Rapid effect of progesterone on the contraction of rat aorta in-vitro

Progesterone induced rapid relaxation of KCl-induced contraction of rat aortic rings. The relaxant effect of progesterone on aortic rings was concentration-dependent (over the range of 10(-10) to 10(-5) M) and partially dependent on the endothelium. Application of a nitric oxide (NO) synthase antagonist N(G)-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA, 10(-5) M) after progesterone treatment partially inhibited the relaxant effects of progesterone. This suggested that part of the effect was through the production of nitric oxide. Washing out the steroid hormone in the bath solutions could quickly reverse the inhibitory effects of progesterone on phasic tension generation in aortic rings. Five minutes after washout, the tension generation in aortic rings was completely restored. Cultured endothelial cells from rat aorta increased release of NO into culture media in response to a 60-min exposure to progesterone. Aldosterone and dexamethasone were also tested, and failed to relax KCl-induced contraction of aortic rings. These data suggest that the vascular effects of progesterone are not mediated by a genomic action of this steroid, and that the vascular effects are mediated partially through endothelial NO production.