Inhibition of vasoconstrictor responses by 6-keto-PGE1 in the feline mesenteric vascular bed.

The effects of 6-keto-PGE1 on vascular resistance and vascular responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation and vasoconstrictor hormones were investigated in the feline mesenteric vascular bed. Infusions of 6-keto-PGE1 into the superior mesenteric artery dilated the mesenteric vascular bed and markedly inhibited vasoconstrictor responses to sympathetic nerve stimulation, norepinephrine and angiotensin II. The effects of 6-keto-PGE1 and PGE1 on vascular resistance and vasoconstrictor responses were quite similar and both substances inhibited responses to nerve stimulation and pressor hormones in a reversible manner. Responses to nerve stimulation, norepinephrine and angiotensin II were inhibited to a similar extent during infusion of 6-keto-PGE1 and PGE1. Results of these studies suggest that 6-keto-PGE1, a newly identified prostaglandin metabolite, and PGE1 possess the ability to inhibit the vasoconstrictor effects of sympathetic nerve stimulation and pressor hormones by a non-specific action on vascular smooth muscle in the feline small intestine.