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Published on: March 27, 2021
Characteristics of the actions by which 5-HT affects electrical and mechanical activities in rabbit jugular vein
1Department of Pharmacology, Graduate School of Medical Sciences, Nagoya City University, Japan. titoh@med.nagoya-cu.ac.jp
Background And Purpose:
5-HT is known to be a potent vasospasmogenic agonist in various arteries. However, in veins the vasomodulating actions of 5-HT, and the underlying mechanisms, remain to be fully clarified. Here, we characterized the actions by which 5-HT affects electrical and mechanical activities in the rabbit jugular vein.
Experimental Approach:
Membrane potential and isometric tension were measured in endothelium-intact and -denuded preparations. Localization of 5-HT receptor subtypes was examined immunohistochemically.
Key Results:
5-HT induced a transient then a small, sustained smooth muscle cell hyperpolarization in endothelium-intact strips. In endothelium-denuded strips, 5-HT induced only a sustained hyperpolarization, and this was changed to a depolarization by the selective 5-HT(7) receptor inhibitor SB269970. This depolarization was inhibited by the 5-HT(2A) receptor blocker sarpogrelate. 5-HT induced a relaxation of PGF(2α) -induced contracted strips that was similar in endothelium-intact and -denuded preparations. The latter relaxation was changed to contraction by SB269970 and this contraction was inhibited by sarpogrelate. Immunoreactive responses against endothelial and smooth muscle 5-HT(2A) receptors and smooth muscle 5-HT(7) receptors were identified in the vein. The 5-HT-induced relaxation of the PGF(2α) contraction was inhibited by the cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor Rp-cAMPS and by the AC inhibitor SQ22536.
Conclusions And Implications:
These results indicate that 5-HT activates both smooth muscle 5-HT(7) receptors (to produce relaxation) and smooth muscle 5-HT(2A) receptors (to produce contraction) in rabbit jugular vein. We suggest that in this particular vein, the 5-HT(2A) receptor-induced depolarization and contraction are masked by the 5-HT(7) receptor-induced responses, possibly via actions mediated by cAMP.
