Characterization of the endothelin receptor subtype mediating epithelium-derived relaxant nitric oxide release from guinea-pig trachea

1. The endothelin (ET) receptor subtype that mediates niric oxide (NO)-dependent airway relaxation in tracheal tube preparations precontracted with carbachol and pretreated with indomethacin was investigated. The release of NO induced by ET from guinea-pig trachea using a recently developed porphyrinic microsensor was also measured.
2. ET-1 (1 pM–100 nM) contracted tracheal tube preparations pretreated with the NO-synthase inhibitor, L-NMMA, and relaxed, in an epithelium-dependent manner, preparations pretreated with the inactive enantiomer D-NMMA. The effect of L-NMMA was reversed by L-Arg, but not by D-Arg.
3. The selective ET_B receptor agonists, IRL 1620 or sarafotoxin S6c, both (1 pM–100 nM) contracted tracheal tube preparations in a similar manner either after treatment with D-NMMA or with L-NMMA. In the presence of the ET_A receptor antagonist, {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"FR139317","term_id":"258103156","term_text":"FR139317"}}FR139317 (10 μM), ET-1 administration resulted in a contraction that was similar after either L-NMMA or D-NMMA. In the presence of the ET_B receptor antagonist, BQ788 (1 μM), ET-1 relaxed and contracted tracheas pretreated with D-NMMA and L-NMMA, respectively.
4. Exposure of tracheal segments to ET-1 (1–1000 nM) caused a concentration-dependent increase in NO release that was reduced by L-NMMA. IRL1620 (1 μM) did not cause any significant NO release. {"type":"entrez-nucleotide","attrs":{"text":"FR139317","term_id":"258103156","term_text":"FR139317"}}FR139317 (10 μM), but not, BQ788 (1 μM), inhibited the NO release induced by ET-1.
5. These results demonstrate that in the isolated guinea-pig trachea activation of ET_B receptors results in a contractile response, whereas activation of ET_A receptors cause both a contraction, and an epithelium-dependent relaxation that is mediated by NO release.