Role of nitric oxide in vasodilator response induced by salbutamol in rat diaphragmatic microcirculation

To determine the contribution of nitric oxide (NO) to the vasodilator response induced by salbutamol in diaphragmatic microcirculation, we studied a diaphragmatic preparation in anesthetized rats. With bicarbonate-buffered Ringer solution continuously suffusing the diaphragm, laser-Doppler flowmetry was used to record microvascular blood flow (QLDF). The drugs were applied to the surface of the diaphragm. Salbutamol (3.2 x 10(-7)-10(-4) M), isoproterenol (3.2 x 10(-8)-3.2 x 10(-6) M), and forskolin (3.2 x 10(-7)-10(-5) M) each elicited a concentration-dependent increase in QLDF. The vasodilator response induced by salbutamol (3.2 x 10(-7), 10(-6), and 3.2 x 10(-6) M) was attenuated by a 15-min suffusion of N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA, 10(-4) M), and pretreatment with L-arginine (10(-2) M) could restore salbutamol-induced vasodilator responses. Salbutamol-induced vasodilation was also abolished by propranolol (10(-5) M). Similarly, the vasodilator response elicited by isoproterenol (3.2 x 10(-8), 10(-7), and 3.2 x 10(-7) M) and forskolin (3.2 x 10(-7), 10(-6), and 3.2 x 10(-6) M) was inhibited by L-NNA (10(-4) M). In contrast, the vasodilator response induced by adenosine (10(-6), 10(-5), and 10(-4) M) was not affected by L-NNA (10(-4) M). These data indicate that in rat diaphragmatic microcirculation salbutamol-induced vasodilation may be partly mediated by beta-adrenoceptors on the endothelium. Moreover, these data suggest that an elevation of cyclic AMP in the endothelium may cause release of NO.