Comparison of spontaneously released endothelium-derived relaxing factor in cerebral and extracerebral arteries in rabbits.

To investigate regional differences in spontaneously released endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), a bioassay of spontaneously released EDRF was performed on rabbit basilar, ear, common carotid and thoracic arteries using an isometric tension measurement technique and a measurement of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) content in the vascular smooth muscle. The amount of spontaneously released EDRF was higher in the basilar artery than in any other arteries examined (p < 0.01). The levels of cGMP were 57.3 +/- 4.4 (n = 7) in basilar, 26.5 +/- 4.3 (n = 6) in ear, 24.5 +/- 2.3 (n = 11) in common carotid, and 30.3 +/- 3.8 pmol/g tissue (n = 8) in thoracic artery with endothelium, while endothelium-denuded arteries showed 24.2 +/- 6.6 (n = 5), 17.5 +/- 5.1 (n = 6), 20.1 +/- 2.9 (n = 7) and 14.4 +/- 2.3 pmol/g tissue (n = 8) in the same order. Haemoglobin (10(-5) M, incubated with the artery for 5 min, significantly reduced the level of cGMP in all vessels with endothelium: 35.3 +/- 4.4 (basilar), 16.0 +/- 2.1 (ear), 14.0 +/- 1.9 (common carotid) and 8.7 +/- 1.2 pmol/g tissue (thoracic artery). Since endothelium-dependent relaxation is associated with a rise in the cGMP content of the smooth muscle cell, the data of cGMP measurement in addition to the bioassay of spontaneously released EDRF in tension measurement suggests that the spontaneous release of EDRF is much greater in the basilar artery than in extracerebral arteries. It is concluded that the intensity of the spontaneously released EDRF is relatively higher in the intracerebral artery than in the extracerebral artery.