Involvement of calcium/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II to endotoxin-induced vascular hyporeactivity in rat superior mesenteric artery

Abstract

Endotoxin causes impaired vascular contractility proposed to be mediated mainly by induction of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). Evidence suggests that calcium/calmodulin dependent protein kinase II (CaMKII) may lead to activation of cytosolic phospholipase A 2α (cPLA 2α)/inducible cyclooxygenase (COX-2) pathway in response to endotoxin in vascular smooth muscle cells. This study was conducted to determine if CaMKII is involved in the endotoxin-induced vascular hyporeactivity by activating of iNOS and/or cPLA 2α/COX-2 enzymes in rat isolated superior mesenteric artery with endothelium. Incubation with endotoxin (100 μg ml −1) for 4 h caused vascular hyporeactivity to norepinephrine which was completely abolished by phenylene-1,3-bis[ethane-2-isothiourea] dihydrobromide (1,3-PBIT), a selective iNOS inhibitor, methyl arachidonyl fluorophosphonate (MAFP), a selective 85 kDa cPLA 2α inhibitor, DFU, a selective COX-2 inhibitor, and KN-93, a selective CaMKII inhibitor. Endotoxin-induced increase in tissue nitrite production was decreased by 1,3-PBIT and DFU, and further increased by MAFP. MAFP, DFU and KN-93 reversed the endotoxin-induced decrease in tissue 6-keto-PGF 1α. These data suggest that reversal of the endotoxin-induced vascular hyporeactivity by inhibition of CaMKII in rat superior mesenteric artery may be related to increased production of vasodilator arachidonic acid products by cPLA 2α/COX-2 pathway rather than prostacyclin and nitric oxide.