Pharmacological comparison of endothelium-dependent relaxation in isolated cerebral and extracerebral arteries

Endothelium-dependent relaxation was induced by acetylcholine (ACh), adenosine triphosphate (ATP), and thrombin in isolated cerebral and extracerebral arteries obtained from rabbits and dogs. Using an isometric tension-recording method, the authors then examined the difference in the extent of relaxation between the cerebral and extracerebral arteries. In rabbits, the dose-response curve of the basilar artery for ACh was significantly different (p less than 0.05) from curves of the femoral and common carotid arteries. The IC50 value (the concentration inducing a one-half inhibition of the initial contractile tone) for the basilar artery in ACh-induced relaxation was significantly higher (p less than 0.05) than for the common carotid artery, although the mean maximum relaxation of the basilar artery to ACh was not significantly different from that seen in extracerebral arteries. The relaxing effect of ACh in dogs was much less in the middle cerebral and basilar arteries than in the common carotid, vertebral, and femoral arteries. On the other hand, both ATP (in rabbits and dogs) and thrombin (in dogs) induced significantly more (p less than 0.05) relaxation in the cerebral arteries than in the extracerebral arteries. Endothelium-dependent relaxation induced by ACh or ATP has been demonstrated in a wide range of arteries from a variety of animals. The present results suggest that ATP has a more important role than ACh in the regulation of the vascular tone of the major cerebral arteries in these two species.