Nitric oxide modulates arteriolar responses to increased sympathetic nerve activity.

The purpose of this study was to determine whether arteriolar responses to increased sympathetic nerve activity are limited by the actions of endogenous nitric oxide. Intravital microscopy was used to examine diameter responses of small feed arteries (SFA), first-order arterioles (1A) and second-order arterioles (2A) to perivascular sympathetic nerve stimulation in the superfused rat small intestine. Stimulation induced a frequency-dependent constriction in all vessel types that was completely abolished by the alpha-adrenoceptor antagonist phentolamine (10(-6) M). In SFA and 1A, the magnitude of sympathetic constriction was increased significantly in the presence of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-monomethyl-L-arginine(L-NMMA, 10(-4) M). In SFA (n = 7), stimulation at 3, 8, and 16 Hz induced constrictions of 11 +/- 1, 28 +/- 4, and 42 +/- 3%, respectively, under the normal superfusate vs. 28 +/- 3, 46 +/- 5, and 76 +/- 3% in the presence of L-NMMA. For 1A (n = 7), stimulation induced constrictions of 10 +/- 1, 27 +/- 4, and 37 +/- 3% under the normal superfusate vs. 24 +/- 2, 47 +/- 3, and 72 +/- 4% in the presence of L-NMMA. The effect of L-NMMA on sympathetic constriction in SFA (n = 7) was completely reversed by the additional presence of 5 x 10(-3) M L-arginine in the superfusate. These results suggest that endogenous nitric oxide activity can attenuate sympathetic neurogenic constriction in the intestinal microvasculature.