[Influence of nitric oxide on cerebral hemodynamics during endotoxemia in dogs]

The aim of this study is to clarify the influence of nitric oxide (NO) in cerebral circulation during endotoxemia. Two groups of 24 mongrel dogs (N = 12 each) received saline 1 ml.kg-1.h-1 or endotoxin (lipopolysaccharide, LPS) 500 ng.kg-1.h-1 for 3 hours. To determine changes of NO in the systemic and cerebral circulation, we measured NOx (NO2-/NO3-) in the femoral artery and superior sagittal sinus as metabolites of NO using the Griess method. We also measured the concentrations of cerebral oxyhemoglobin (HbO2), deoxyhemoglobin (Hb), total hemoglobin (total Hb) and cytochrome aa3 (Cytaa3) using near-infrared laser spectroscopy. Changes in cerebral blood volume were evaluated from the total Hb. NOx in systemic and cerebral circulation increased significantly after infusion of LPS. Therefore, the increased production of NO in cerebral circulation was consistent with increase of cerebral blood volume. In conclusion, it seems reasonable to assume that increased cerebral blood volume may result from increased production of cerebral NO during endotoxemia.