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Effects of endothelin and vasopressin on cerebral blood vessels
Journal article   Peer reviewed

Effects of endothelin and vasopressin on cerebral blood vessels

Frank M Faraci
The American journal of physiology, Vol.257(3 Pt 2), pp.H799-H803
09/1989
DOI: 10.1152/ajpheart.1989.257.3.H799
PMID: 2675632

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Abstract

Endothelin is a recently described peptide which has been suggested to be one type of endothelium-derived contracting factor. The goals of the present study were to examine the effects of endothelin and vasopressin on diameter of cerebral vessels and on permeability of the blood-brain barrier to fluorescein sodium (mol wt of 376). In anesthetized rats, topical suffusion of arginine vasopressin (10(-10) to 10(-7) M) decreased the diameter of pial arterioles, with a reduction of 27 +/- 1% at 10(-7) M in cerebrum and 35 +/- 2% at 10(-8) M for the basilar artery. A low concentration of endothelin (10(-10) M) produced modest (5 +/- 1%) dilatation of pial arterioles. Higher concentrations of endothelin (10(-8) and 10(-7) M) constricted pial arterioles with a reduction in diameter of 22 +/- 5% at 10(-7) M. Dilatation to endothelin was not observed in the basilar artery. The basilar artery constricted to lower doses of vasopressin than endothelin, but vasoconstriction to 10(-7) M endothelin (56 +/- 4%) was greater (P less than 0.05) than that for the same dose of vasopressin. Permeability of the blood-brain barrier to fluorescein sodium was not increased by vasopressin or endothelin. Thus 1) vasopressin produces constriction of brain blood vessels; 2) endothelin produces dilatation of pial arterioles at low doses but constriction at high doses; 3) constrictor responses to both peptides appear to be greater in the brain stem than in the cerebrum; and 4) vasopressin and endothelin do not increase permeability of the blood-brain barrier.
Basilar Artery - drug effects Endothelins Cerebrovascular Circulation - drug effects Rats Male Pia Mater - blood supply Arginine Vasopressin - pharmacology Rats, Inbred Strains Arterioles - drug effects Vasoconstriction - drug effects Peptides - pharmacology Dose-Response Relationship, Drug Animals Endothelium, Vascular

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