Vascular tone

Neuronal Norepinephrine Depleting Agents. Reserpine (Table 6) is the most active alkaloid derived from Rauwolfia serpentina. The principal antihypertensive mechanism of action primarily results from depletion of norepinephrine from peripheral sympathetic nerves and the brain adrenergic neurons. The result is a drastic decrease in the amount of norepinephrine released from these neurons, leading to decrease in vascular tone and lowering of blood pressure. Reserpine also depletes other transmitters including epinephrine, serotonin [50-67-9] dopamine [51-61-6] ... 

Calcium channel blockers reduce arterial blood pressure by decreasing calcium influx, resulting in a decrease in intracellular calcium (236,237). The arterial smooth muscle tone decreases, thereby decreasing total peripheral resistance. The increase in vascular resistance in hypertension is found to depend much on calcium influx. Calcium channel blockers reduce blood pressure at rest and during exercise. They decrease the transmembranous calcium influx or entry that lead to a net decrease of intracellular calcium and therefore the vascular tone falls, as does blood pressure. 

In the vasculature, ANG H not only increases contraction of smooth muscle cells, but is also able to induce vascular injury. This can be prevented by blocking NFkB activation [3] suggesting a link between ANG II and inflammation processes involved in the pathogenesis of arteriosclerosis (see below). Thus, ACE inhibitors not only decrease vascular tone but probably also exert vasoprotective effects. 

The vascular endothelium plays an important role in regulation of vascular tone and permeability. Dilatation of arterioles to increase blood flow and constriction of endothelial cells of postcapillary venules causing exsudation of plasma constituents illustrates the complex nature of this cell type. Moreover, by expression of adhesion molecules and secretion of chemokines endothelial cells play an important role in the recruitment of leukocytes to the inflamed area. Endothelial cells express two basic types of adhesion molecules on their surface ... 

Moncada, S., Radomski, M.W. and Palmer, R.M. (1988). Endothelium-derived relaxing factor identification as nitric oxide and role in the control of vascular tone and platelet function. Biochem. Pharmacol. 37, 2495-2501. 

A thrombotic tendency is present in diabetes due to an imbalance between prostacyclin and thromboxane. Lipid peroxides and newly generated free radicals are thought to inhibit the vasodilator and anti-platelet effects of endothelial-derived prostacyclin, but stimulate platelet cyclooxygenase activity, thereby promoting the production of thromboxane A2. This leads to vasoconstriction and platelet aggregation - the concept of peroxide vascular tone (Halliwell and Gutteridge, 1989). 

It is misleading to consider that ROS are always deleterious, and that to prevent release or action of ail ROS will be of therapeutic value. One could reason that some ROS are released without control or purpose, as by-products of the normal metabolism of eicosanoids, or during oxidative phosphorylation in the mitochondria. However, during normal function, inflammatory ceUs appropriately release ROS both intracellularly into vacuoles and extracellularly in order to kill foreign organisms in host defence. Also, nitric oxide is a radical species whose principal role in the lung appears to be the control of pulmonary vascular tone and platelet function. Nevertheless, there are clear examples where fhistrated phagocytosis could explain an excessive release of ROS in... 

Elevated peripheral arterial resistance is a hallmark of primary hypertension. The increase in peripheral resistance typically observed may be due to a reduction in the arterial lumen size as a result of vascular remodeling. This remodeling, or change in vascular tone, may be modulated by various endothelium-derived vasoactive substances, growth factors, and cytokines. This increase in arterial stiffness or reduced compliance results in the observed increase in systolic blood pressure.9... 

Systemic vascular resistance The portion of resistance to blood flow leaving the heart that is determined by vascular tone (constriction or relaxation). Systemic vascular resistance = mean arterial blood pressure/cardiac output. 

The endothelium has many diverse functions that enable it to participate in in-flammatoiy reactions (H27). These include modulation of vascular tone, and hence control of local blood flow changes in structure that allow leakage of fluids and plasma proteins into extravascular tissues local accumulation and subsequent extravasation into tissues of leukocytes and synthesis of surface molecules and soluble factors involved in leukocyte activation (B43). The endothelial cells themselves can modulate vascular tone by the release of vasoactive substances such as prostacyclin, nitric oxide (NO), ET. Endothelium-derived vasoactive substances... 

R4. Rees, D. D., Cellek, S Palmer, R. M. J., and Moncada, S., Dexamethasone prevents the induction by endotoxin of a nitric oxide synthase and the associated effects on vascular tone An insight into endotoxin shock. Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 173,541-547 (1990). 

Prasad A, Narayanan S, Waclawiw MA, Epstein N, Quyyumi AA. The insertion/deletion polymorphism of the angiotensin-converting enzyme gene determines coronary vascular tone and nitric oxide activity. J Am Coll Cardiol 2000 36 1579-1586. 

M. Kelm and J. Schrader, Control of coronary vascular tone by nitric-oxide. Circ. Res. 66, 1561-1575 (1990). 

The goal of sympathomimetic therapy is to augment both coronary and cerebral perfusion pressures during the low-flow state associated with CPR. These agents increase systemic arteriolar vasoconstriction, thereby improving coronary and cerebral perfusion pressure. They also maintain vascular tone, decrease arteriolar collapse, and shunt blood to the heart and brain. 

Among the local mediators directly produced by endothelium, NO and PGI emerge as two principal regulators of vascular tone and platelet aggregation. Both are sensitive to estrogenic stimuli, and, as mentioned in a previous section, their role is crucial in atherogenesis. How their production is modulated by SERMs is, consequently, an important test of vascular protection. 

What is the role of intracellular Ca2+ waves due to Ca2+ release from the SR In many cell types stimulation results in Ca2+ waves rather than a maintained increase of [Ca2+] . Summation of such waves in many cells can result in a maintained contraction. Indeed, recent work suggests that these waves are implicated in the genesis of vascular tone (Peng et al 2001). It is important for us to consider how widespread in smooth muscle excitation-contraction coupling are such waves. 

Kotlikojf Sometimes we see a substantial lag other times it is shorter than 500 ms. I don t know the answer. Because of the number of differences between a single-cell stretch experiment and real physiology, I don t know whether this explains things such as pressure-induced vascular tone. One thing that will be informative here is if the RyR2 knockouts are viable and we can look at them. 

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