Donate Help Contact The AHA Sign In Home
American Heart Association
Hypertension
Search: search_blue_button Advanced Search
Hypertension. 1997;30:957-961

This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Häbler, H.-J.
Right arrow Articles by Jänig, W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Häbler, H.-J.
Right arrow Articles by Jänig, W.

(Hypertension. 1997;30:957-961.)
© 1997 American Heart Association, Inc.


Articles

Attenuation of Neurogenic Vasoconstriction by Nitric Oxide in Hindlimb Microvascular Beds of the Rat In Vivo

Heinz-Joachim Häbler; Gunnar Wasner; ; Wilfrid Jänig

From the Physiologisches Institut, Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Kiel, Germany.

Correspondence to Dr H.-J. Häbler, Physiologisches Institut, Christian-Albrechts-Universität, Olshausenstrasse 40, 24098 Kiel, FRG. E-mail j.haebler{at}physiologie.uni-kiel.de


*    Abstract
up arrowTop
*Abstract
down arrowIntroduction
down arrowMethods
down arrowResults
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Abstract There is evidence that sympathetic nerve activity leads to endothelium-derived nitric oxide release, which in turn attenuates neurogenic vasoconstriction. Here we tested in vivo (1) whether the magnitude of the vasoconstriction induced by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester given systemically is altered when ongoing sympathetic activity is abolished by sectioning the lumbar sympathetic trunk, and (2) whether hindlimb sympathetic vasoconstriction elicited by electrical stimulation of the lumbar sympathetic trunk is enhanced after inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis. Blood flow in the microvascular beds of hairless skin and skeletal muscle of the rat hindlimb was measured with laser Doppler flowmetry. Sectioning the lumbar sympathetic trunk resulted in an increase of blood flow in both tissues, indicating that tonic neurogenic vasoconstriction was abolished. Inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis resulted in vasoconstriction in both vascular beds. This vasoconstriction was more pronounced after abolition of sympathetic activity than with intact sympathetic supply in skin but was smaller in skeletal muscle. The vasoconstriction elicited by graded electrical stimulation of the centrally sectioned lumbar sympathetic trunk with frequencies less than 5 Hz was significantly enhanced after blockade of nitric oxide in skeletal muscle but not in skin microvasculature. These findings suggest that under physiological conditions, sympathetic nerve impulses directly promote the release of nitric oxide in skeletal muscle but not in cutaneous blood vessels. Therefore, basal nitric oxide release is probably in part dependent on sympathetic activity in skeletal muscle, whereas it appears to be mainly due to flow-dependent shear stress in hairless skin microvasculature.


Key Words: nitric oxide • L-NAME • sympathetic nervous system • vasoconstriction • microcirculation • hindlimb


*    Introduction
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
*Introduction
down arrowMethods
down arrowResults
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Blockade of NO synthesis by systemic application of substituted L-arginine analogues evokes an increase of arterial blood pressure in experimental animals1 2 3 and humans.4 The blood pressure rise is due to the vasoconstriction that occurs in a variety of vascular beds.1 3 Thus, it is well established that there is a continuous "basal" release of NO from the endothelium that counteracts ongoing vasoconstriction.

Probably the most important factor that controls ongoing vasoconstriction is the sympathetic nervous system. Many postganglionic vasoconstrictor neurons have ongoing activity5 6 7 that evokes sustained vasoconstriction in many vascular beds. Basal release of NO may diminish the efficacy of sympathetic nerve impulses. It is not clear, however, whether NO is released specifically in response to sympathetic nerve impulses. In vitro experiments on isolated arteries have shown that removal of the endothelium or application of NO antagonists enhances the vasoconstriction generated by stimulation of perivascular nerves or application of norepinephrine, suggesting that this is indeed the case.8 9 10 Only few in vivo studies addressed this question experimentally. A study on the pithed rat showed that after blockade of NOS, the magnitude of the blood pressure increase is proportional to the level of sympathetic vasomotor activity.11 The latter was induced by electrical stimulation of preganglionic neurons with different frequencies. Another study using ganglionic blockade and vasopressor drugs and analyzing changes of blood pressure and vascular resistance after application of NG-nitro-L-arginine in anesthetized rats concluded that part of basal NO release was sympathetically mediated.12 In contrast, a similar study on anesthetized rats concluded that the sympathetic nervous system is not necessary for basal NO release.13 Only a few studies addressed the problem by investigating regional rather than systemic vasoconstriction induced by sympathetic nerve stimulation before and after inhibition of NOS.14 15 16 17 Nerve stimulation–induced vasoconstriction in the rabbit and rat knee joint,14 15 in the vascular bed controlled by the maxillary artery in the pig,16 and in rat mesenteric arterioles17 was enhanced after blockade of NO but was not changed in the pig hindlimb.16

Thus, it remains unclear to what extent sympathetic vasoconstriction is actually curtailed by NO under in vivo conditions and whether this effect differs among vascular beds. The present study tries to answer these questions. We specifically, and exclusively, stimulated sympathetic motor fibers in the LST and studied the microvasculature of hairless skin and skeletal muscle of the rat hindlimb. Furthermore, we analyzed whether the vasoconstriction in these vascular beds generated by blockade of NOS differs before and after abolition of ongoing sympathetic activity.


*    Methods
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
*Methods
down arrowResults
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Anesthesia and Animal Maintenance
Forty-four Wistar rats of either sex (215 to 450 g) were anesthetized with 60 mg/kg pentobarbital sodium IP (Nembutal). Anesthesia was maintained with additional doses (10 mg/kg, 1:4 vol/vol in Tyrode's solution) injected intravenously every hour through a cannulated jugular vein and judged sufficient by the absence of withdrawal reflexes in response to toe pinching and the absence of gross fluctuations of blood pressure and heart rate. After a cannula had been inserted into the trachea, the animals were paralyzed (Pancuronium, Organon; 1 mg/kg initially, maintenance with 0.4 mg/kg when necessary) and artificially ventilated with O2-enriched room air (in total, 40 vol% O2) (RUS-1300, FMI). End-tidal CO2 (FM1, ADC), blood gases, and blood acid-base status were measured at intervals (ABL 30, Radiometer). Arterial blood pressure was recorded in the ventral caudal artery (LM-22 transducer, List). Rectal temperature was kept constant close to 37°C by means of a servo-controlled heating blanket.

At the end of the experiments, the animals were killed under deep anesthesia by intravenous injection of a saturated solution of potassium chloride. All experiments had been approved by the local animal care committee of the state administration and were conducted in accordance with German federal law.

Surgery
The left LST was exposed between paravertebral ganglia L2 and L418 using a retroperitoneal approach and was carefully freed from connective tissue. A pool was formed from skin flaps, and exposed tissue was covered with warm paraffin oil.

Blood Flow Measurement
Microvascular blood flow was measured on the plantar skin of the hind paw (LD flux-c) and, after an appropriate incision in the skin and the superficial fascia, on the surface of the gluteal muscle (LD flux-m) using a dual-channel laser Doppler flowmeter (MBF3D, Moors Instruments). The flux signals were low pass–filtered with the time constant set to 3 seconds. The exposed muscle was kept moist with physiological saline.

Experimental Protocols
Generally, NOS was blocked with a single intravenous bolus injection (35 mg/kg) of L-NAME, which has been reported to evoke maximal increases of blood pressure in anesthetized rats.2 In six control rats, administration of L-arginine (50 to 200 mg/kg IV) led to a temporary reversal of the blood pressure increase and to a partial reversal of flow decreases.

In 17 animals, L-NAME was administered with the LST left intact, ie, during normal ongoing sympathetic activity. In 15 animals, the LST was sectioned caudally to paravertebral ganglion L2 or L3, and blood fluxes were allowed to increase to a new steady-state level before L-NAME was given. In 15 animals, the centrally cut LST was placed on a pair of platinum hook electrodes and stimulated electrically with a 50-second train of supramaximal pulses (10 to 15 V; pulse width, 0.5 milliseconds). This was done before and after NOS blockade. The stimulation frequency was varied between 0.5 and 20 Hz within the experiments.

Data Analysis
All changes in blood flow following experimental interventions (steady-state flow at the end of the 50 seconds of LST stimulation and after section of LST) were expressed as percentage of baseline flow prevailing before the intervention with baseline flow set to 100%. Furthermore, taking into account the changes of blood pressure that occurred after L-NAME and also during LST stimulation at higher frequencies, we calculated arbitrary resistance values by dividing blood pressure by blood flow as described previously.15 Changes in vascular resistance were also expressed as percentages of baseline resistance before intentional interventions.

Statistical analysis was carried out with Student's t test and paired t test as appropriate. Results are expressed as mean±SEM.


*    Results
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMethods
*Results
down arrowDiscussion
down arrowReferences
 
Effects of Acute Sympathetic Denervation on Blood Flow
Sectioning the ipsilateral LST resulted in a prompt increase in blood flow in both skin and skeletal muscle, with a concomitant initial small drop in arterial blood pressure, indicating that skin and muscle microcirculations were under control of ongoing activity in postganglionic sympathetic vasoconstrictor nerves (Fig 1Down). Fluxes decreased initially for a few seconds, mainly due passively to the temporary drop of blood pressure. A few minutes after the LST was sectioned, new steady-state flow levels were reached. These were on average more than twofold (112±15%, n=26) higher in skin but only one fifth (20±4%, n=20) higher in skeletal muscle. MAP largely recovered after section of the LST, but a small decrease of 4±1 mm Hg (n=30) compared with control levels remained.



View larger version (15K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 1. Response of MAP and microvascular blood flow in skeletal muscle (measured on the surface of the left gluteal muscle by laser Doppler flowmetry; LD flux-m) and in hairless skin (LD flux-c) to sectioning (arrow) the LST. MAP transiently decreased, resulting in a concomitant passive decrease of flow in both vascular beds, but returned almost to control levels thereafter. Both skin and skeletal muscle blood flow increased above baseline levels, indicating vasodilation, which was more pronounced in skin than muscle. Blood flows were recorded in arbitrary units and normalized with respect to flows before LST section.

Effects of NOS Blockade on Blood Flow
Intact Sympathetic Innervation
After application of L-NAME, blood flow in skin was almost unchanged. However, MAP increased, and therefore, vascular resistance rose by about one third (see the TableDown). Blood flow through skeletal muscle was reduced to almost one half after L-NAME. This pronounced vasoconstriction was reflected by a large increase in vascular resistance (TableDown).


View this table:
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Table 1. Comparison of Vasoconstriction Induced by Systemic Application of L-NAME in Rats With LST Intact and Those With LST Sectioned

Denervated State
After acute sympathetic denervation, inhibition of NO synthesis led to a decrease in skin perfusion by 10%, whereas MAP again increased markedly, resulting in an elevation of cutaneous vascular resistance by about 50% (TableUp). In skeletal muscle, blood flow decreased by 26%, and vascular resistance almost doubled (TableUp).

Thus, NOS blockade caused a moderate vasoconstriction in skin but a larger one in skeletal muscle. The relative increase of cutaneous vascular resistance induced by NOS blockade was significantly more pronounced after sympathetic denervation than with intact vasomotor innervation, whereas the opposite applied to skeletal muscle (TableUp).

Electrical Stimulation of the LST Before and After NOS Blockade
Skin
Electrical stimulation of the centrally cut LST induced a decrease in skin blood flow and a frequency-dependent increase in arterial blood pressure due to the vasoconstriction in the hindquarter (Fig 2ADown and 2BDown). After inhibition of NOS, the electrically evoked vasoconstriction was significantly enhanced at stimulation frequencies greater than or equal to 5 Hz (Figs 2BDown and 3Down). By contrast, low-frequency stimulation (<4 Hz) resulted in a vasoconstriction that was almost identical before and after inhibition of NOS (Figs 2ADown and 3Down). Baseline vascular resistance was 121±16% higher when sympathetic innervation was intact than after section of the LST (see above). This difference corresponds well with the evoked increase of vascular resistance, when the sectioned LST was stimulated with frequencies less than or equal to 4 Hz. Therefore, ongoing sympathetic activity in cutaneous vasoconstrictor neurons probably was in this low-frequency range. In accordance, neurophysiological experiments have demonstrated that cutaneous vasoconstrictor neurons have ongoing activities of 0.3 to 3.6 impulses per second (see Reference 55 ).



View larger version (13K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 2. Superimposed specimen vasoconstrictions in hairless skin in response to LST stimulation (bar; duration, 50 seconds) with 1 (A) and 10 (B) Hz before (curves 1) and after (curves 2) L-NAME. Corresponding MAP readings are shown in the top trace. Blood flow normalized as in Fig 1Up. Vasoconstriction during 1-Hz stimulation was almost identical before and after L-NAME, whereas vasoconstriction to LST stimulation with 10 Hz was clearly more pronounced after L-NAME. Note that MAP increased during stimulation, in particular, with the higher frequency.



View larger version (14K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 3. Increase of vascular resistance in hairless skin upon electrical stimulation of the LST (stim LST) at different frequencies before ({bullet}) and after () L-NAME. Vascular resistance was calculated in arbitrary units from changes of blood flow and blood pressure during stimulation and expressed as a percentage of resistance before each stimulation (percent baseline resistance). Data are presented as mean±SEM; n=8-14. *P<.05, ***P<.001, paired t test. There was no significant enhancement of vasoconstriction after L-NAME at stimulation frequencies of 1 to 4 Hz.

Skeletal Muscle
LST stimulation led to a frequency-dependent vasoconstriction in skeletal muscle microcirculation that was significantly enhanced after L-NAME at stimulation frequencies of 5 Hz or lower (Figs 4Down and 5Down). At stimulations of 10 and 20 Hz, the differences in vasoconstriction before and after L-NAME were no longer significant. Overall, stimulation-induced vasoconstriction in skeletal muscle was much weaker than in skin, especially at low and very high frequencies. A comparison of the vasoconstriction evoked by electrical stimulation of the sectioned LST and the ongoing vasoconstriction due to spontaneous vasoconstrictor activity with intact LST revealed the following: vascular resistance was 25% higher with intact than with sectioned LST. This is equivalent to the increase of resistance elicited by LST stimulation with 0.5 to 2 Hz (Fig 5Down), which agrees well with the rate of spontaneous activity (range, 0.3 to 2.4 Hz) determined in postganglionic vasoconstrictor neurons projecting to skeletal muscle in the rat (see Reference 55 ).



View larger version (14K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 4. Superimposed specimen vasoconstrictions in skeletal muscle and MAP responses during LST stimulation (bar; duration, 50 seconds) with 2 (A) and 20 (B) Hz before (curves 1) and after (curves 2) L-NAME. Vasoconstriction during stimulation with 2 Hz but not with 20 Hz was enhanced after L-NAME.



View larger version (12K):
[in this window]
[in a new window]
 
Figure 5. Increase of vascular resistance in skeletal muscle upon electrical stimulation of the LST (stim LST) before ({bullet}) and after ({circ}) L-NAME. Presentation of data (n=7-10) as in Fig 3Up. Vasoconstriction was significantly enhanced after L-NAME at stimulation frequencies of 1 to 5 Hz. *P<.05, ***P<.001, paired t test.


*    Discussion
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMethods
up arrowResults
*Discussion
down arrowReferences
 
Systemic blockade of NOS leads to a generalized vasoconstriction that includes the vascular beds of skin and skeletal muscle.1 2 3 4 Here we report experiments which suggest that activity in sympathetic vasoconstrictor neurons at physiological frequencies is involved in the release of basal NO in skeletal muscle but not in hairless skin. We measured microvascular blood flow in hairless skin and skeletal muscle before and after blockade of NOS under two different interventions on the sympathetic supply. First, we abolished ongoing vasoconstrictor activity by sectioning the LST and second, we selectively stimulated sympathetic vasoconstrictor axons supplying the hindlimb to study whether neurogenic vasoconstriction in the two vascular beds is enhanced after blockade of NOS. It was important to stimulate the LST rather than the peripheral nerves to avoid antidromic activation of afferents, which elicits vasodilation.

In hairless skin, the increase in vascular resistance generated by blockade of NOS was significantly larger in preparations with decentralized LST than in preparations with intact LST. By contrast, in skeletal muscle, the increase in vascular resistance after L-NAME was significantly larger in the LST-intact than the LST-decentralized preparation (TableUp). These results are in accordance with the observation that sympathetic stimulation–induced vasoconstriction at frequencies less than 5 Hz was significantly enhanced after L-NAME in skeletal muscle but not in hairless skin. Therefore, we suggest that under physiological conditions, sympathetic nerve impulses are directly involved in basal NO release from the endothelium in blood vessels of skeletal muscle but not in those of hairless skin.

The main driving force evoking basal release of NO in hairless skin is probably the local vascular shear stress,19 20 which would be expected to be enhanced proportionally with blood flow21 after sectioning of the LST. In accordance, skin vasoconstriction after L-NAME was greater in the functionally denervated state than with the sympathetic supply intact. In skeletal muscle circulation, L-NAME was able to evoke vasoconstriction also after functional sympathetic denervation. This indicates that in addition to the NO release that is dependent on postganglionic activity, there is probably also shear stress–induced NO release. The complex interplay between flow-dependent shear stress and sympathetic transmitter(s) in liberating endothelial NO may explain why some investigators who studied blood pressure changes after systemic administration of L-NAME found no obligatory role of the sympathetic nervous system in basal NO release,13 whereas others found that part of the NO released depended on sympathetic vasoconstrictor activity.12

However, L-NAME enhanced stimulation-induced vasoconstriction at high, presumably unphysiological, sympathetic frequencies of 10 to 15 Hz also in skin. A possible explanation would be that shear stress increased in parallel with the considerable rise in systemic blood pressure accompanying hindquarter vasoconstriction at these frequencies, or that now the amount of sympathetic transmitter was high enough to evoke NO release. Furthermore, our results indicate that at 20 Hz, NO is no longer capable of attenuating neurogenic vasoconstriction.

Our data on skeletal muscle, but not skin microvasculature, agree with in vitro studies on isolated arteries showing that vasoconstriction evoked by stimulation of perivascular nerves or application of norepinephrine was enhanced after inhibition of NOS or removal of the endothelium.8 9 10 22 23 Furthermore, our data on skeletal muscle are in accordance with a recent in vivo study in which vasoconstriction of rat mesenteric arterioles induced by perivascular nerve stimulation was enhanced after local inhibition of NOS.17 Interestingly, nerve stimulation resulted in a reduction of vessel wall shear rate.17 There is evidence that norepinephrine released from sympathetic varicosities by nerve impulses binds to endothelial {alpha}2-receptors,8 24 25 26 leading to enhanced NO production, which results in a postjunctional attenuation of neurogenic vasoconstriction. A prejunctional inhibition of norepinephrine release at the sympathetic varicosity by NO has also been proposed,27 28 but apparently this mechanism does not apply to all arteries.10 22 However, it is unclear how neurally released norepinephrine can reach the endothelium that quickly.

The possibility exists that NO, which counteracts neurogenic vasoconstriction, originates from sympathetic vasodilator neurons29 rather than being endothelium-derived. However, from our work this seems unlikely because in recent studies, (1) no vasodilation upon LST stimulation was observed after sympathetic vasoconstriction was pharmacologically blocked (unpublished observations, 1997), and (2) no sympathetic postganglionic neurons were found that exhibited reflex responses appropriate to being involved in the regulation of active vasodilation.5 Furthermore, a histochemical study found that NOS was absent from most sympathetic varicosities.30

Functionally, it may be important that vasoconstriction in resistance vessels during blood pressure regulation attenuates itself by liberating NO from the endothelium in order to limit the sudden increase of afterload to the heart. On the other hand, the lack of attenuation of neurogenic vasoconstriction by endothelial NO in hairless skin under physiological sympathetic discharge rates5 6 may be useful for thermoregulation in cold environments, in which a strong cutaneous vasoconstriction must be executed promptly.


*    Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms
 
L-NAME = NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester
LST = lumbar sympathetic trunk
MAP = mean arterial pressure
NO = nitric oxide
NOS = nitric oxide synthase


*    Acknowledgments
 
This work was supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft. The technical help of Eike Tallone and Ulla Klosa is gratefully acknowledged.

Received December 24, 1996; first decision January 9, 1997; accepted March 24, 1997.


*    References
up arrowTop
up arrowAbstract
up arrowIntroduction
up arrowMethods
up arrowResults
up arrowDiscussion
*References
 
1. Gardiner SM, Compton AM, Kemp PA, Bennett T. Regional and cardiac haemodynamic effects of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester in conscious, Long Evans rats. Br J Pharmacol. 1990;101:625-631.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

2. Rees DD, Palmer RMJ, Schulz R, Hodson HF, Moncada S. Characterization of three inhibitors of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase in vitro and in vivo. Br J Pharmacol. 1990;101:746-752.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

3. Häbler H-J, Wasner G, Bartsch T, Jänig W. Responses of rat postganglionic sympathetic vasoconstrictor neurons following blockade of nitric oxide synthesis in vivo. Neuroscience. 1997;77:899-909.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

4. Hansen J, Jacobsen TN, Victor RG. Is nitric oxide involved in the tonic inhibition of central sympathetic outflow in humans? Hypertension. 1994;24:439-444.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

5. Häbler H-J, Jänig W, Krummel M, Peters OA. Reflex pattern in postganglionic neurons supplying skin and skeletal muscle of the rat hindlimb. J Neurophysiol. 1994;72:2222-2236.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

6. Jänig W. Organization of the lumbar sympathetic outflow to skeletal muscle and skin of the cat hindlimb and tail. Rev Physiol Biochem Pharmacol. 1985;102:119-213.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

7. Macefield VG, Wallin BG, Vallbo AB. The discharge behaviour of single vasoconstrictor motoneurones in human muscle nerves. J Physiol (Lond). 1994;481:799-809.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

8. Cocks TM, Angus JA. Endothelium-dependent relaxation of coronary arteries by noradrenaline and serotonin. Nature. 1983;305:627-630.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

9. Thorin E, Atkinson J. Modulation by the endothelium of sympathetic vasoconstriction in an in vitro preparation of the rat tail artery. Br J Pharmacol. 1994;111:351-357.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

10. Vo PA, Reid JJ, Rand MJ. Attenuation of vasoconstriction by endogenous nitric oxide in rat caudal artery. Br J Pharmacol. 1992;107:1121-1128.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

11. Tabrizchi R, Triggle CR. Influence of NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl on pressor responses elicited by sympathetic nerve stimulation in pithed normotensive and hypertensive rats. Life Sci. 1991;49:1989-1995.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

12. Lacolley PJ, Lewis SJ, Brody MJ. Role of sympathetic nerve activity in the generation of vascular nitric oxide in urethane-anesthetized rats. Hypertension. 1991;17:881-887.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

13. Pedoraro AA, Carretero OA, Sigmon DH, Beierwaltes WH. Sympathetic modulation of endothelium-derived relaxing factor. Hypertension. 1992;19:643-647.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

14. Najafipour H, Ferrell WR. Nitric oxide modulates sympathetic vasoconstriction and basal blood flow in normal and acutely inflamed rabbit knee joints. Exp Physiol. 1993;78:615-624.[Abstract]

15. McDougall JJ, Ferrell WR. Inhibition of nitric oxide production during electrical stimulation of the nerves supplying the rat knee joint. J Auton Nerv Syst. 1996;57:73-77.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

16. Modin A, Weitzberg E, Hökfelt T, Lundberg JM. Nitric oxide synthase in the pig autonomic nervous system in relation to the influence of NG-nitro-L-arginine on sympathetic and parasympathetic vascular control in vivo. Neuroscience. 1994;62:189-203.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

17. Nase GP, Boegehold MA. Nitric oxide modulates arteriolar responses to increased sympathetic nerve activity. Am J Physiol. 1996;271:H860-H869.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

18. Baron R, Jänig W, Kollmann W. Sympathetic and afferent somata projecting in hindlimb nerves and the anatomical organization of the lumbar sympathetic nervous system in the rat. J Comp Neurol. 1988;275:460-468.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

19. Pohl U, Holtz J, Busse R, Bassenge E. Crucial role of endothelium in a vasodilator response to increased flow in vivo. Hypertension. 1986;8:37-44.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

20. Rubanyi GM, Romero JC, Vanhoutte PM. Flow-induced release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor. Am J Physiol. 1986;250:H1145-H1149.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

21. Friebel M, Klotz KF, Ley K, Gaehtgens P, Pries AR. Flow-dependent regulation of arteriolar diameter in rat skeletal muscle in situ: role of endothelium-derived relaxing factor and prostanoids. J Physiol (Lond). 1995;483:715-726.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

22. Bucher B, Ouedraogo S, Tschöpl M, Paya D, Stoclet J-C. Role of L-arginine-NO pathway and of cyclic GMP in electrical field-induced noradrenaline release and vasoconstriction in the rat tail artery. Br J Pharmacol. 1992;107:976-982.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

23. Urabe M, Kawasaki H, Takasaki K. Effect of endothelium removal on the vasoconstrictor response to neuronally released 5-hydroxytryptamine and noradrenaline in the rat isolated mesenteric and femoral arteries. Br J Pharmacol. 1991;102:85-90.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

24. Angus JA, Cocks TM, Satoh K. Alpha2-adrenoceptors and endothelium-dependent relaxation in canine large arteries. Br J Pharmacol. 1986;88:767-777.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

25. Hynes MR, Dang H, Duckles SP. Contractile responses to adrenergic nerve stimulation are enhanced with removal of endothelium in rat caudal artery. Life Sci. 1987;42:357-365.

26. Vinet R, Brieva C, Pinardi G, Penna M. Modulation of {alpha}-adrenergic-induced contractions by endothelium-derived relaxing factor in rat aorta. Gen Pharmacol. 1991;22:137-142.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

27. Cohen RA, Weisbrodt RM. The endothelium inhibits release of norepinephrine from rabbit carotid artery during electrical stimulation. Am J Physiol. 1988;255:H871-H879.

28. Greenberg SS, Diecke FPJ, Cantor E, Peevy K, Tanaka TP. Inhibition of sympathetic neurotransmitter release by modulators of cyclic GMP in canine vascular smooth muscle. Eur J Pharmacol. 1990;187:409-423.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]

29. Toda N, Kitamura Y, Okamura T. Neural mechanism of hypertension by nitric oxide synthase inhibitor in dogs. Hypertension. 1993;21:3-8.[Abstract/Free Full Text]

30. Bredt DS, Hwang PM, Snyder SH. Localization of nitric oxide synthase indicating a neural role for nitric oxide. Nature. 1990;347:768-770.[Medline] [Order article via Infotrieve]




This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
J. E. Wingo, D. A. Low, D. M. Keller, R. M. Brothers, M. Shibasaki, and C. G. Crandall
Effect of elevated local temperature on cutaneous vasoconstrictor responsiveness in humans
J Appl Physiol, February 1, 2009; 106(2): 571 - 575.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
M. Shibasaki, D. A. Low, S. L. Davis, and C. G. Crandall
Nitric oxide inhibits cutaneous vasoconstriction to exogenous norepinephrine
J Appl Physiol, November 1, 2008; 105(5): 1504 - 1508.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Physiol.Home page
M. Shibasaki, S. Durand, S. L. Davis, J. Cui, D. A. Low, D. M. Keller, and C. G. Crandall
Endogenous nitric oxide attenuates neutrally mediated cutaneous vasoconstriction
J. Physiol., December 1, 2007; 585(2): 627 - 634.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol.Home page
G. J. Hodges, W. A. Kosiba, K. Zhao, G. E. Alvarez, and J. M. Johnson
The role of baseline in the cutaneous vasoconstrictor responses during combined local and whole body cooling in humans
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, November 1, 2007; 293(5): H3187 - H3192.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol.Home page
S. Koba, T. Yoshida, and N. Hayashi
Differential sympathetic outflow and vasoconstriction responses at kidney and skeletal muscles during fictive locomotion
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, February 1, 2006; 290(2): H861 - H868.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Appl. Physiol.Home page
D. Hermann, T. Schlereth, T. Vogt, and F. Birklein
Clonidine induces nitric oxide- and prostaglandin-mediated vasodilation in healthy human skin
J Appl Physiol, December 1, 2005; 99(6): 2266 - 2270.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Physiol.Home page
S. Durand, S. L. Davis, J. Cui, and C. G. Crandall
Exogenous nitric oxide inhibits sympathetically mediated vasoconstriction in human skin
J. Physiol., January 15, 2005; 562(2): 629 - 634.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
J. Physiol.Home page
A. M. Coney, M. Bishay, and J. M. Marshall
Influence of endogenous nitric oxide on sympathetic vasoconstriction in normoxia, acute and chronic systemic hypoxia in the rat
J. Physiol., March 15, 2004; 555(3): 793 - 804.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
BrainHome page
G. Wasner, J. Schattschneider, K. Heckmann, C. Maier, and R. Baron
Vascular abnormalities in reflex sympathetic dystrophy (CRPS I): mechanisms and diagnostic value
Brain, March 1, 2001; 124(3): 587 - 599.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Exp. Biol. Med.Home page
B. Martínez-Nieves and J. C. Dunbar
The Effect of Diabetes and Sex on Nitric Oxide-Mediated Cardiovascular Dynamics
Experimental Biology and Medicine, January 1, 2001; 226(1): 37 - 42.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
HypertensionHome page
C. R. Claxton, M. W. Brands, S. M. Fitzgerald, and J. A. Cameron
Inhibition of Nitric Oxide Synthesis Potentiates Hypertension During Chronic Glucose Infusion in Rats
Hypertension, January 1, 2000; 35(1): 451 - 456.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Exp. Biol. Med.Home page
B. Martínez-Nieves and J. C. Dunbar
Vascular Dilatatory Responses to Sodium Nitroprusside (SNP) and {alpha}-Adrenergic Antagonism in Female and Male Normal and Diabetic Rats
Experimental Biology and Medicine, October 2, 1999; 222(1): 90 - 98.
[Abstract] [Full Text]


Home page
Cardiovasc ResHome page
M. Lepori, C. Sartori, H. Duplain, P. Nicod, and U. Scherrer
Sympathectomy potentiates the vasoconstrictor response to nitric oxide synthase inhibition in humans
Cardiovasc Res, August 15, 1999; 43(3): 739 - 743.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Physiol. Regul. Integr. Comp. Physiol.Home page
H. M. Stauss, J.-U. Stegmann, P. B. Persson, and H.-J. Habler
Frequency response characteristics of sympathetic transmission to skin vascular smooth muscles in rats
Am J Physiol Regulatory Integrative Comp Physiol, August 1, 1999; 277(2): R591 - R600.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


Home page
Am. J. Physiol. Heart Circ. Physiol.Home page
N. Hogan, A. Kardos, D. J. Paterson, and B. Casadei
Effect of exogenous nitric oxide on baroreflex function in humans
Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol, July 1, 1999; 277(1): H221 - H227.
[Abstract] [Full Text] [PDF]


This Article
Right arrow Abstract Freely available
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Right arrow Citation Map
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Citing Articles
Right arrow Citing Articles via HighWire
Right arrow Citing Articles via Google Scholar
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Häbler, H.-J.
Right arrow Articles by Jänig, W.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Häbler, H.-J.
Right arrow Articles by Jänig, W.