Effects of the selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor nimesulide on vascular contractions in endothelium-denuded rat aorta

• Published in: European journal of pharmacology Vol. 352; no. 1; pp. 53 - 58
• Main Authors: Connolly, Claire, McCormick, P.A, Docherty, J.R
• Format: Journal Article
• Language: English
• Published: Amsterdam Elsevier B.V 03.07.1998; Elsevier
• Subjects: Animals; Aorta - drug effects; Aorta - physiology; Aorta, rat; Biological and medical sciences; Bones, joints and connective tissue. Antiinflammatory agents; Bridged Bicyclo Compounds, Heterocyclic; Clonidine; Clonidine - pharmacology; Cyclooxygenase; Cyclooxygenase 2; Cyclooxygenase 2 Inhibitors; Cyclooxygenase Inhibitors - pharmacology; Endothelin-1 - pharmacology; Endothelium, Vascular - drug effects; Endothelium, Vascular - physiology; Fatty Acids, Unsaturated; Hydrazines - pharmacology; In Vitro Techniques; Indomethacin; Indomethacin - pharmacology; Isoenzymes - drug effects; Male; Medical sciences; Muscle Contraction - drug effects; Nifedipine; Nifedipine - pharmacology; Nimesulide; Pharmacology. Drug treatments; Phenylephrine - pharmacology; Potassium Chloride - pharmacology; Prostaglandin-Endoperoxide Synthases - drug effects; Rats; Rats, Wistar; Sulfonamides - pharmacology; Cyclooxygenase; Clonidine; Nimesulide; Indomethacin; Aorta, rat; Nifedipine; Prostaglandin-endoperoxide synthase; Agonist; Rat; Indometacin; Smooth muscle; Vasomotricity; Blood vessel; Indoleacetic acid derivatives; Aorta; Dihydropyridine derivatives; Mechanism of action; α2-Adrenergic receptor; Potassium Chlorine; Enzyme; Rodentia; Vasoconstriction; Enzyme inhibitor; Endothelin 1; In vitro; Artery; Endothelium; Non steroidal antiinflammatory agent; Vertebrata; Mammalia; Analgesic; Animal; Oxidoreductases; Circulatory system
• ISSN: 0014-2999; 1879-0712
• DOI: 10.1016/S0014-2999(98)00334-3

We have examined the effects of the selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitor nimesulide and the non-selective cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin on vascular responsiveness of endothelium-denuded rat aorta. Isometric contractions were obtained to the α-adrenoceptor agonists phenylephrine (full agonist) and clonidine (partial agonist relative to phenylephrine) and to endothelin-1 and KCl. Maximum contractile responses to the partial agonist clonidine were significantly reduced by nimesulide (10 μM) and by indomethacin (10 μM) to 60.8±8.5% ( n=8) and 69.0±9.6% ( n=12) of control, respectively, as compared with the effects of vehicle (99.0±5.8%; n=17). The inhibitors had lesser effects against contractions to phenylephrine: nimesulide had no significant effect, whereas indomethacin caused a small but significant reduction in the maximum contraction to phenylephrine to 90.3±5.0% ( n=12) of control (vehicle: 108.0±5.2%, n=15 nimesulide: 111.8±5.9%, n=5). Neither nimesulide nor indomethacin had any effect on contractions to endothelin-1 or KCl. These actions differed from the effects of the Ca 2+ entry blocker nifedipine, which significantly reduced contractions to clonidine and KCl to a similar extent. The maximum contraction to clonidine was also significantly reduced by the thromboxane receptor antagonist SQ 29548 (1 μM) to 83.4±6.4% of control ( n=7) (vehicle 115.5±7.5%, n=7). It is concluded that the cyclooxygenase inhibitors nimesulide or indomethacin reduce vascular responsiveness to α-adrenoceptor agonists in endothelium-denuded rat aorta, presumably by preventing the formation of vasoconstrictor prostaglandins in aortic smooth muscle by cyclooxygenase-2. This reduced vascular responsiveness was most clearly seen with the partial agonist clonidine.