Nature of the vasoactive substance in CSF from patients with subarachnoid hemorrhage.

The purpose of this experiment was to study the nature of vasoactive substance in cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) from patients with aneurysmal subarachnoid hemorrhage. The authors have examined the effects of disulfide bond-reducing agents, a sulfhydryl group oxidizing agent, and specific antagonists of so-called "classical" neurotransmitters on the in vitro isometric contraction of canine basilar arterial strips induced by bloody human CSF. The disulfide bond-reducing agents dithiothreitol (10(-4) M) and dithioerythritol (10(-4) M) suppressed the contraction induced by bloody CSF by an average of 40.3% and 61.2%, respectively. This suppression was achieved under conditions that did not alter KCl-induced contraction. The sulfhydryl group oxidizing agent, 5,5'-dithiobis-(2-nitrobenzoic acid), 10(-4) M, reversed the inhibitory effect of dithioerythritol on the contractile response to bloody CSF. No significant suppression of any response in any preparation was observed with methysergide (10(-7) M), mepyramine (10(-7) M), phenoxybenzamine (10(-5) M), propranolol (10(-6) M), or atropine (10(-6) M). These results indicate that disulfide bonds in the arterial smooth-muscle cells are involved in the contractile responses of canine basilar artery to bloody CSF. Prostaglandins, hemoglobin, and lipid hydroperoxides may all be spasmogens in bloody CSF, while serotonin, histamine, norepinephrine, and acetylcholine are probably not involved.