Vasoconstrictor and vasodilator effects of hypoxia.

Hypoxia has marked effects on artery calibre, which reflects important physiological control mechanisms that are altered in disease states. Hypoxia modifies the release of mediators, especially from the endothelium, and influences smooth muscle membrane potential and Ca2+ regulation. In this review, Roger Wadsworth evaluates the vasoconstrictor and vasodilator effects of hypoxia studied in vitro. In the future, drugs developed to act on the mediators or smooth muscle may be beneficial in the therapy of, for example, pulmonary hypertension or coronary vasospasm.