Modification of vascular reactivity by alteration of intimal permeability: effect of TNF-alpha

We investigated the effects of alterations in intimal permeability on microvascular reactivity to small hydrophilic agents in isolated, cannulated, perfused arterioles (65 +/- 6 microns ID) from hamster cheek pouches. Arterioles are 300-fold less responsive to the hydrophilic alpha 1-agonist, phenylephrine, applied to the lumen than when applied to the adventitia. Luminal treatment with tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha, 0.625 micrograms/ml, 1-2 h) potentiated reactivity to luminally applied phenylephrine, but the treatment did not change reactivity to adventitially applied phenylephrine. Similar results were obtained with a brief treatment with the detergent, 3-[(3-cholamidopropyl)dimethylammonio]-1- propanesulfonate (CHAPS; 0.3%, < 30 s). To confirm that a change in permeability had occurred, we measured the movement across the arteriolar wall of a low-molecular-weight hydrophilic fluorescent molecule, fluorescein, before and after luminal treatment with TNF-alpha or CHAPS. Either TNF-alpha or CHAPS significantly increased the rate of movement of fluorescein across the arteriolar wall. These data suggest that one element in the pathophysiology of TNF-alpha is an increase in arteriolar permeability to small, water-soluble agents, which may modify reactivity to circulating vasoactive substances.