Role of endothelium-derived hyperpolarising factor in acetylcholine-mediated vasodilatation in skin

D. J. Newton, J. Davies, J. J. F. Belch, F. Khan

    Research output: Contribution to journalArticlepeer-review

    10 Citations (Scopus)

    Abstract

    Aim: Acetylcholine (ACh) is an endothelium-dependent vasodilator used to investigate endothelial function in the microcirculation. The mediators of its vasodilatory effects are not clear, but endothelium-derived hyperpolarising factor (EDHF) is thought to contribute, and appears to have particular importance in smaller peripheral vessels. The aim of this study was to investigate the role of EDHF in ACh-mediated vasodilator responses in human forearm skin. Methods: Laser Doppler imaging was used to measure forearm skin blood flow responses to iontophoretic administration of ACh in 7 healthy men. ACh in a 10-mg/mL solution was administered in accumulating doses using increasing delivery currents of 10, 15, 20, 50 and 100 µA. The measurements were repeated on subsequent visits when the effects of EDHF were blocked using intra-arterial sulphaphenazole at 2 mg/min (a cytochrome P-450 inhibitor), nitric oxide (NO) was blocked using intra-arterial administration of the NO synthetase inhibitor l-NG-monomethyl arginine (l-NMMA) at 4 µmol/min, and prostanoids were blocked with oral aspirin 1 g. Results: The microvascular response to ACh was significantly attenuated by sulphaphenazole alone (P=0.018), l-NMMA alone (P
    Original languageEnglish
    Pages (from-to)312-318
    Number of pages7
    JournalInternational Angiology
    Volume32
    Issue number3
    Publication statusPublished - Jun 2013

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