Subarachnoid hemorrhage inhibition of endothelium-derived relaxing factor in rabbit basilar artery

Vascular contractions in response to KCl and serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) in rabbit basilar artery were studied in vitro using an isometric tension-measurement technique. Hemoglobin (10(-5)M) markedly augmented contractions induced by 5-HT (10(-9) to 10(-6)M) and slightly augmented those induced by KCl (20 to 80 mM) in arteries with intact endothelium. On the other hand, the augmentation induced by hemoglobin was almost abolished in arteries that were chemically denuded of endothelial cells by pretreatment with saponin. Since hemoglobin is known to be a selective inhibitor of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), it is possible that the augmentation of contraction by hemoglobin in endothelium-intact arteries was mediated via an inhibition of spontaneously released EDRF. The effect of subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH) on spontaneously released EDRF was investigated by injecting 5 ml of blood into the cisterna magna and sacrificing the rabbits 2 days later. Arteries after SAH showed a significant reduction in hemoglobin-induced augmentation compared to that seen in control arteries with intact endothelium. This result suggests that spontaneously released EDRF is significantly reduced after SAH. It is concluded that EDRF is released spontaneously in the rabbit basilar artery and that inhibition of its release might be involved in pathogenesis of cerebral vasospasm.