Abstract
In 11 open-chest dogs with a flowmeter on the left circumflex artery, L-NMMA, a selective inhibitor of nitric oxide-formation, was subselectively infused into the left circumflex artery at a rate of 2.5mg/ml (ml/min) to avoid systemic hemodynamic effects. The coronary blood flow at normal arterial blood pressure was similar prior to and during L-NMMA infusion. However, when the arterial blood pressure was raised by inflating a balloon in the descending aorta, the nitric oxide suppression induced a dramatic increase in coronary vascular resistance by almost 40% compared to control conditions without L-NMMA infusion at identically elevated arterial blood pressure. L-NMMA induced a significant downward shift and flattening of the pressure-flow relation over a pressure range from 60–150 mmHg. Peak hyperemic coronary flow after 20-s transient coronary occlusion was similar prior to and during L-NMMA infusion, but the duration of the hyperemic flow response was significantly shortened during L-NMMA infusion indicating exaggerated constriction after hyperemic stimulus. The EDRF/nitric oxide-system plays an important role for the regulation of coronary blood flow by counteracting autoregulatory constrictor responses to increased driving pressure and shear stress in the intact canine circulation.
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Supported in part by grant 1 RO1 HL-40865 from the National Heart, Lung, and Blood Institute. U.S. is the recipient of research grant So 241/1-1 from the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft
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Solzbach, U., Liao, J., Eigler, N.L. et al. Effects of inhibition of nitric oxide formation on the regulation of coronary blood flow in anesthetized dogs. Basic Res Cardiol 90, 489–497 (1995). https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00788542
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DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/BF00788542