Mechanisms of ouabain-induced arterial muscle contraction

Ouabain caused dose-related contractions in helically cut strips of cerebral, mesenteric, renal, and femoral arteries isolated from dogs and monkeys; the contractions were elicited at lower concentrations in cerebral than in the peripheral arteries. Contractions induced by ouabain were abolished by exposure of cerebral arteries to Ca2+-free media. Contractions induced by Ca2+ in Ca2+-free media were potentiated by ouabain. Substitution of LiCl for NaCl and reduction of [K+]0 suppressed the contractile response of cerebral arteries to ouabain. Pretreatment of dogs with reserpine abolished the response of peripheral arteries to ouabain but not the cerebroarterial response. Phentolamine also abolished the response of peripheral arteries. Once oubain-induced contractions were stabilized, the alpha-antagonist caused a marked relaxation in peripheral but not in cerebral arteries. Ouabain-induced contractions appear to be mediated by an increase in the Ca2+ influx that results mainly from an inhibition of the electrogenic Na+ pump in low concentrations (cerebral arteries) and from a release of norepinephrine from nerves in high concentrations (mesenteric, renal, and femoral arteries).