Kovesdi, Imre

The present study was designed to determine the effect of recombinant inducible nitric oxide (NO) synthase (iNOS) gene expression on vasomotor function in cerebral arteries. Isolated canine basilar arteries were exposed ex vivo (30 min at 37°C) to an adenoviral vector [107, 108, or 109plaque-forming units (pfu)/ml] encoding either the iNOS gene or the β-galactosidase reporter gene. Twenty-four hours after transduction, Western blot analysis demonstrated expression of iNOS protein only in iNOS (109pfu/ml)-transduced arteries. Immunohistochemical analysis localized iNOS expression predominantly in adventitia. Vascular reactivity of isolated basilar arteries was studied by isometric force recording. Concentration-response curves to UTP (10−9–10−3M) and diethylaminodiazen-1-ium-1,2-dioate (10−10–10−5M) were significantly shifted to the right in iNOS gene (109pfu/ml)-transduced rings compared with control and β-galactosidase-transduced rings ( P < 0.05, n = 5–6). Endothelium-dependent relaxation to bradykinin was significantly attenuated in iNOS-transduced rings ( P < 0.001, n = 8). The basal level of cGMP and superoxide anion (O[Formula: see text]·) production were elevated in iNOS-transduced rings ( P < 0.05, n = 7 for cGMP; P < 0.01, n = 6–9 for O[Formula: see text]· production). Our results suggest that expression of recombinant iNOS in cerebral arteries reduces vasomotor reactivity to both vasoconstrictor and vasodilator agonists. Attenuation of contractions is most likely due to functional antagonism between UTP and cGMP. Reduction of endothelium-dependent relaxation to bradykinin appears to be mediated in part by reduced reactivity of smooth muscle cells to NO.

Background and Purpose— Hypercholesterolemia is associated with endothelial dysfunction. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is upregulated in atherosclerotic vessels. However, its role in the regulation of vascular function is not completely understood. We examined the effect of adenovirus-mediated gene transfer of iNOS to the hypercholesterolemic rabbit carotid artery in vivo. Methods— Rabbits were fed a high-cholesterol or chow diet for 10 weeks. Two doses (1×10 8 and 1×10 9 plaque-forming units [pfu]/mL) of adenoviral vectors encoding iNOS (AdiNOS) or β-galactosidase (Adβgal) were luminally delivered to the carotid arteries from chow- and cholesterol-fed animals. Vascular reactivity and superoxide levels were assessed in Adβgal- and AdiNOS-transduced vessels from chow- and cholesterol-fed animals after 3 days. Results— Endothelium-dependent vasorelaxation was impaired in the carotid artery from cholesterol-fed animals. In AdiNOS-transduced arteries, transgene expression was demonstrated by positive immunostaining in the endothelium. Transduction with low-dose (1×10 8 pfu/mL) AdiNOS did not affect vascular reactivity in arteries from chow- and cholesterol-fed animals. In contrast, high-dose (1×10 9 pfu/mL) AdiNOS significantly reduced endothelium-dependent relaxation in vessels from cholesterol- but not chow-fed rabbits. After both low- and high-dose iNOS gene transfer, levels of O 2 · − were significantly ( P <0.05) elevated in carotid arteries from cholesterol-fed animals. Incubation with an O 2 · − scavenger did not reverse vascular dysfunction in these arteries. Conclusions— Adenoviral-mediated overexpression of iNOS results in increased production of O 2 · − in carotid arteries from cholesterol- but not chow-fed animals. High-dose AdiNOS gene transfer is associated with reduced endothelium-dependent and -independent relaxation in vessels from cholesterol-fed animals.

Background and Purpose — Bovine endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is phosphorylated directly by the protein kinase Akt at serine 1179. Mutation of this residue to the negatively charged aspartate (S1179DeNOS) increases nitric oxide (NO) production constitutively in the absence of agonist stimulus. The present study was designed to determine the effect of mutant S1179DeNOS gene expression on vasomotor function of canine cerebral arteries. Methods — Isolated basilar and middle cerebral arteries were exposed ex vivo (30 minutes at 37°C) to an adenoviral vector (10 10 plaque-forming units per milliliter) encoding the S1179DeNOS gene (AdCMVS1179DeNOS), the wild-type eNOS gene (AdCMVeNOS), or the green fluorescent protein (GFP) reporter gene (AdCMVGFP). Twenty-four hours after transduction, arteries were suspended in an organ chamber for isometric force recording, and levels of cGMP were measured by radioimmunoassay. Results — Transgene protein expression was detected mainly in the vascular adventitia. In AdCMVS1179DeNOS-transduced arteries, basal levels of cGMP were significantly elevated compared with those in control (nontransduced), AdCMVGFP-, or AdCMVeNOS-transduced vessels (n=8; P <0.01). The elevation of cGMP was abolished by a NOS inhibitor, N G -nitro- l -arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), or by incubation in the calcium-free medium in the presence of calcium chelators. In AdCMVS1179DeNOS-transduced arteries, contractions to endothelin-1 (10 −10 to 10 −8 mol/L) were significantly reduced compared with those in control and AdCMVGFP-transduced arteries (n=7; P <0.05). The vasoconstrictor effect of endothelin-1 was restored in the presence of the NOS inhibitor L-NAME. Conclusions — Our results suggest that in cerebral arteries, expression of recombinant S1179DeNOS increases basal production of NO and inhibits the vasoconstrictor effect of endothelin-1. This effect may have therapeutic application in prevention and treatment of cerebrovascular diseases.