Ultrastructural study of contraction of pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells.

The pulmonary vessels of rats treated with fulvine were studied electron microscopically for morphologic signs of contraction of smooth muscle cells. Except for a number of indirect indications of vasoconstriction such as medial smooth muscle cell hypertrophy and excessive crenation of elastic laminae, conspicuous smooth muscle cell excrescences were observed and were interpreted to be a direct result of contraction. The close relationship between contraction and smooth muscle cell excrescences was confirmed by their simultaneous occurrence within 1 minute after administration of histamine to isolated perfused guinea pig lungs. The images of pulmonary vessels of rats with prolonged survival times after fulvine administration suggested a gradual increase in the size of the excrescences with a simultaneous degeneration of their cytoplasmic content, and in some cases their eventual detachment from the main cell body. The latter changes were possibly associated with the widespread vasculitis that often occurred at longer intervals after fulvine application. The smooth muscle cell excrescences in pulmonary veins were generally much more prominent than those in pulmonary arteries. This difference was probably caused by the more rigid structure of the arterial wall whcih prevented the formation of large excrescences. The mechanism of the formation of smooth muscle cell excrescences, their possible general validity as markers of vascular smooth muscle cell contraction, and the implications for the mechanism of action of fulvine are briefly discussed.     

Cytoskeletal features of immature pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells: the influence of pulmonary hypertension on normal development

Using an immunohistochemical technique, the development of the cytoskeletal proteins desmin, vimentin, and actin (using alpha isotype and non-isotype specific antibodies) was assessed using a semi-quantitative grading system in the pulmonary vascular smooth muscle of nine normal pigs and 19 normal humans at different ages, and in 13 children with pulmonary hypertensive congenital heart disease. In the normal of both species, immunostaining for vimentin decreased after birth and then increased gradually while immunostaining for desmin and alpha actin increased steadily with age. In pulmonary hypertension, immunostaining for alpha actin and vimentin showed an accelerated increase at between 2 and 8 months. Also, the media showed regional differences in immunostaining which preceded the development of intimal proliferation. The inner media showed less immunoreactivity for all cytoskeletal proteins studied than did the outer media. Within areas of intimal proliferation many cells were immunonegative. These results suggest that the cytoskeletal features of medial smooth muscle cells are remodelled in the normal infant; that this process is altered from at least 2 months in the pulmonary hypertensive infant; and that the smooth muscle cells immediately beneath the internal elastic lamina are remodelled before migrating to form intimal proliferation. Changes in cytoskeletal composition can be related to the previously described postnatal maturation of pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells.     

血管平滑肌钾通道与原发性高血压

Essential hypertension(EH)is characterized by an increased total peripheral resistance.There are four types of potassium channels in vascular smooth muscle cells,including Kca,Kv,Kir,KATP,which play an important role in regulating the diameter of vascular.The change of potassium channels may have something to do with the pathogenesis of hypertension.This article reviews the characters of potassium channels and their roles in EH.     

Hypoxic contraction of cultured pulmonary vascular smooth muscle cells

The cellular events involved in generating the hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction response are not clearly understood, in part because of the multitude of factors that alter pulmonary vascular tone. The goal of the present studies was to determine if a cell culture preparation containing vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells could be made to contract when exposed to a hypoxic atmosphere. Cultures containing only fetal bovine pulmonary artery VSM cells were assessed for contractile responses to hypoxic stimuli by two methods. In the first, tension forces generated by cells grown on a flexible growth surface (polymerized polydimethyl siloxane) were manifested as wrinkles and distortions of the surface under the cells. Wrinkling of the surface was noted to progressively increase with time as the culture medium bathing the cells was made hypoxic (PO2 approximately 25 mmHg). The changes were sometimes reversible upon return to normoxic conditions and appeared to be enhanced in cells already exhibiting evidence of some baseline tone. Repeated passage in culture did not diminish the hypoxic response. Evidence for contractile responses to hypoxia was also obtained from measurements of myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation. Conversion of MLC to the phosphorylated species is an early step in the activation of smooth muscle contraction. Lowering the PO2 in the culture medium to 59 mmHg caused a 45% increase in the proportion of MLC in the phosphorylated form as determined by two-dimensional gel electrophoresis. Similarly, cultures preincubated for 4 h with 32P and then exposed to normoxia or hypoxia for a 5-min experimental period showed more than twice as much of the label in MLCs of the hypoxic cells.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)     

Adaptation of conduit artery vascular smooth muscle tone to induced hypertension

We studied the changes in vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cell tone during the adaptation of rat common carotids to induced hypertension. Hypertension was induced in 8 week old male Wistar rats by total ligation of the aorta between the two kidneys. Mean blood pressure increased abruptly from 92±2 mm Hg (mean±SE) to 145±4 mm Hg and remained constant thereafter. Rats were sacrificed 2, 4, 8, and 56 days after surgery and the left common carotid artery was excised for analysis. Pressure-diameter curves were measured in vitro under normal, maximally contracted, and totally relaxed VSM. The VSM tone was analyzed in terms of its basal tone (active stress at low strains) and its myogenic tone (increase in active stress at high strains). Our results show that the capacity of the VSM to develop maximal active stress is not altered in hypertension. Basal tone, however, increases rapidly in the acute hypertension phase (2–8 days postsurgery) and drops to nearly control values at 56 days postsurgery. Also, the onset of myogenic response decreases to lower strains following the step change in pressure, to be restored back to control levels at 56 days postsurgery. We conclude that VSM adaptation is most significant in the acute hypertension phase and acts as a first, rapid defense mechanism for the arterial wall. The VSM tone returns back to normal levels once the slower geometrical and structural remodeling is developed sufficiently to restore the biomechanical environment and function of the arterial wall to control levels. © 2002 Biomedical Engineering Society. PAC2002: 8719Rr, 8719Ff, 8719Uv     

Ang-(1-7)与肺高压状态下肺血管平滑肌细胞的增生

背景：Ang-(1-7)虽然具有抗血管平滑肌细胞增殖作用,但在不同的血管床中其作用可能存在差异。直接给予外源性Ang-(1-7)是否可抑制肺动脉高压大鼠肺血管平滑肌细胞的增殖尚不清楚。 目的：探讨Ang-(1-7)对野百合碱诱导的肺动脉高压大鼠肺血管平滑肌细胞增殖的影响。 方法：雄性SD大鼠颈部一次性注射60 mg/kg野百合碱制备肺动脉高压模型。24 h后,分别经微泵持续泵入Ang-(1-7)(治疗组)或生理盐水(模型组),并设立未造模的对照组。给药2,4周,测定大鼠的右心室收缩压、心室质量、肺小动脉管壁厚度占管径的百分比及管壁面积占血管总面积的百分比。免疫组织化学方法检测肺血管平滑肌细胞α-平滑肌肌动蛋白及增殖细胞核抗原的表达。 结果与结论：野百合碱诱导2周,与对照组比较,模型组大鼠右心室收缩压、各心室的质量无明显变化,肺小动脉管壁厚度占管径的百分比、管壁面积占血管总面积的百分比、增殖细胞核抗原阳性率显著增高,α-平滑肌肌动蛋白显著降低;野百合碱诱导4周,模型组大鼠右心室收缩压、各心室的质量、肺小动脉管壁厚度占管径的百分比、管壁面积占血管总面积的百分比、增殖细胞核抗原阳性率均显著增高,α-平滑肌肌动蛋白显著降低。而治疗组上述指标与对照组比较差异无显著性意义   (P > 0.05)。说明在野百合碱诱导的肺动脉高压模型中,在肺动脉压增高之前已有肺血管形态学的变化,Ang-(1-7)可通过减轻肺血管平滑肌细胞的增生抑制大鼠肺动脉压的升高。     

肺动脉高压大鼠肺动脉平滑肌细胞钾通道的研究

目的：观察肺动脉高压大鼠（PHR）肺动脉平滑肌细胞膜电容(Cm)、膜电流(I)、电流密度(pA/pF)及I-V曲线，并与正常SD大鼠进行比较。观察盐酸埃他卡林对正常血压及肺动脉高压大鼠动脉平滑肌钾通道的影响。方法：SD大鼠,置于常压缺氧（10%O2）舱内，每天6 h，每周6 d，持续4周,使之平均肺动脉压升高,建立肺动脉高压大鼠模型。急性分离大鼠肺内动脉平滑肌细胞，用全细胞记录（whole cell recording）技术记录细胞钾电流、膜电容并计算电流密度。结果：PHR肺动脉平滑肌细胞Cm值、细胞膜钾电流值均显著高于正常血压SD大鼠（P<0.05）；PHR肺动脉平滑肌细胞钾电流密度值显著低于正常血压大鼠(P<0.05)。与正常SD大鼠比较，PHR钾电流I-V曲线下移。盐酸埃他卡林在10 μmol·L-1浓度下，可显著增强正常血压SD大鼠及PHR动脉平滑肌钾电流(P<0.05)。结论：PHR肺动脉平滑肌细胞的膜电容、膜钾电流比正常血压SD大鼠高；钾电流密度比正常血压SD大鼠低，I-V曲线下移。盐酸埃他卡林对正常血压大鼠及肺动脉高压大鼠动脉平滑肌钾电流都有增强作用。     

Time course of asymptomatic interstitial pulmonary oedema at high altitude

The time course of asymptomatic pulmonary oedema during high-altitude exposure and its potential relationship with changes in cardiac function remain to clarify.     

Neonatal pulmonary hypertension prevents reorganisation of the pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cytoskeleton after birth

The pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cell (SMC) cytoskeleton was studied in tissue from 36 piglets aged from within 5 min of birth to 21 d of age, and in 8 adults. An additional 16 piglets were made pulmonary hypertensive by exposure to hypobaric hypoxia (50.8 kPa) for 3 d. In conduit intrapulmonary elastic arteries α, β and γ actin, the 204, 200 and 196 kDa myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms and vinculin were localised by immunohistochemistry. The total actin content, the proportion of monomeric to filamentous α and γ actin and changes in the proportions of the MHC isoforms were determined biochemically. Dividing SMCs were localised and quantified using Ki-67. We found a transient reduction in immunohistochemical expression of γ actin, 204 kDa MHC isoform and vinculin at 3 and 6 d in the inner media, associated with a transient increase in Ki-67 labelling. The actin content also decreased at 3 and 6 d ( P < 0.05), but there was a postnatal, permanent increase in monomeric actin, first the α then the γ isoform. The relative proportions of the MHC isoforms did not change between birth and adulthood in elastic pulmonary arteries but in muscular arteries the 200 kDa isoform increased between 14 d and adulthood. Pulmonary hypertension prevented both the immunohistochemical changes and the postnatal burst of SMC replication and prevented the transient postnatal reduction in actin content. These findings suggest that rapid remodelling of the actin cytoskeleton is an essential prerequisite of a normal postnatal fall in pulmonary vascular resistance.     

Pentobarbital and contraction of vascular smooth muscle.

This study, with isolated rat aortic strips and portal veins, was undertaken to : 1) study the effects, if any, of pentobarbital Na (PTB) (5 x 10(-5) to 2 X 10(-3) M) on reactivity to epinephrine, serotonin, and KCl; 2) determine whether certain concentrations of PTB induce direct actions on aortic strips and portal veins; and 3) gain some insight into how these effects are brought about. The results indicate that PTB can: a) inhibit development of spontaneous mechanical activity in these vessels in anesthetic concentrations; b) dose-dependently attenuate contractions induced by epinephrine, serotonin, and KC1; c) cause a noncompetitive type displacement of the dose response curves of these vasoactive agents; d) attenuate Ca2+- induced contractions of potassium-depolarized aortic strips and portal veins concomitant with a dose-dependent displacement of these dose-response curves to the right; and e) rapidly relax drug as well as Ca2+ -induced contractions of aortas and portal veins. In addition, the data indicate that rat portal venous smooth muscle is more sensitive to the inhibitory actions of PTB than rat aortic smooth muscle. Overall, these data suggest that concentrations of PTB used to induce surgical anesthesia can exert profound depressant effects on at least two different types of vascular smooth muscle that may be related to actions on movement and/or translocation of Ca2+.     

Adenosine relaxation of isolated vascular smooth muscle.

Adenosine relaxed hog carotid media strips contracted with norepinephrine (NE) and potassium (K+). Adenosine (3 X 10(-6)M) was more effective in relaxing the NE contractures than those produced by K+. In both cases, adenosine's efficacy decreased with increasing concentrations of the stimulating agent. A high adenosine concentration (1 X 10(-3)M) was necessary to elicit relaxation of completely depolarized (124 mM K+) media strips and equimolar concentrations of aminophylline caused greater relaxation than did adenosine. Adenosine inhibited the Ca2+ dose-response curves of strips stimulated with 20 mM and 30 mM K+ and its effect was dependent on the Ca2+ concentration. Neither 1 X 10(-6)M nor 1 X 10(-4)M adenosine produced any change in the cAMP content of vascular strips. Only at high concentrations did adenosine increase the cAMP content of vascular strips, but the increase was signficantly more than that observed with the same dose of aminophylline. The present results are consistent with the possibility that adenosine relaxes vascular smooth muscle by directly altering Ca2+ permeability and/or membrane potential; they do not support a role for cAMP in the adenosine-induced relaxation of vascular smooth muscle.     

In vitro responses of human asthmatic airway and pulmonary vascular smooth muscle

Airway and pulmonary vascular smooth muscle was obtained from the surgically resected lobe of a human asthmatic allergic to grass pollen who presented with an endobronchial carcinoid tumor. Grass antigen induced sustained contractions of bronchial and pulmonary vein, but not pulmonary artery tissue. Capsaicin did not alter the bronchial response to grass antigen. Contractions to leukotrienes B4, C4, D4 and E4 and methacholine were equivalent to those seen in nonasthmatic human lung tissue, whereas those to histamine were strikingly greater and disproportionate to methacholine. The C3a octapeptide Ala-Ala-Ala-Leu-Gly-Leu-Ala-Arg produced contractions of pulmonary vein and pulmonary artery. These findings are compared with those obtained using human lung samples from nonasthmatic individuals.     

Effects of endurance training at high altitude on diaphragm muscle properties

The biochemical, histochemical, and structural changes induced by endurance training and long-term exposure to high altitude were studied in the diaphragm muscle of rats exposed to simulated altitude (HA: n = 16; P _b = 62 kPa, 463 Torr; 4000 m) and compared to animals maintained at sea-level (SL: n = 16). Half of the animals in each group were trained (T) by swimming for 12 weeks, the other half were kept sedentary (S). Except for a small decrease in type I fibres in the HA-S group (–7%, P<0.05), in favour of type IIab and type IIb fibres, neither high-altitude exposure nor endurance training had an overall effect on fibre type distribution. The mean fibre cross-sectional area was found to be unaffected by altitude and/or chronic exercise. Capillary density was shown to be increased by both high-altitude exposure (P<0.02) and training (P<0.001), whereas capillary growth, estimated by the capillary/fibre ratio, was unaffected in both cases. Following endurance training, a modest increase in citrate synthase was shown to occur to the same extent in the HA-T and SL-T groups (+15% and + 16% respectively, NS). Hexokinase increased following training (P<0.05) and high-altitude exposure (P<0.001). In normoxic and hypoxic animals, endurance training enhanced the ratio of the heart-specific lactate dehydrogenase isozyme LDH1 to total LDH activity (+59%, P<0.01; +92%, P<0.05 respectively). It may be hypothesized that the increased glucose phosphorylation capacity observed in diaphragm muscle contributes to the reduction of glycogen utilization during exercise.     

Body size as a determinant of the 1-h cycling record at sea level and altitude

This study was designed to validate models for predicting the two Union Cycliste Internationale (UCI) classifications for the 1-h cycling record at sea level and altitude. Specific attention was paid to the integration of model components that were sensitive to scaling differences in body mass (m_b). The Modern Aero Position model predicted UCI Best Hour performances using predictions of total projected frontal area (A_P) that included use of an aerodynamic bicycle and aerodynamic handlebars. The Traditional Racing Position model predicted UCI Hour Record performances using predictions of total A_P that include use of a Merckx-era bicycle with drop-style handlebars. Prediction equations for A_P, as well as the coefficient of drag and metabolic power output , involved scaling relationships with m_b, while other model components were similar to previously published 1-h models. Both models were solved for the distance cycled in 1 h (D_HR) using an iterative strategy. Chris Boardmans current records for the UCI Best Hour Performance (56.375 km) and the UCI Hour Record (49.202 km) were underpredicted by only 0.332 km (-0.6%) and 0.239 km (-0.5%). Both models, regardless of altitude, suggested that D_HR should scale with m_b to the +0.174 power (D_HRm_b^+0.174), which is lower than the +0.32 exponent recently suggested in the literature. Lastly, the same models also predicted that six-time Tour de France winner, Lance Armstrong, could exceed both of Boardmans current records at sea level by about 2.0 km.     

Endogenously released endothelin-1 from human pulmonary artery smooth muscle promotes cellular proliferation: relevance to pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension and vascular remodeling

Endothelin (ET)-1 is a potent vasoconstrictor and comitogen/ proliferation factor for vascular smooth muscle (VSM). As such, it has been implicated in the vascular wall remodeling observed in pulmonary hypertension (PH). Although the endothelium is considered the main source of ET-1, it can be released by other cells including VSM and may mediate proliferation in an autocrine manner. We investigated this possibility using human pulmonary artery smooth-muscle (HPASM) cells. Serum stimulated the release of ET-1 from HPASM cells in a concentration-dependent fashion and caused proliferation as determined by [(3)H]thymidine uptake and increase in cell number. Addition of an ET-A receptor antagonist (BQ123) or an inhibitor of ET-1 synthesis (phosphoramidon) reduced the proliferation induced by serum, confirming an autocrine role for ET-1. In addition, treatment of HPASM cells with two drug types used in the management of PH-cicaprost, a stable prostacyclin-mimetic; or diltiazem, a calcium-channel blocker-reduced ET-1 release from these cells. We conclude that ET-1 released from HPASM cells has an autocrine function in serum-induced proliferation, with important implications for the pathogenesis of human vascular remodeling. Drugs used in the treatment of PH may act, at least in part, by inhibiting this autocrine loop.