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This Article Full Text Free Full Text (PDF) Free All Versions of this Article: 104/5/1462    most recent 00520.2007v1 Submit a response Alert me when this article is cited Alert me when eLetters are posted Alert me if a correction is posted Citation Map Services Email this article to a friend Similar articles in this journal Similar articles in PubMed Alert me to new issues of the journal Download to citation manager Citing Articles Citing Articles via Google Scholar Google Scholar Articles by Wright, J. L. Articles by Churg, A. Search for Related Content PubMed PubMed Citation Articles by Wright, J. L. Articles by Churg, A.

Short-term exposure to cigarette smoke induces endothelial dysfunction in small intrapulmonary arteries: analysis using guinea pig precision cut lung slices

Department of Pathology, University of British Columbia, Canada

Submitted 14 May 2007 ; accepted in final form 12 March 2008

The pathogenesis of cigarette smoke-induced pulmonary hypertension is not understood. We have previously shown that smoke rapidly and persistently, but discoordinately, upregulates gene expression of mediators that control vasoconstriction, vasoproliferation, and vasorelaxation in small intrapulmonary arteries. To investigate the possibility that smoke also induces endothelial dysfunction, a finding common to other forms of pulmonary hypertension, we exposed guinea pigs to smoke or air (control) daily for 2 wk and then prepared precision-cut lung slices. After exposure to endothelin-1, a vasoconstrictor, intra-acinar arteries in lung slices derived from smoke-exposed animals constricted more rapidly (greater constriction at a given concentration of endothelin) than did vessels from air-exposed animals. To examine relaxation responses, arteries were constricted with the vasconstrictor U-46619 and then relaxed with progressively increasing doses of acetylcholine. Vessels from smokers had a delayed response to acetylcholine compared with vessels from controls. The NO synthase inhibitor N^G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester reduced relaxation in both control and smoke-exposed arteries, whereas the NO donor sodium nitroprusside increased relaxation of the smoke-exposed arteries, confirming that endothelial dysfunction with decreased effective NO production is present. These findings show that precision cut lung slices can be used to examine the physiological effects of cigarette smoke on intra-acinar pulmonary arteries and indicate that even relatively short-term exposure to smoke produces endothelial dysfunction with a resulting tendency to earlier constriction and later relaxation in cigarette smokers. These changes may be important in the development of pulmonary hypertension.

pulmonary hypertension