Search

Objective: Clinically, the effect of chronic hypoxia (CH) in the pulmonary circulation alternates between phases of pulmonary artery hypertension (CH-PAHT) and normoxic normotensive remission (N-RE). Little information is available on the role of calcium-sensitive potassium channels (BK(Ca)) in both CH-PAHT and N-RE phases. In the present study, we investigated the effects of both CH and N-RE on BK(Ca) channels activity and their consequences on hypoxic pulmonary vasoconstriction (HPV)., Methods: Using isolated ring preparation, the patch-clamp technique, RT-PCR and Western immunoblotting, we examined the role of the BK(Ca) channel in normoxic, CH-PAHT and N-RE rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMCs)., Results: In intrapulmonary arterial rings, acute hypoxia induced contraction in control vessels, relaxation in the N-RE rats, and had no effect in CH-PAHT. The hypoxia-induced relaxation in the N-RE rat pulmonary arteries was abolished by iberiotoxin (IbTx), a specific BK(Ca) blocker. The IbTx-sensitive whole-cell K(Ca) channel current was reduced in CH-PAHT and increased in N-RE rat PASMCs. The BK(Ca) channel conductance and voltage sensitivity were not altered in CH and N-RE rat PASMCs, whereas its calcium sensitivity was decreased and increased in CH and N-RE rat PASMCs, respectively. Results of RT-PCR and Western blot analysis revealed a decrease in the mRNA and protein of the BK(Ca) alpha-subunit in CH, whereas no change at protein level was observed in the N-RE., Conclusion: In rat PASMCs, CH and N-RE are associated with a down- and up-regulation of BK(Ca) activity, respectively, mainly due to modifications of its Ca(2+) sensitivity. This could explain the acute hypoxic pulmonary constriction and relaxation observed in CH and N-RE rats, respectively.

Exogenous carbon monoxide (CO) induces pulmonary vasodilation by acting directly on pulmonary artery (PA) smooth muscle cells. We investigated the contribution of K+ channels and soluble guanylyl cyclase to the regulation of PA tone by acute CO in chronic hypoxic rats (3 weeks at 0.5 atm (1 atm = 101.325 kPa); hypoxic) and in chronic hypoxic rats exposed to exogenous CO (3 weeks at 0.5 atm + 50 ppm CO; hypoxic-CO). Acute CO induced relaxation in PA rings from all animals. However, the amplitude of CO relaxation was significantly decreased in hypoxic rings and increased in hypoxic-CO rings. This different effect occurred with a decrease and an increase of pD2, respectively, in hypoxic and hypoxic-CO rings. We showed a positive relation between the percentage of inhibition of CO relaxation by a blocker of K+ channels and the increase of CO sensitivity. Thus, we showed for the first time that chronic hypoxia decreases acute CO sensitivity, which in contrast, increases in the presence of chronic CO. The present study provides initial evidence of a link between increased K(+)-channel activity and CO sensitivity.

Exogenous carbon monoxide (CO) can induce pulmonary vasodilation by acting directly on pulmonary artery (PA) smooth muscle cells. We investigated the contribution of K+ channels to the regulation of resistance PA resting membrane potential on control (PAC) rats and rats exposed to CO for 3 wk at 530 parts/million, labeled as PACO rats. Whole cell patch-clamp experiments revealed that the resting membrane potential of PACO cells was more negative than that of PAC cells. This was associated with a decrease of membrane resistance in PACO cells. Additional analysis showed that outward current density in PACO cells was higher (50% at +60 mV) than in PAC cells. This was linked to an increase of iberiotoxin (IbTx)-sensitive current. Chronic CO hyperpolarized membrane of pressurized PA from -46.9 +/- 1.2 to -56.4 +/- 2.6 mV. Additionally, IbTx significantly depolarized membrane of smooth muscle cells from PACO arteries but not from PAC arteries. The present study provides initial evidence of an increase of Ca2+-activated K+ current in smooth muscle cells from PA of rats exposed to chronic CO.

Objective: Chronic hypoxia (CH) induces selective pulmonary hypertension which is accompanied by structural and functional alterations in the pulmonary vasculature. Little information is available on the regression of CH-induced functional alterations of pulmonary wall. In the present work, we investigated the reversal of CH-induced pulmonary hypertension with a special focus on alterations in the electrophysiological properties of pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PAMCs) after normoxia recovery., Methods: Rats were exposed to a hypobaric environment for 3 weeks (CH rats) and then subjected to a normoxic environment for 3 weeks (normoxia-recovery group) and compared with rats maintained in a normoxic environment (control rats). Electrophysiological properties of PAMCs were studied using conventional microelectrodes and patch-clamp technique., Results: CH rats exhibited a threefold increase in pulmonary blood pressure compared to control rats and this increase was fully reversed following 3 weeks of normoxia. PAMCs from CH rats were depolarised (about 20 mV), had an elevated calcium concentration and exhibited a hypersensitivity to 4-aminopyridine (4-AP) of membrane potential as well as the tone of arterial rings compared with tissues from control rats. Whole cell patch-clamp recordings indicated that voltage gated potassium channel currents I(Kv) and I(K(N)) were decreased in PAMCs from CH rats with a hyper sensitivity of I(K(N)) to 4-AP. CH-induced alterations in electrophysiological properties of PAMCs were also fully reversed after 3 weeks of normoxia recovery., Conclusions: Both the increase in the pulmonary blood pressure and alterations in electrophysiological properties of PASMCs simultaneously reverse after normoxia recovery. This complete reversibility of all of the CH-induced pulmonary vascular alterations suggests that curative treatments for PAHT may now be designed aimed at targeting the very limited key factors implicated in hypoxia sensing.

The mechanism of action of halothane is not fully understood in pulmonary circulation and especially in chronic hypertension models. As the 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) pulmonary vasoconstrictor response increases in chronic hypoxic rat, halothane could differentially attenuate this vasoconstriction response on normoxic and chronic hypoxic rats. The effect of halothane on 5-HT-induced contractions on pulmonary arteries isolated from normoxic and chronic hypoxic rats was compared. Rings dissected from proximal pulmonary artery without endothelium were attached to a force transducer to record tone and placed in an organ chamber gassed either by air or air + halothane (1-5%). Contractions induced by (10(-4) M) 5-HT were used to test the effect of halothane on rings isolated from normoxic and chronic hypoxic rats. 5-Hydroxytryptamine-mediated contractions were more sensitive to external calcium in normoxic than chronic hypoxic rings. In calcium-free solution, with verapamil or cadmium the amplitude of remaining 5-HT-induced contractions were greater in chronic hypoxic rings. Halothane (1-5%) decreased 5-HT-mediated contractions in normoxic and chronic hypoxic rings. The effect occurred with no change of pD2 for 5-HT and was more pronounced in normoxic rings. The effect of halothane on both rings was abolished in the absence of external calcium or in the presence of verapamil. In the presence of cadmium, 5% halothane had no effect on normoxic rings but still decreased the remaining 5-HT contraction on chronic hypoxic rings. The findings suggested that halothane decreased sarcolemmal calcium entry in pulmonary artery rings by a cadmium-sensitive pathway in normoxic rats and by a cadmium-insensitive pathway in chronic hypoxic rats.

Decreases in intracellular pH (pHi) potently dilate coronary resistance arteries but constrict small pulmonary arteries. To define the ionic mechanisms of these responses, this study investigated whether acute decreases in pHi differentially regulate K+ currents in single vascular smooth muscle (VSM) cells isolated from rat coronary and pulmonary resistance arteries. In patch-clamp studies, whole cell K+ currents were elicited by 10-mV depolarizing steps between -60 and 0 mV in VSM cells obtained from 50- to 150-micrometers-OD arterial branches, and pHi was lowered by altering the NH4Cl gradient across the cell membrane. Progressively lowering pHi from calculated values of 7.0 to 6.7 and 6.4 increased the peak amplitude of K+ current in coronary VSM cells by 15 +/- 5 and 23 +/- 3% but reduced K+ current in pulmonary VSM cells by 18 +/- 3 and 21 +/- 3%, respectively. These changes were reversed by returning cells to the control pHi of 7.0 and were eliminated by dialyzing cells with pipette solution containing 50 mmol/l HEPES to buffer NH4Cl-induced changes in pHi. Pharmacological block of ATP-sensitive K+ channels and Ca2+-activated K+ channels by 1 micromol/l glibenclamide and 100 nmol/l iberiotoxin, respectively, did not prevent changes in K+ current levels induced by acidotic pHi. However, block of voltage-gated K+ channels by 3 mmol/l 4-aminopyridine abolished acidosis-induced changes in K+ current amplitudes in both VSM cell types. Interestingly, alpha-dendrotoxin (100 nmol/l), which blocks only select subtypes of voltage-gated K+ channels, abolished the acidosis-induced decrease in K+ current in pulmonary VSM cells but did not affect the acidosis-induced increase in K+ current observed in coronary VSM cells. These findings suggest that opposing, tissue-specific effects of pHi on distinct subtypes of voltage-gated K+ channels in coronary and pulmonary VSM membranes may differentially regulate vascular reactivity in these two circulations under conditions of acidotic stress.

Single smooth muscle cells of rabbit intrapulmonary artery were voltage clamped using the perforated-patch configuration of the patch-clamp technique. We observed spontaneous transient outward currents (STOCs) and a steady-state outward current. Because STOCs were tetraethylammonium sensitive and activated by Ca2+ influx, they were believed to represent activation of Ca2+-activated K+ channels. The steady-state outward current, which was sensitive to 4-aminopyridine, was the delayed rectifier K+ current. In cells voltage clamped at 0 mV, we found that STOCs were not randomly distributed in amplitude but were composed of multiples of 1.57 +/- 0.56 pA/pF. The mean frequency of STOCs was 5.51 +/- 3.49 Hz. Ryanodine (10 microM), caffeine (5 mM), thapsigargin (200 nM), and hypoxia (PO2 = 10 mmHg) decreased STOCs. The effect of hypoxia on STOCs was partially reversible only if the experiment was conducted in the presence of thapsigargin. Hypoxia and thapsigargin decrease steady-state outward current. Thapsigargin and removal of external Ca2+ abolished the effect of hypoxia, suggesting that hypoxia decreases steady-state outward current by a Ca2+-dependent mechanism.

The effects of hypoxia on norepinephrine-induced contraction to explain why rabbit pulmonary arteries must be precontracted to observe a hypoxic response were studied. A force transducer was used to record the tone of isolated rabbit intrapulmonary artery rings placed in an organ chamber perfused with a physiological solution at 37 degrees C. Norepinephrine (10(-7) M) induced a phasic followed by a tonic contraction, and hypoxia increased the former and decreased the latter. Removal of external calcium (zero calcium solution) abolished the tonic contraction but left the phasic contraction intact. In the zero calcium solution, hypoxia increased the amplitude of the phasic contraction (9.8 +/- 7.4 vs. 13.3 +/- 11.9 mN) and decreased the 50% relaxation time (59 +/- 38 vs. 48 +/- 22 s). Hypoxia also increased the caffeine (5 mM)-induced contraction. This hypoxic increase in amplitude was abolished by ryanodine (100 microM). The hypoxic decrease in the 50% relaxation time was reduced by cyclopiazonic acid (1-10 microM). Therefore, hypoxia increases the reuptake of calcium by calcium pumps sensitive to cyclopiazonic acid in the caffeine- and ryanodine-sensitive stores.