Endothelial-dependent relaxant effects of vaso-active intestinal polypeptide and arachidonic acid in rat aortic strips.

The relaxant actions of vaso-active intestinal polypeptide (VIP), acetylcholine (ACh), histamine and papaverine have been compared using circular muscle strips of rat aorta contracted with noradrenaline (NA). Arachidonic acid (AA) in a low dose (6.7 X 10(-7M) also relaxed the aorta. The relaxant actions of all these substances except papaverine were abolished by removal of the endothelial cells. Higher doses of AA (6.7-13.4 X 10(-6M) contracted aortic strips in the absence of NA but the con tractile effect "faded" while AA was still present in the bathing fluid. De-endothelialisation abolished this "fade" portion of the response leaving a sustained contracture. Indomethacin inhibited the contractile effect of AA revealing a weak inhibitory effect. However, it did not affect the relaxations induced by VIP, ACh, histamine or papaverine. ETYA abolished the relaxant actions of all these substances except papaverine. The results are consistent with the hypothesis that VIP, ACh and histamine relax the rat aorta via an endothelial-dependent mechanism which may involve the synthesis of a lipoxygenase product.