Endothelin-3 at low concentrations attenuates inflammatory responses via the endothelin B2 receptor

The aim of this study was to clarify a role of endothelins (ETs: ET-1, -2, and -3) and their receptors (ETA, ETB1, and ETB2) in inflammatory responses.

Male Wistar rats (180-220 g) were used. The effects of ETs in the absence or presence of the ETA antagonist BQ-123/the selective ETB2 antagonist BQ-788, and the effect of the selective ETB1 agonist IRL-1620 and the nonselective ETB agonist BQ-3020, on rat hind paw oedema induced by several proinflammatory substances were examined. The involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in the effects of ETs on the paw oedema was investigated using the NO synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME).

ET-3, which acts mainly on ETB, at low concentrations specifically inhibited platelet-activating factor (PAF)-induced paw oedema, whereas neither ET-1 nor ET-2, both of which act on ETA and ETB, showed inhibitory activity. The inhibition by ET-1 and ET-3 (each 0.5 pmol/paw) in the presence of BQ-123 (66.4 ± 6.7 % and 65.4 ± 22.6 %, respectively), was comparable to that by ET-3 (0.5 pmol/paw) alone (65.4 ± 10.9 %), whereas neither ET-1 nor ET-3 in the presence of BQ-788 showed inhibitory activity. BQ-3020 (0.5 pmol/paw) inhibited the oedema by 50.9 ± 6.0 %, whereas IRL-1620 showed almost no activity. Additionally, L-NAME markedly attenuated the inhibitory effects of ET-3 on PAF-induced paw oedema. These results indicate that ETB2 may mediate NO production and attenuation of PAF-induced inflammatory responses. Moreover, ET-3 (0.5 pmol/paw) inhibited the oedema induced by ET-1 at higher dose and zymosan by 76.6 ± 11.0 and 85.4 ± 13.6 %, respectively, indicating that ET-3 at lower concentrations inhibits the paw oedema induced by various inflammatory substances.

ET-3 at low concentrations may attenuate inflammatory responses via ETB2 activation and NO production.