Parathyroid hormone analogues inhibit calcium mobilization in cultured vascular cells

Parathyroid hormone and parathyroid hormone-related protein lower blood pressure and relax contracted arteries. Parathyroid hormone also attenuates angiotensin II-induced vasoconstriction. To determine the cellular mechanism or mechanisms by which parathyroid hormone analogues antagonize pressor effects, we examined the effect of these peptides on angiotensin II-induced calcium mobilization in fura 2-AM-loaded cultured rat vascular smooth muscle cells. Either 100 nmol/L parathyroid hormone or parathyroid hormone-related protein significantly reduced the amount of calcium mobilized by 100 nmol/L angiotensin II. The attenuating effect of these peptides was mimicked by 10 mmol/L forskolin and 10 mmol/L isobutylmethylxanthine and was not dependent on the presence of extracellular calcium. This effect of the parathyroid hormone analogues was reduced when cells were pretreated with 100 mmol/L 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine, an adenylate cyclase inhibitor. Combined inhibition of cyclic nucleotide-dependent protein kinases eliminated the inhibitory effect of parathyroid hormone, whereas protein kinase C inhibition had no effect. Parathyroid hormone analogues decreased the amount of calcium released by inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate in digitonin-permeabilized vascular smooth muscle cells. This effect was inhibited by treatment with 2',5'-dideoxyadenosine. These results suggest that these peptides attenuate inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-sensitive calcium mobilized by angiotensin II via an adenylate cyclase-dependent mechanism. This may be a mechanism by which acute administration of parathyroid hormone or parathyroid hormone-related peptide antagonizes vasoconstriction.