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Cerebral parenchymal arterioles from menopause mice showed increased myogenic tone. We identified an impairment in smooth muscle cell BKCa channel activity, without a reduction in endothelium-dependent dilation or nitric oxide production. Microvascular dysfunction was associated with a reduction in neurovascular responses after somatosensory stimulation. Despite the neurovascular impairment, cognitive abilities were maintained in menopausal mice.

Transient increases in intracellular Ca2+ activate endothelium-dependent vasodilatory pathways. This process is impaired in cerebral amyloid angiopathy, where amyloid- β(1-40) accumulates around blood vessels. In neurons, amyloid- β impairs the Ca2+-permeable N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR), a mediator of endothelium-dependent dilation in arteries. We hypothesized that amyloid- β(1-40) reduces NMDAR-elicited Ca2+ signals in mouse cerebral artery endothelial cells, blunting dilation. Cerebral arteries isolated from 4-5 months-old, male and female cdh5:Gcamp8 mice were used for imaging of unitary Ca2+ influx through NMDAR ( NMDAR sparklets) and intracellular Ca2+ transients. The NMDAR agonist NMDA (10 µmol/L) increased frequency of NMDAR sparklets and intracellular Ca2+ transients in endothelial cells; these effects were prevented by NMDAR antagonists D-AP5 and MK-801. Next, we tested if amyloid- β(1-40) impairs NMDAR-elicited Ca2+ transients. Cerebral arteries incubated with amyloid- β(1-40) (5 µmol/L) exhibited reduced NMDAR sparklets and intracellular Ca2+ transients. Lastly, we observed that NMDA-induced dilation of pial arteries is reduced by acute intraluminal amyloid- β(1-40), as well as in a mouse model of Alzheimer’s disease, the 5x-FAD, linked to downregulation of Grin1 mRNA compared to wild-type littermates. These data suggest that endothelial NMDAR mediate dilation via Ca2+-dependent pathways, a process disrupted by amyloid- β(1-40) and impaired in 5x-FAD mice.

Cerebral blood flow is conveyed by vascular resistance arteries and downstream parenchymal arterioles. Steady-state vascular resistance to blood flow increases with decreasing diameter from arteries to arterioles that ultimately feed into capillaries. Due to their smaller size and location in the parenchyma, arterioles have been relatively understudied and with less reproducibility in findings than surface pial arteries. Regardless, arteriolar endothelial cell structure and function—integral to the physiology and etiology of chronic degenerative diseases—requires extensive investigation. In particular, emerging evidence demonstrates that compromised endothelial function precedes and exacerbates cognitive impairment and dementia. In the parenchymal microcirculation, endothelial K(+) channel function is the most robust stimulus to finely control the spread of vasodilation to promote increases in blood flow to areas of neuronal activity. This paper illustrates a refined method for freshly isolating intact and electrically coupled endothelial “tubes” (diameter, ~25 μm) from mouse brain parenchymal arterioles. Arteriolar endothelial tubes are secured during physiological conditions (37 °C, pH 7.4) to resolve experimental variables that encompass K(+) channel function and their regulation, including intracellular Ca(2+) dynamics, changes in membrane potential, and membrane lipid regulation. A distinct technical advantage versus arterial endothelium is the enhanced morphological resolution of cell and organelle (e.g., mitochondria) dimensions, which expands the usefulness of this technique. Healthy cerebral perfusion throughout life entails robust endothelial function in parenchymal arterioles, directly linking blood flow to the fueling of neuronal and glial activity throughout precise anatomical regions of the brain. Thus, it is expected that this method will significantly advance the general knowledge of vascular physiology and neuroscience concerning the healthy and diseased brain.

Introduction: Cerebral amyloid angiopathy (CAA), the accumulation of amyloid- β (1-40) (A β ) around cerebral arteries, impairs endothelial function. Endothelium-dependent dilation is a consequence of transient increases in intracellular [Ca 2+ ] in endothelial cells (EC). The Ca 2+ permeable N-methyl-D-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) mediates endothelium-dependent dilation, although if these effects are dependent on Ca 2+ influx and transients, or if they are impaired by A β , remains undetermined. Hypothesis: A β inhibits endothelial NMDAR-mediated Ca 2+ influx and transients in murine pial arteries. Methods: We performed Ca 2+ time-lapse imaging of en face pial arteries from cdh5-GCaMP8 mice to quantify EC Ca 2+ events induced by NMDAR activation. Data are means ± SEM. Results: Elemental Ca 2+ entry through NMDAR, hereon called NMDAR sparklets , was assessed in arteries incubated with EGTA-AM and cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) to inhibit intracellular Ca 2+ transients. NMDA (10 μM) induced an increase in NMDAR sparklets frequency when compared to vehicle, an effect inhibited by the NMDAR antagonist D-APV (in Hz: 0.12±0.01 vs 0.44±0.05 vs 0.21±0.02, vehicle vs NMDA vs NMDA+D-APV, p2+ transients, also blocked by D-APV (in Hz: 0.24±0.05 vs 0.53±0.10 vs 0.28±0.05, vehicle vs NMDA vs NMDA+D-APV, pβ on Ca 2+ events in pial artery EC. We observed that 30 minutes exposure to A β (5 μM) caused a significant reduction in NMDAR sparklets (in Hz: 0.62±0.07 vs 0.22±0.03, NMDA vs NMDA + A β , p2+ transients (in Hz: 0.62±0.37 vs 0.27±0.07, NMDA vs NMDA + A β ). Lastly, we performed pressure myography on pial arteries of wild-type and 5x-FAD mice, a model of familial Alzheimer’s disease with rapid amyloid accumulation. 5x-FAD mice displayed impaired vasodilation to NMDA (vasodilation (%): 9.86±0.64 vs 4.22±2.76, wild-type vs 5x-FAD , p Conclusion: These preliminary data suggest that A β impairs endothelial NMDAR-associated Ca 2+ influx events in cerebral arteries, which can impair blood flow in CAA patients, thus contributing to cognitive impairment.

Blood flow regulation in the brain is dynamically regulated to meet the metabolic demands of active neuronal populations. Recent evidence has demonstrated that capillary endothelial cells are essential mediators of neurovascular coupling that sense neuronal activity and generate a retrograde, propagating, hyperpolarizing signal that dilates upstream arterioles. Here, we tested the hypothesis that transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) channels in capillary endothelial cells are significant contributors to functional hyperemic responses that underlie neurovascular coupling in the brain. Using an integrative ex vivo and in vivo approach, we demonstrate the functional presence of TRPA1 channels in brain capillary endothelial cells, and show that activation of these channels within the capillary bed, including the post-arteriole transitional region covered by ensheathing mural cells, initiates a retrograde signal that dilates upstream parenchymal arterioles. Notably, this signaling exhibits a unique biphasic mode of propagation that begins within the capillary network as a short-range, Ca2+ signal dependent on endothelial pannexin-1 channel/purinergic P2X receptor communication pathway and then is converted to a rapid, inward-rectifying K+ channel-mediated electrical signal in the post-arteriole transitional region that propagates upstream to parenchymal arterioles. Two-photon laser-scanning microscopy further demonstrated that conductive vasodilation occurs in vivo, and that TRPA1 is necessary for functional hyperemia within the somatosensory cortex of mice. Together, these data establish a role for endothelial TRPA1 channels as sensors of neuronal activity and show that they respond accordingly by initiating a vasodilatory response that redirects blood to regions of metabolic demand.

Cerebral blood flow is dynamically regulated by neurovascular coupling to meet the dynamic metabolic demands of the brain. We hypothesized that TRPA1 channels in capillary endothelial cells are stimulated by neuronal activity and instigate a propagating retrograde signal that dilates upstream parenchymal arterioles to initiate functional hyperemia. We find that activation of TRPA1 in capillary beds and post-arteriole transitional segments with mural cell coverage initiates retrograde signals that dilate upstream arterioles. These signals exhibit a unique mode of biphasic propagation. Slow, short-range intercellular Ca2+ signals in the capillary network are converted to rapid electrical signals in transitional segments that propagate to and dilate upstream arterioles. We further demonstrate that TRPA1 is necessary for functional hyperemia and neurovascular coupling within the somatosensory cortex of mice in vivo. These data establish endothelial cell TRPA1 channels as neuronal activity sensors that initiate microvascular vasodilatory responses to redirect blood to regions of metabolic demand.

KEY POINTS The angiotensin II receptor type 1b (AT1 Rb ) is the primary sensor of intraluminal pressure in cerebral arteries. Pressure or membrane-stretch induced stimulation of AT1 Rb activates the TRPM4 channel and results in inward transient cation currents that depolarize smooth muscle cells, leading to vasoconstriction. Activation of either AT1 Ra or AT1 Rb with angiotensin II stimulates TRPM4 currents in cerebral artery myocytes and vasoconstriction of cerebral arteries. The expression of AT1 Rb mRNA is ∼30-fold higher than AT1 Ra in whole cerebral arteries and ∼45-fold higher in isolated cerebral artery smooth muscle cells. Higher levels of expression are likely to account for the obligatory role of AT1 Rb for pressure-induced vasoconstriction. ABSTRACT: Myogenic vasoconstriction, which reflects the intrinsic ability of smooth muscle cells to contract in response to increases in intraluminal pressure, is critically important for the autoregulation of blood flow. In smooth muscle cells from cerebral arteries, increasing intraluminal pressure engages a signalling cascade that stimulates cation influx through transient receptor potential (TRP) melastatin 4 (TRPM4) channels to cause membrane depolarization and vasoconstriction. Substantial evidence indicates that the angiotensin II receptor type 1 (AT1 R) is inherently mechanosensitive and initiates this signalling pathway. Rodents express two types of AT1 R - AT1 Ra and AT1 Rb - and conflicting studies provide support for either isoform as the primary sensor of intraluminal pressure in peripheral arteries. We hypothesized that mechanical activation of AT1 Ra increases TRPM4 currents to induce myogenic constriction of cerebral arteries. However, we found that development of myogenic tone was greater in arteries from AT1 Ra knockout animals compared with controls. In patch-clamp experiments using native cerebral arterial myocytes, membrane stretch-induced cation currents were blocked by the TRPM4 inhibitor 9-phenanthrol in both groups. Further, the AT1 R blocker losartan (1 μm) diminished myogenic tone and blocked stretch-induced cation currents in cerebral arteries from both groups. Activation of AT1 R with angiotensin II (30 nm) also increased TRPM4 currents in smooth muscle cells and constricted cerebral arteries from both groups. Expression of AT1 Rb mRNA was ∼30-fold greater than AT1 Ra in cerebral arteries, and knockdown of AT1 Rb selectively diminished myogenic constriction. We conclude that AT1 Rb , acting upstream of TRPM4 channels, is the primary sensor of intraluminal pressure in cerebral artery smooth muscle cells.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) results from mutations in the gene encoding dystrophin which lead to impaired function of skeletal and cardiac muscle, but little is known about the effects of the disease on vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs). Here we used the mdx mouse model to study the effects of mutant dystrophin on the regulation of cerebral artery and arteriole SMC contractility, focusing on an important Ca2+-signaling pathway composed of type 2 ryanodine receptors (RyR2s) on the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels on the plasma membrane. Nanoscale superresolution image analysis revealed that RyR2 and BKα were organized into discrete clusters, and that the mean size of RyR2 clusters that colocalized with BKα was larger in SMCs from mdx mice (∼62 RyR2 monomers) than in controls (∼40 RyR2 monomers). We further found that the frequency and signal mass of spontaneous, transient Ca2+-release events through SR RyR2s ("Ca2+ sparks") were greater in SMCs from mdx mice. Patch-clamp electrophysiological recordings indicated a corresponding increase in Ca2+-dependent BK channel activity. Using pressure myography, we found that cerebral pial arteries and parenchymal arterioles from mdx mice failed to develop appreciable spontaneous myogenic tone. Inhibition of RyRs with tetracaine and blocking of BK channels with paxilline restored myogenic tone to control levels, demonstrating that enhanced RyR and BK channel activity is responsible for the diminished pressure-induced constriction of arteries and arterioles from mdx mice. We conclude that increased size of RyR2 protein clusters in SMCs from mdx mice increases Ca2+ spark and BK channel activity, resulting in cerebral microvascular dysfunction.

Cerebral parenchymal arterioles (PA) regulate blood flow between pial arteries on the surface of the brain and the deeper microcirculation. Regulation of PA contractility differs from that of pial arteries and is not completely understood. Here, we investigated the hypothesis that the Ca2+ permeable vanilloid transient receptor potential (TRPV) channel TRPV3 can mediate endothelium-dependent dilation of cerebral PA. Using total internal reflection fluorescence microscopy (TIRFM), we found that carvacrol, a monoterpenoid compound derived from oregano, increased the frequency of unitary Ca2+ influx events through TRPV3 channels (TRPV3 sparklets) in endothelial cells from pial arteries and PAs. Carvacrol-induced TRPV3 sparklets were inhibited by the selective TRPV3 blocker isopentenyl pyrophosphate (IPP). TRPV3 sparklets have a greater unitary amplitude (ΔF/F0 = 0.20) than previously characterized TRPV4 (ΔF/F0 = 0.06) or TRPA1 (ΔF/F0 = 0.13) sparklets, suggesting that TRPV3-mediated Ca2+ influx could have a robust influence on cerebrovascular tone. In pressure myography experiments, carvacrol caused dilation of cerebral PA that was blocked by IPP. Carvacrol-induced dilation was nearly abolished by removal of the endothelium and block of intermediate (IK) and small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (SK) channels. Together, these data suggest that TRPV3 sparklets cause dilation of cerebral parenchymal arterioles by activating IK and SK channels in the endothelium.

Proper perfusion is vital for maintenance of neuronal homeostasis and brain function. Changes in the function and structure of cerebral parenchymal arterioles (PAs) could impair blood flow regulation and increase the risk of cerebrovascular diseases, including dementia and stroke. Hypertension alters the structure and function of large cerebral arteries, but its effects on PAs remain unknown. We hypothesized that hypertension increases myogenic tone and induces inward remodeling in PAs; we further proposed that antihypertensive therapy or mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) blockade would reverse the effects of hypertension. PAs from 18-wk-old stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) were isolated and cannulated in a pressure myograph. At 50-mmHg intraluminal pressure, PAs from SHRSP showed higher myogenic tone (%tone: 39.1 ± 1.9 vs. 28.7 ± 2.5%, P < 0.01) and smaller resting luminal diameter (34.7 ± 1.9 vs. 46.2 ± 2.4 μm, P < 0.01) than those from normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats, through a mechanism that seems to require Ca2+ influx through L-type voltage-gated Ca2+ channels. PAs from SHRSP showed inward remodeling (luminal diameter at 60 mmHg: 55.2 ± 1.4 vs. 75.7 ± 5.1 μm, P < 0.01) and a paradoxical increase in distensibility and compliance. Treatment of SHRSP for 6 wk with antihypertensive therapy reduced PAs' myogenic tone, increased their resting luminal diameter, and prevented inward remodeling. In contrast, treatment of SHRSP for 6 wk with an MR antagonist did not reduce blood pressure or myogenic tone, but prevented inward remodeling. Thus, while hypertensive remodeling of PAs may involve the MR, myogenic tone seems to be independent of MR activity.

A correlation between increases in the intracellular Ca2+ concentration of vascular endothelial cells and release of endothelium-dependent relaxing factors was first reported decades ago by Luckhoff et al.1 In agreement with these formative observations, subsequent studies demonstrated that Ca2+-sensitive biosynthetic pathways, such as endothelial nitric oxide synthase, as well as small and intermediate conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (KCa2.3 and KCa3.1) are primary drivers of endothelium-dependent vasodilation. Because endothelial dysfunction and loss of vasodilatory capacity are a common hallmark of cardiovascular diseases, the underlying Ca2+ signaling mechanisms are of considerable interest. Technological advances, including the development of high-affinity fluorescent Ca2+ indicator dyes, transgenic mice expressing genetically encoded Ca2+ indicator proteins selectively in the endothelium,2 high-speed, high-resolution confocal Ca2+ imaging, and total internal reflection fluorescent microscopy allow the Ca2+ signals controlling endothelium-dependent vasodilation to be probed in ever increasing detail. Application of these methods has revealed that Ca2+ mobilization pathways in the endothelium are unexpectedly complex, dynamic, and diverse. For example, spreading intracellular and intercellular Ca2+ waves are stimulated by the well-characterized endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine in many vascular beds.2 These propagating Ca2+ events may be critically important for conducted vasodilatory responses.3 Another type of Ca2+ signal was reported by Ledoux et al,4 who demonstrated that in mouse mesenteric arteries, acetylcholine enhances localized release of Ca2+ from the endoplasmic reticulum through inositol trisphosphate receptors (IP3R). These subcellular Ca2+ signals, referred to as Ca2+ pulsars, are localized to membrane domains that project through the internal elastic lamina separating the endothelium from underlying vascular smooth muscle cells. Ca2+ pulsar sites colocalize with areas densely expressing KCa3.1 channels, suggesting that Ca2+ pulsars may …

Junctional membrane complexes facilitate excitation-contraction coupling in skeletal and cardiac muscle cells by forming subcellular invaginations that maintain close (≤20 nm) proximity of ryanodine receptors (RyRs) on the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) with voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in the plasma membrane. In fully differentiated smooth muscle cells, junctional membrane complexes occur as distributed sites of peripheral coupling. We investigated the role of the cytoskeleton in maintaining peripheral coupling and associated Ca2+ signaling networks within native smooth muscle cells of mouse and rat cerebral arteries. Using live-cell confocal and superresolution microscopy, we found that the tight interactions between the SR and the plasma membrane in these cells relied on arching microtubule structures present at the periphery of smooth muscle cells and were independent of the actin cytoskeleton. Loss of peripheral coupling associated with microtubule depolymerization altered the spatiotemporal properties of localized Ca2+ sparks generated by the release of Ca2+ through type 2 RyRs (RyR2s) on the SR and decreased the number of sites of colocalization between RyR2s and large-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ (BK) channels. The reduced BK channel activity associated with the loss of SR-plasma membrane interactions was accompanied by increased pressure-induced constriction of cerebral resistance arteries. We conclude that microtubule structures maintain peripheral coupling in contractile smooth muscle cells, which is crucial for the regulation of contractility and cerebral vascular tone.

The angiotensin II receptor type 1b (AT1Rb) is the primary sensor of intraluminal pressure in cerebral arteries.Pressure or membrane‐stretch induced stimulation of AT1Rb activates the TRPM4 channel and results in inward transient cation currents that depolarize smooth muscle cells, leading to vasoconstriction.Activation of either AT1Ra or AT1Rb with angiotensin II stimulates TRPM4 currents in cerebral artery myocytes and vasoconstriction of cerebral arteries.The expression of AT1Rb mRNA is ∼30‐fold higher than AT1Ra in whole cerebral arteries and ∼45‐fold higher in isolated cerebral artery smooth muscle cells.Higher levels of expression are likely to account for the obligatory role of AT1Rb for pressure‐induced vasoconstriction.

Intracerebral parenchymal arterioles (PAs), which include parenchymal arterioles, penetrating arterioles and pre-capillary arterioles, are high resistance blood vessels branching out from pial arteries and arterioles and diving into the brain parenchyma. Individual PA perfuse a discrete cylindrical territory of the parenchyma and the neurons contained within. These arterioles are a central player in the regulation of cerebral blood flow both globally (cerebrovascular autoregulation) and locally (functional hyperemia). PAs are part of the neurovascular unit, a structure that matches regional blood flow to metabolic activity within the brain and also includes neurons, interneurons, and astrocytes. Perfusion through PAs is directly linked to the activity of neurons in that particular territory and increases in neuronal metabolism lead to an augmentation in local perfusion caused by dilation of the feed PA. Regulation of PAs differs from that of better-characterized pial arteries. Pressure-induced vasoconstriction is greater in PAs and vasodilatory mechanisms vary. In addition, PAs do not receive extrinsic innervation from perivascular nerves - innervation is intrinsic and indirect in nature through contact with astrocytic endfeet. Thus, data regarding contractile regulation accumulated by studies using pial arteries does not directly translate to understanding PA function. Further, it remains undetermined how pathological states, such as hypertension and diabetes, affect PA structure and reactivity. This knowledge gap is in part a consequence of the technical difficulties pertaining to PA isolation and cannulation. In this manuscript we present a protocol for isolation and cannulation of rodent PAs. Further, we show examples of experiments that can be performed with these arterioles, including agonist-induced constriction and myogenic reactivity. Although the focus of this manuscript is on PA cannulation and pressure myography, isolated PAs can also be used for biochemical, biophysical, molecular, and imaging studies.

Objective Midlife obesity is a risk factor for dementia development. Obesity has also been linked to hyperaldosteronism, and this can be modeled in rats by high fat (HF) feeding from weaning. Aldosterone, or activation of the mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) causes cerebrovascular injury in lean hypertensive rats. We hypothesized that rats fed a HF diet would show inward middle cerebral artery (MCA) remodeling that could be prevented by MR antagonism. We further proposed that the cerebral artery remodeling would be associated with white mater injury. Methods Three-week-old male Sprague-Dawley rats were fed a HF diet ± the MR antagonist canrenoic acid (Canr) for 17 weeks. Control rats received normal chow (control NC). MCA structure was assessed by pressure myography. Results The MCAs from HF fed rats had smaller lumens and thicker walls when compared to arteries from control NC rats; Canr prevented the MCA remodeling associated with HF feeding. HF feeding increased the mRNA expression of markers of cell proliferation and vascular inflammation in cerebral arteries and Canr treatment prevented this. White mater injury was increased in the rats fed the HF diet and this was reduced by Canr treatment. The expression of doublecortin, a marker of new and immature neurons was reduced in HF fed rats, and MR antagonism normalized this. Conclusions These data suggest that HF feeding leads to MR dependent remodeling of the MCA and this is associated with markers of dementia development.

Objective Chronic hypertension induces detrimental changes in the structure and function of surface cerebral arteries. Very little is known about parenchymal arterioles (PAs), which perfuse distinct neuronal populations in the cortex and may play a role in cerebrovascular disorders. We investigated the effect of deoxycorticosterone acetate (DOCA)-salt induced hypertension on endothelial function and artery structure in PAs and middle cerebral arteries (MCAs). Methods Uninephrectomized male Sprague-Dawley rats were implanted with a subcutaneous pellet containing DOCA (150 mg/kg b.w.) and drank salt-water (1% NaCl and 0.2% KCl) for 4 weeks. Sham rats were uninephrectomized and drank tap water. Vasoreactivity and passive structure in the MCAs and the PAs were assessed by pressure myography. Results Both MCAs and PAs from DOCA-salt rats exhibited impaired endothelium dependent dilation (p

The transient receptor potential ankyrin 1 (TRPA1) cation channel is more selective for Ca 2+ versus Na + ions (∼8:1). We showed that TRPA1 is located in the endothelium of cerebral arteries (eTRPA1) and that reactive oxygen species (ROS)-induced channel activity generates localized Ca 2+ signals (TRPA1 sparklets) that initiate endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization and vasorelaxation. Cerebrovascular disease is associated with increased ROS generation and oxidative stress. Thus, we hypothesized that eTRPA1 activity is protective against stroke. Tissue-specific deletion of eTRPA1 in mice was achieved using the Cre -recombinase (Tie2 promoter) / loxP system. Ischemic strokes were induced by permanent middle cerebral artery occlusion (pMCAO). Neurological function after pMCAO was assessed by a modified neurological severity scale, ranging from 0 to 4 (0: normal behavior; 1: failure to extend contralateral paw; 2: circling; 3: rolling to one side; 4: stupor). Deletion of eTRPA1 increased post-stroke (24 hours) neurological damage in eTRPA1 -/- versus WT mice, as shown by a higher severity score (2.6±0.4 vs 3.8±0.2, p-/- mice were significantly more susceptible to hemorrhagic strokes compared to WT. Kaplan-Meyer survival plots showed a higher survival rate for WT vs eTRPA1 -/- at day 10 (61 vs 54%), day 15 (44 vs 21%) and day 20 (22 vs 8%) (p-/- mice suffered hemorrhagic strokes by day 22, whereas some of the WT mice survived until day 52. Further, eTRPA1 -/- mice showed a higher number of hemorrhagic lesions in the cerebral cortex when compared to WT (12±4 vs 23±4 lesions per animal, p

Careful regulation of cerebral blood flow is required to maintain proper brain function. The cerebral arteries are particularly sensitive to the effects of hypertension, which alters the arteries in a manner that impairs the brains ability to tightly regulate perfusion. This chapter focuses the effects of hypertension on cerebral artery structure and function, with emphasis on myogenic reactivity and endothelium-dependent dilation. Hypertension causes a reduction in the lumen diameter of cerebral arteries and this is often associated with an increase in the wall-to-lumen ratio. Several circulating factors have been implicated in mediating this inward artery remodeling; these include aldosterone, angiotensin II, proinflammatory cytokines, and reactive oxygen species. Endothelium-dependent dilation in response to nitric oxide and epoxyeicosatrienoic acids is impaired in hypertension; this leads to increases in myogenic tone and impaired dilation. Dysfunction of ion channels, including calcium-activated potassium channels and transient receptor potential (TRP) V4 channels, has also been associated with impaired endothelial function in hypertensive models. Understanding the mechanisms responsible for the hypertension-associated vascular dysfunction is important because hypertension is associated with an increased risk of dementia and stroke and with increased ischemic injury in the event of a stroke.

This editorial refers to ‘TRPC3 channel confers cerebrovascular remodelling during hypertension via transactivation of EGF receptor signalling’ by M. Wang et al. , pp. 34–43. Members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily of cation channels are key players in critical aspects of vascular function, such as angiogenesis, endothelium-dependent vasodilation, functional hyperaemia, and pressure-induced autoregulation of cerebral artery tone.1 Recent work highlights the importance of TRP channels as components of complex subcellular signalling networks that perform some of these functions. For example, the sole member of the ankyrin TRP subfamily, TRPA1, co-localizes with NADPH-oxidase 2 (NOX2) and intermediate- and small-conductance Ca2+-activated K+ channels (IK and SK, respectively) in the endothelial face of myoendothelial projections. In this complex, NOX2 activity leads to opening of TRPA1 channels, causing a localized influx of Ca2+ that activates nearby IK and SK to hyperpolarize the endothelial cell plasma membrane, leading to dilatation of cerebral pial arteries.2 Vanilloid (V) TRPV4 channels in the renal vasculature are coupled with endothelial nitric oxide synthase and TRPV4 activation causes vasodilation of renal arteries through the generation of nitric …

Angiotensin II type 1 receptors (AT1R) have been linked to mechanosensivity in cardiomyocytes, mainly through activation of a β2-arrestin signaling pathway. AT1Rs are also involved in sensation of intraluminal pressure by vascular smooth muscle cells. However, it is not known if the AT1R is a mechanosensor in cerebral parenchymal arterioles (PA), a highly specialized vasculature in which small alterations in myogenic reactivity can have profound effects on blood flow and neurovascular coupling. We hypothesized that AT1Rs are mechanosensors in cerebral arteries and arterioles, acting through β-arrestin signaling to cause myogenic constriction. Anterior cerebellar arteries (ACA) from C57Bl/6J mice were isolated and pressurized. Myogenic reactivity was reduced after exposure to the AT1R antagonist losartan. The biased AT1R agonist peptide TRV120023, a selective activator of the β-arrestin pathway, caused a small yet significant constriction (-5.9±2.9 μm, p

In cerebral artery myocytes, proximity of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and plasma membrane (PM) creates microdomains where Ca2+ released from the SR attains a concentration sufficient to activat...

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) and reactive nitrogen species (RNS) are important mediators of signaling pathways in the endothelium. Specific members of the transient receptor potential (TRP) superfamily of cation channels act as important Ca2+ influx pathways in endothelial cells, and are involved in endothelium-dependent vasodilation, regulation of barrier permeability, and angiogenesis. ROS and RNS can modulate the activity of certain TRP channels mainly by modifying specific cysteine residues or by stimulating the production of second messengers. In this review we highlight the recent literature describing in redox regulation of TRP channel activity in endothelial cells as well as the physiological importance of these pathways and implication for cardiovascular diseases.