1-3-dihydroxy-4-4-5-5-tetramethyl-2-(4-carboxyphenyl)tetrahydroimidazole and hydroquinone

Relaxation induced by NANC-nerve stimulation is reduced by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors but not by superoxide generators or NO scavengers, casting doubts on the precise nature of the neurotransmitter being released by these nerves. The lack of effect of superoxide anion generators to inhibit nitrergic nerve-mediated relaxations has been attributed to the protective action of high tissue levels of superoxide dismutase (SOD). The effects of hydroquinone, hydroxocobalamin and carboxy-PTIO, three NO inactivators which do not depend on superoxide anion generation, upon nitrergic nerve-mediated relaxations of the rat proximal duodenum were determined in order to elucidate whether they are mediated by free NO. GABA and nicotine caused relaxations of isolated segments of the rat proximal duodenum in a concentration-dependent manner that were abolished by tetrodotoxin (TTX). Similarly, transmural electrical stimulation (TES) caused frequency-dependent relaxations that were also abolished by TTX. The NOS inhibitors L-NAME and L-NOARG reduced in a concentration-dependent manner nerve-mediated relaxations elicited by TES, nicotine and GABA. The effect of NOS inhibitors was prevented by L-arginine but not D-arginine. NO caused concentration-dependent relaxations that were not affected by TTX or L-NOARG but were abolished by hydroquinone, hydroxocobalamin and carboxy-PTIO. In contrast, these compounds failed to affect TES-, nicotine- and GABA-induced relaxations. The lack of effect of hydroquinone, hydroxocobalamin and carboxy-PTIO upon nerve-mediated relaxations was unaltered by pretreatment with the SOD irreversible inhibitor DETCA. The present findings show that nitrergic nerve-mediated relaxations of the rat duodenum are unaffected by NO inactivators that do not generate superoxide anion. It is suggested that either a NO-containing molecule that is unreactive with the inactivators tested is the inhibitory neurotransmitter released by nitrergic nerves or that NOS activity fulfills another role in nitrergic nerves which could be related to the release of an still unidentified transmitter.

Topics: Animals; Autonomic Nervous System; Benzoates; Duodenum; Electric Stimulation; gamma-Aminobutyric Acid; Hematinics; Hydroquinones; Hydroxocobalamin; Imidazoles; Male; Muscle Relaxation; Muscle, Smooth; NG-Nitroarginine Methyl Ester; Nitroarginine; Rats; Rats, Wistar

1. The effects of inhibiting endogenous Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD) with diethyldithiocarbamate (DETCA) were examined on the ability of hydroquinone, hydroxocobalamin and carboxy-PTIO to block nitrergic relaxation in the bovine retractor penis (BRP) muscle. 2. Incubation of strips of BRP with DETCA (3 mM) for 2 h reduced SOD activity from 73.1 +/- 15.7 to 8.2 +/- 1.9 units mg-1 protein. 3. Hydroquinone (10 microM--1 mM) produced weak inhibition of nitrergic (4 Hz, 10 s) relaxation in control strips of BRP, but powerful inhibition in strips treated with DETCA (3 mM, 2 h). Exogenous SOD (250 units ml--1) produced a partial blockade of the ability of hydroquinone to inhibit nitrergic relaxation in DETCA-treated strips. 4. In an assay of SOD-inhibitable reduction of cytochrome C, hypoxanthine (0.1 mM)/xanthine oxidase (16 munits ml-1) and pyrogallol (10 microM), led to the rapid generation of superoxide anion. Hydroquinone (10 microM) also led to the generation of the free radical, although the rate of generation was slower. 5. Two NO-scavenging agents, hydroxocobalamin (0.1 microM--1 mM) and carboxy-PTIO (0.1-1 mM), produced concentration-dependent blockade of nitrergic relaxation of the BRP. The magnitude of the blockade induced by these agents was unaffected following treatment with DETCA or SOD. 6. The findings with hydroquinone support our previous proposal that endogenous Cu/Zn SOD plays a vital role in protecting nitrergic neurotransmission from inactivation by superoxide anion. Results with hydroxocobalamin and carboxy-PTIO are consistent with the known ability of these agents to scavenge NO. The nitrergic neurotransmitter in the BRP thus appears to have the properties of NO.

Topics: Animals; Benzoates; Cattle; Estradiol; Hematinics; Hydroquinones; Hydroxocobalamin; Imidazoles; Male; Muscle Relaxation; Muscle, Smooth; Mutagens; Nitric Oxide; Penis; Pyrogallol; Superoxide Dismutase

1. The potential protective effect of several antioxidants [Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (Cu/Zn SOD), ascorbate, reduced glutathione (GSH), and alpha-tocopherol (alpha-TOC)] on relaxations of the mouse anococcygeus muscle to nitric oxide (NO; 15 microM) and, where appropriate, nitrergic field stimulation (10 Hz; 10 s trains) was investigated. 2. The superoxide anion generating drug duroquinone (100 microM) reduced relaxations to exogenous NO by 54 +/- 6%; this inhibition was partially reversed by Cu/Zn SOD (250 u ml-1), and by ascorbate (500 microM). Following inhibition of endogenous Cu/Zn SOD activity with diethyldithiocarbamate (DETCA), duroquinone (50 microM) also reduced relaxations to nitrergic field stimulation (by 53 +/- 6%) and this effect was again reversed by Cu/Zn SOD and by ascorbate. Neither GSH (500 microM) nor alpha-TOC (400 microM) afforded any protection against duroquinone. 3. Xanthine (20 mu ml-1); xanthine oxidase (100 microM) inhibited NO-induced relaxations by 73 +/- 14%, but had no effect on those to nitrergic field stimulation, even after DETCA treatment. The inhibition of exogenous NO was reduced by Cu/Zn SOD (250 u ml-1) and ascorbate (400 microM), but was unaffected by GSH or alpha-TOC (both 400 microM). 4. Hydroquinone (100 microM) also inhibited relaxations to NO (by 52 +/- 10%), but not nitrergic stimulation. In this case, however, the inhibition was reversed by GSH (5-100 microM) and ascorbate (100-400 microM), although Cu/Zn SOD and alpha-TOC were ineffective. 5. 2-(4-Carboxyphenyl)-4,4,5,5-tetramethylimidazoline-1-oxyl-3-oxide (carboxy-PTIO, 50 microM) inhibited NO-induced relaxations by 50 +/- 4%, but had no effect on nitrergic responses; the inhibition was reduced by ascorbate (2-200 microM) and alpha-TOC (10-200 microM), but not by Cu/Zn SOD or GSH. 6. Hydroxocobalamin (5-100 microM) inhibited, equally, relaxations to both NO (-logIC40 3.14 +/- 0.33) and nitrergic stimulation (-logIC40 3.17 +/- 0.22). 7. Thus, a number of physiological antioxidants protected NO from superoxide anions, and from direct NO-scavengers. The possibility that the presence of these antioxidants within nitrergically-innervated tissues might explain the lack of effect of the NO inhibitors on nerve-induced relaxation, without the need to invoke a transmitter other than free radical NO, is discussed.

Topics: Animals; Antioxidants; Benzoates; Benzoquinones; Electric Stimulation; Hydroquinones; Imidazoles; Male; Mice; Mice, Inbred Strains; Muscle Relaxation; Muscle, Smooth; Nitric Oxide; Superoxides; Xanthine; Xanthine Oxidase; Xanthines