Endothelium-dependent contraction to stretch in canine basilar arteries.

Stretch applied to isolated canine basilar arteries caused the development of active tension in rings with endothelium but not in those in which the endothelium had been removed. Blockade of calcium entry with diltiazem or inhibition of cyclooxygenase with indomethacin abolished the endothelium-dependent response to stretch. These observations suggest that the endothelium may contribute to the autoregulation of cerebral blood flow during increases in transmural pressure by the increased production and/or release of prostaglandins, which causes activation of the underlying vascular smooth muscle.