Inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation, vascular tone, and [Ca2+]i in the perfused rat tail artery.

We investigated the possibility that the inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation in vascular smooth muscle attenuates norepinephrine- or KCl-evoked vasoconstriction with no change in mobilization of intracellular calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i). Experiments were performed in perfused segments of the rat tail artery loaded with the intracellular calcium dye fura 2, in the absence and presence of dinitrophenol or sodium cyanide; inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation was evaluated from the fall in intracellular ATP levels. The metabolic inhibitors reduced vasoconstriction with no change in [Ca2+]i handling, suggesting that 1) inhibition of oxidative phosphorylation attenuates vasoconstriction via a mechanism downstream of [Ca2+]i, and 2) [Ca2+]i homeostasis (both increases and decreases in [Ca2+]i) can be maintained in the presence of inhibitors of oxidative phosphorylation.