Vasodilatation by endothelium-derived nitric oxide as a major determinant of noradrenaline release.

In the anaesthetized rabbit, L-NG-monomethyl-arginine (L-NMMA), a specific inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) formation, was used to assess the role of endothelium-derived NO in the regulation of haemodynamics and noradrenaline release (RNA). L-NMMA dose-dependently increased mean arterial pressure and total peripheral resistance (TPR), but decreased heart rate, cardiac output and RNA. The curvilinear relationship between RNA and TPR obtained for L-NMMA was virtually identical with that produced by phenylephrine, indicating that L-NMMA-induced decreases in RNA are mediated by the baroreflex. Since the maximum RNA inhibition by L-NMMA was 69%, the counterregulation against peripheral vasodilatation by endothelium-derived NO accounts for 69% of basal RNA.