Endostatin uncouples NO and Ca2+response to bradykinin through enhanced O2−· production in the intact coronary endothelium

The present study tested the hypothesis that endostatin stimulates superoxide (O2−·) production through a ceramide-mediating signaling pathway and thereby results in an uncoupling of bradykinin (BK)-induced increases in intracellular Ca2+concentration ([Ca2+]i) from nitric oxide (NO) production in coronary endothelial cells. With the use of high-speed, wavelength-switching, fluorescence-imaging techniques, the [Ca2+]iand NO levels were simultaneously monitored in the intact endothelium of freshly isolated bovine coronary arteries. Under control conditions, BK was found to increase NO production and [Ca2+]iin parallel. When the arteries were pretreated with 100 nM human recombinant endostatin for 1 h, this BK-induced NO production was reduced by 89%, whereas [Ca2+]iwas unchanged. With the conversion rate of l-[3H]arginine to l-[3H]citrulline measured, endostatin had no effect on endothelial NO synthase (NOS) activity, but it stimulated ceramide by activation of sphingomyelinase (SMase), whereby O2−· production was enhanced in endothelial cells. O2−· scavenging by tiron and inhibition of NAD(P)H oxidase by apocynin markedly reversed the effect of endostatin on the NO response to BK. These results indicate that endostatin increases intracellular ceramide levels, which enhances O2−· production through activation of NAD(P)H oxidase. This ceramide-O2−· signaling pathway may contribute importantly to endostatin-induced endothelial dysfunction.