Functional role of endothelin ETA and ETB receptors in venous and arterial smooth muscle.

The functional importance of endothelin ETA and ETB receptors in selected arterial and venous smooth muscle preparations was characterized. Endothelin-1 induced force in the saphenous and jugular veins is normally mediated by endothelin ETB-like receptors. However, desensitization or pharmacological block of these receptors reveals an endothelin ETA receptor population that is of sufficient size to mediate full endothelin-1-evoked force. Block of either endothelin ETA or endothelin ETB receptors alone is insufficient to antagonize endothelin-1-evoked force in saphenous vein. Endothelin-1-induced force in hamster aorta may also be mediated by activation of both endothelin ETA and ETB receptors. However, activation of endothelin ETB-like receptors alone is insufficient to generate a full endothelin-1 response. Sarafotoxin S6c treatment, to desensitize endothelin ETB receptors, failed to affect the responses of rat aorta and rabbit carotid artery to endothelin-1 or endothelin ETA receptor antagonists. These findings indicate that selective endothelin receptor antagonists will vary enormously in their efficacy against endothelin-induced force in different vascular beds.