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Vasodilator responses of rat isolated tail artery enhanced by oxygen- dependent, photochemical release of nitric oxide from iron-sulphur-nitrosyls

Flitney FW, Megson IL, Thomson JL, Kennovin GD, Butler AR

British journal of pharmacology, 1996

Abstract

1. The vasodilator properties and photochemical decomposition of two synthetic iron-sulphur-nitrosyl clusters (cluster A: [Fe4S4(NO)4], tetranitrosyl-tetra-mu 3-sulphido-tetrahedro-tetrairon; and B:[Fe4S3 (NO)7]-1, heptanitrosyl-tri-mu 3-thioxotetraferrate(-1)) have been investigated. Experiments were carried out on isolated, internally-perfused segments of rat tail artery. 2. Bolus injections (10 microliters) of A or B ( > 0.25 mM) delivered into the internal perfusate generated sustained (or S-type) vasodilator responses, characterized by a persistent plateau of reduced tone due to NO released from clusters which enter and become trapped within endothelial cells. Clusters were therefore irradiated with visible laser light (lambda = 457.9 or 514.5 nm) either (a) in solution, while passing through a glass tube en route to the artery; or (b) when retained within the endothelium, by illuminating the artery directly during the plateau of an S-type response. Irradiation produced an additional vasodilator response, the magnitude of which depended upon wavelength and laser beam energy. 3. The nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (100 microM), had no effect on light-induced vasodilator responses. However, they were (a) blocked entirely by adding oxyhaemoglobin (5 microM) to the internal perfusate; and (b) greatly enhanced by the enzyme superoxide dismutase (150 u ml-1). 4. Photolysis of cluster B was measured by absorption spectroscopy and by detecting NO…

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