NO-containing factors mediate hindlimb vasodilation produced by superior laryngeal nerve stimulation.

The electrical stimulation (ES) of the superior laryngeal nerve (SLN) produces reflex vasodilation in the rat hindlimb. This study determined whether this vasodilation is mediated by the release of nitric oxide (NO)-containing factors (NOF) from NO synthase (NOS)-positive postganglionic lumbar sympathetic fibers that innervate the rat hindlimb vasculature. ES of the SLN (1-10 Hz for 15 s) produced frequency-dependent reductions in mean arterial blood pressure (MAP) and hindlimb and mesenteric (MR) vascular resistances. The hindlimb vasodilation was not observed in rats in which the lumbar sympathetic trunk was transected 7-10 days previously. The falls in hindquarter vascular resistance (HQR) produced by lower intensity ES of the SLN were virtually abolished by the specific inhibitor of neuronal NOS 7-nitroindazole (7-NI, 45 mg/kg i.v.). The fall in HQR produced by 10 Hz ES of the SLN was not affected by 7-NI. The falls in MR produced by 1-10 Hz ES of the SLN were unaffected by 7-NI. Four consecutive episodes of ES at 10 Hz produced pronounced and equivalent reductions in MAP, HQR, and MR. After administration of 7-NI, the first ES produced similar hemodynamic responses to those observed before injection. However, each subsequent ES produced progressively and markedly smaller falls in HQR, whereas each episode of ES produced similar falls in MR. These results suggest that the reflex vasodilation in the rat hindlimb produced by ES of the SLN involves the release of newly synthesized and performed stores of NOF from NOS-positive postganglionic lumbar sympathetic nerves.