Role of Endothelium in the Contractions Induced by Norepinephrine and Clonidine in Rat Aorta

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The inhibitory effects of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) on the contractions induced by norepinephrine and clonidine in rat aorta were examined. Carbachol induced a relaxation of norepinephrine-induced contraction in rat aorta with endothelium. Removal of endothelium inhibited the carbacholinduced relaxation and increased the magnitude of norepinephrine-induced contraction. Quinacrine, a phospholipase A₂ inhibitor, methylene blue, a guanylate cyclase inhibitor and tetraethylammonium, a potassium permeability inhibitor, inhibited carbachol-induced relaxation and augmented the magnitude of norepinephrine-induced contraction only when endothelium was present. Clonidine induced a contraction when endothelium was removed or muscle was treated with methylene blue. The contractions induced by norepinephrine and clonidine were equally sensitive to prazosin and equally less sensitive to yohimbine. Clonidine inhibited the norepinephrine-induced contraction, whereas it potentiated the angiotensin II- or 12 mM K-induced contractions in the aorta with endothelium. The inhibitory effect of clonidine on the norepinephrine-induced contraction was reduced by endothelium-removal and by methylene blue but not by yohimbine. These results suggest that norepinephrine has a strong direct stimulating action and clonidine has a weak one on vascular smooth muscle cells possibly mediated by α₁-adrenoceptors, and their contractile effects are inhibited by the spontaneously released EDRF.