcirculation of cardiomyopathic hamsters: Reversal by L-arginine'. Together they form a unique fingerprint.

Cite this