thapsigargin and Hemolysis

Erythrocyte lysate (hemolysate) released from blood clot after subarachnoid hemorrhage is the causative agent for chronic cerebral vasospasm, a prolonged contraction of cerebral arteries. Fibroblasts, the outer layer cells of vessel wall that in contact with blood clot directly, may contribute to cerebral vasospasm. However, the effect of hemolysate on intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) mobilization in fibroblasts has not been studied. We investigated hemolysate-induced [Ca2+]i mobilization in cultured neonatal human dermal and canine middle cerebral arterial fibroblasts by using fura-2 microfluorimetry. Hemolysate increased [Ca2+]i by releasing internal Ca2+ stores and promoting Ca2+ entry. Tyrosine kinase inhibitors partially but significantly reduced the effect of hemolysate. The major components of hemolysate, oxyhemoglobin (OxyHb) and adenosine triphosphate (ATP) failed to mimic the effect of hemolysate. In cultured canine middle cerebral arterial fibroblasts, hemolysate produced similar Ca2+ mobilization to that of dermal cells. OxyHb and ATP failed again to reproduce the effect of hemolysate. We conclude that hemolysate increases [Ca2+]i in fibroblasts and this effect of hemolysate is not mediated by OxyHb or ATP but by some unknown factors.

Topics: Animals; Calcium; Cells, Cultured; Cerebral Arteries; Dogs; Enzyme Inhibitors; Extracellular Space; Fibroblasts; Hemolysis; Humans; Intracellular Membranes; Osmolar Concentration; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; Thapsigargin

Endothelial cells are affected in the cerebral vasospasm that occurs at the time of erthyrocyte lysis in a subarachnoid clot. A red blood cell lysate was added to bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells in vitro to determine whether hemolysate can trigger tyrosine kinase mediated cell signalling and if so, whether this signal is independent of the elevation of intracellular free calcium levels, [Ca2+]i induced by hemolysate. Hemolysate was found by Western blotting to induce a dose dependent increase in the level of tyrosine phosphorylation of two proteins, approximately 60 and 110 kD, that was maximal between 1 and 2 min. The biphasic increase in [Ca2+]i induced by hemolysate consists of a peak complete within 1 min which is the result of release of intracellular calcium stores and a plateau phase due to an influx of extracellular Ca2+. Addition of hemolysate to cells in the presence of EGTA indicated that an extracellular Ca2+ influx is not required for the increases in tyrosine phosphorylation. Release of intracellular Ca2+ stores by thapsigargin, a Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor, was, however, found to increase the phosphotyrosine content of the same 60 and 110 kD proteins. Endothelial cells pretreated with tyrosine kinase inhibitors, tyrphostin 25 or genistein, before exposure to hemolysate blocked the plateau phase of the [Ca2+]i response indicating that tyrosine kinase activity is required for the influx. Ca2+ and phosphotyrosine mediated cell signalling induced by hemolysate in endothelial cells may be activated by a single component but represent distinct targets for possible control of the cerebral vasospasm response.

Topics: Animals; Calcium; Cattle; Cells, Cultured; Dogs; Endothelium, Vascular; Enzyme Inhibitors; Genistein; Hemolysis; Ischemic Attack, Transient; Isoflavones; Nitriles; Phosphoproteins; Phosphorylation; Phosphotyrosine; Protein Processing, Post-Translational; Protein-Tyrosine Kinases; Pulmonary Artery; Signal Transduction; Subarachnoid Hemorrhage; Thapsigargin; Tyrphostins