(Circulation. 1996;93:1734-1739.)
© 1996 American Heart Association, Inc.
Articles |
From the Cardiovascular Research Institute and Division of Cardiology, University of California at San Francisco.
Correspondence to K. Sudhir, MD, PhD, Box 0124, University of California at San Francisco, 505 Parnassus Ave, San Francisco, CA 94143-0124. E-mail sudhir@cardio.ucsf.edu.
| Abstract |
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Methods and Results In seven anesthetized dogs, a
Doppler guidewire was placed in the circumflex coronary
artery to measure coronary flow velocity, and an ultrasound
imaging catheter was introduced over the Doppler wire to measure
coronary cross-sectional area. Drugs were infused directly
into the left main coronary artery to minimize systemic
effects. Ramiprilat increased both epicardial
cross-sectional area and coronary blood flow velocity,
resulting in an increase in absolute coronary blood flow.
Pretreatment with
N
-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester
(100 µmol/L intracoronary) to block nitric oxide synthase
attenuated ramiprilat-induced increase in epicardial
coronary cross-sectional area (P<.05) but not
in coronary flow velocity or coronary blood flow. In
contrast, pretreatment with the selective bradykinin
antagonist HOE 140 (10 µmol/L) attenuated
ramiprilat-induced increase in flow velocity
(P<.025) and coronary blood flow
(P<.05) but not epicardial coronary
cross-sectional area. Pretreatment with
indomethacin (5 mg/kg body wt IV) did not alter
ramiprilat-induced increase in epicardial
cross-sectional area, nor did it significantly influence
coronary blood flow.
Conclusions Other than decreasing angiotensin II production, acute ramiprilat-induced vasodilation in canine coronary conductance arteries is mediated in part by nitric oxide. Ramiprilat-induced vasodilation in resistance arteries is in part mediated by the action of bradykinin.
Key Words: angiotensin blood flow bradykinin endothelium-derived factors
| Introduction |
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Vasodilator agents in the coronary circulation may predominantly influence either conductance or resistance arteries.11 The relative contributions of NO and prostaglandin release and of increased bradykinin levels to ACE inhibitioninduced vasodilation in large and small coronary arteries have not been adequately defined in vivo. In the present study, we examined the acute vasodilating properties of the ACE inhibitor ramiprilat in coronary conductance and resistance arteries in vivo by using simultaneous intravascular 2D and Doppler ultrasound. Using inhibitors of NO and prostaglandin synthesis and an antagonist to the bradykinin receptor, we examined the mechanism of its action in both large and small coronary arteries.
| Methods |
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Catheterization Procedures
Under fluoroscopic guidance, the left main coronary
artery was cannulated via the transfemoral approach with an 8F canine
guiding catheter (Advanced Cardiovascular Systems). As
previously described,11 12 a 0.014-in Doppler wire
(Cardiometrics Inc) was first introduced through the 8F guiding
catheter, after which a 4.3F ultrasound imaging catheter
(Cardiovascular Imaging Systems) was introduced
directly over the Doppler wire into the circumflex coronary
artery. The Doppler transducer was positioned 2 cm distal to the
tip of the imaging catheter.12
Experimental Protocols
Unless otherwise indicated, pharmacological agents were
administered directly into the coronary circulation through the
guiding catheter in the ostium of the left main coronary
artery. Measurements of coronary artery cross-sectional
area and flow velocity were made at 30-second intervals after each
administration. Intracoronary drug infusions were made over
a 1-minute period unless otherwise specified; final concentrations in
the coronary artery are indicated, assuming a flow rate of 80
mL/min, as previously described.2 11
Ramiprilat and HOE 140 were obtained from Hoechst-Roussel
Pharmaceuticals, and other drugs were obtained from Sigma Chemical
Co.
Ramiprilat was infused at concentrations increasing from 10-10 to 10-5 mol/L. With each concentration, sufficient time (range, 5 to 9 minutes) was allowed for epicardial coronary dimensions and flow velocity to return to baseline before the next dose was administered. The effect of ramiprilat (10-6 mol/L) was then assessed after the following pharmacological interventions, the order of which was randomized: (1) inhibition of NO synthesis by intracoronary administration of L-NAME to obtain a final concentration of 10-4 mol/L in the coronary artery13 ; (2) inhibition of prostaglandin synthesis by intravenous infusion of indomethacin (5 mg/kg IV over 5 minutes; Du Pont-Merck Pharmaceuticals) previous studies have suggested that this dose is sufficient to block prostaglandin synthesis14 ; and (3) inhibition of the bradykinin (B2) receptor by intracoronary administration of HOE 140 (10-5 mol/L).15 A washout period of at least 45 minutes was allowed between the administration of antagonists. Transvenous atrial pacing at a rate of 130 bpm was used during the entire study to prevent changes in heart rate.
2D Ultrasound System Description and Image
Analysis
The ultrasound catheter (4.3F) has a fixed 30-MHz transducer and
a rotating mirror assembly. Images are displayed on a video monitor;
axial resolution was
150 µm, and lateral resolution was
250
µm. Gain, contrast, and reject settings were adjusted by the operator
to yield a well-balanced gray-scale appearance on the video
display. Real-time images were stored on high-quality super VHS
videotape for subsequent off-line analysis. As previously
described,11 12 selected portions of the videotape were
digitized (12 bits; model 324, Rasterops) in real time (30 frames per
second) and stored on a computer disk for off-line determination of
luminal area.
Doppler Ultrasound System Description
Doppler-derived blood flow velocities were measured with
use of a 0.014-in steerable Doppler guidewire (FloWire;
Cardiometrics Inc). This guidewire system has a miniature Doppler
ultrasound crystal that transmits signals at a carrier frequency of 15
MHz and receives pulsed wave ultrasound signals, sampled at a distance
of 5 mm from the guidewire tip. The Doppler signals are
analyzed with a FloMap instrument (Cardiometrics Inc) in which
dedicated digital signal processing chips perform the fast Fourier
transformation required for the spectral display. The signals are
transformed into a gray scale, and the resultant spectrum is displayed
on a monitor. In our study, the ECG and arterial pressure
waveform were displayed simultaneously on the monitor; also
displayed were quantitative measurements of average peak velocity
throughout the cardiac cycle. The monitor display was continuously
recorded on VHS videotape for further off-line analysis
and comparison with corresponding cross-sectional ultrasound
images.
Calculations and Statistical Analysis
Luminal cross-sectional areas at baseline and after
administration of drugs were determined with computer-assisted
planimetry. Volumetric coronary blood flow was calculated with
the following equation: CBF=CSAxAPVx0.5, as previously
validated,12 where CBF is coronary blood flow, CSA
is cross-sectional area, and APV is average peak velocity.
Dose-response relations with ramiprilat were examined
with the use of ANOVA for repeated measures, followed by a post hoc
Student-Newman-Keuls test. The effects of L-NAME,
indomethacin, and HOE 140 on
ramiprilat-induced vasodilation were analyzed
with Student's t test for paired observations. Values are
expressed as mean±SEM.
| Results |
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Effect of Ramiprilat on Coronary Artery
Dimensions and Flow
At concentrations of 10-7 and higher,
ramiprilat caused a significant increase in
coronary cross-sectional area, average peak velocity, and
volumetric coronary blood flow, as shown in Fig 1
. The peak effect on coronary blood flow was
seen between 90 and 120 seconds, and the mean duration of the
vasodilator response was 10±3.5 minutes. No significant changes in
systemic arterial pressure or heart rate were observed with
any dose.
|
Effect of L-NAME on Ramiprilat-Induced
Coronary Vasodilation
There was a tendency for L-NAME to cause reduction in baseline
cross-sectional area (to 8.17±1.0 mm2;
P=.07), but average peak velocity remained unchanged
(25±4.3 cm/s). Blood pressure and heart rate remained unchanged with
L-NAME (Table
). The magnitude of ramiprilat-induced
increase in cross-sectional area was significantly attenuated by
L-NAME (P<.05), but the increases in average peak velocity
and coronary blood flow were unchanged by L-NAME (Fig 2
).
|
Effect of Indomethacin on
Ramiprilat-Induced Coronary
Vasodilation
Baseline cross-sectional area and average peak velocity
remained unchanged with indomethacin (9.0±1.1
mm2 and 25.5±3.3 cm/s, respectively). Blood pressure and
heart rate remained unchanged with indomethacin
(Table
). The magnitude of ramiprilat-induced increase
in cross-sectional area was unchanged by
indomethacin; however, there was a tendency for the
increase in average peak velocity to be attenuated by
indomethacin (P=.06) (Fig 3
).
Ramiprilat-induced increase in coronary blood
flow was not significantly attenuated by
indomethacin.
|
Effect of HOE 140 on Coronary Vasodilation Induced by
ACE Inhibition
After infusion of HOE 140, coronary artery
cross-sectional area (8.5±1.0 mm2) and
coronary blood flow velocity (26.2±3.8 cm/s) did not change
significantly. Blood pressure and heart rate remained unchanged with
HOE 140 (Table
). The magnitude of the increase in epicardial
coronary cross-sectional area did not change after HOE 140,
but ramiprilat-induced increases in blood flow velocity
(P<.025) and volumetric blood flow
(P<.05) were significantly attenuated by HOE 140 (Fig 4
).
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| Discussion |
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Recent studies have suggested that some vascular effects of ACE inhibitors may be mediated by mechanisms other than a decrease in local production of angiotensin II, such as decreased bradykinin breakdown, release of NO, and increased prostacyclin levels.17 18 19 The relative contribution of each of these mechanisms to vasodilation in conductance and resistance coronary arteries is unclear. Furthermore, the majority of published studies have been performed in vitro, either in cultured endothelial cells or in vascular ring preparations, and few studies have addressed the mechanisms of ACE inhibition in an in vivo model.
Previous studies have shown that although ACE inhibitors cause vasorelaxation in superfused vessels in large arteries, there appears to be little effect of these agents in bovine or canine coronary artery rings under no-flow conditions in organ chambers.20 Thus, flow may sensitize blood vessels to ACE inhibitorinduced vasodilation: our in vivo data are consistent with these observations. Studies in the superfused bovine coronary artery preparation showed that vasodilation induced by ACE inhibition was attenuated to a similar degree by a NO synthase inhibitor and a bradykinin (B2) receptor antagonist.21 However, in our in vivo study, only L-NAME inhibited ramiprilat-induced vasodilation in the epicardial coronary arteries; neither HOE 140 nor indomethacin attenuated ACE inhibitorinduced vasorelaxation in the conductance vessels. Our results suggest that the NO release induced by ramiprilat in the conductance arteries is not secondary to increased local bradykinin concentrations and subsequent bradykinin-induced NO release. NO has been reported to mediate the vasodepressor effect of ACE inhibitors in an animal model of hypertension.22 The selective angiotensin subtype 1 receptor antagonist losartan has also been shown to induce epicardial coronary arterial vasodilation that is attenuated in part by pretreatment with L-NAME.2 NO has also been shown to contribute to the renal vasodilator effect of both the ACE inhibitor lisinopril and the angiotensin subtype 1 receptor antagonist losartan.23 Angiotensin subtype 1 receptors occur on the endothelium: decreased local concentrations of angiotensin II may result in increased NO release. Our data with indomethacin further suggest that at the level of the epicardial coronary arteries, vasodilator prostaglandins do not play a significant role in ACE inhibitorinduced vasodilation.
In the coronary microcirculation, evidence from isolated perfused rabbit hearts suggests that ACE inhibitors potentiate local effects of bradykinin and thus induce vasorelaxation.21 In the isolated rat heart, the effects of ramipril were shown to be abolished by a bradykinin antagonist.24 Zanzinger et al25 demonstrated that in the microcirculation of conscious dogs, ACE inhibitors enhance vasomotor responses to endothelium-dependent agents by facilitating the release of both NO and prostaglandins through a mechanism coupled to endogenously formed bradykinin. Our in vivo study lends support to a bradykinin-dependent mechanism of ramiprilat-induced vasodilation in coronary resistance arteries. The mechanism of bradykinin-induced vasodilation in these arteries is, however, not entirely clear. NO release appears not to be involved because L-NAME had no influence on the response. With indomethacin, there was a trend to a decrease in ramiprilat-induced increase in flow velocity; however, the magnitude of this decrease was substantially less than the attenuation induced by HOE 140. Thus, we cannot exclude the possibility that increases in local bradykinin concentrations in response to ACE inhibition induce vasodilation in part via bradykinin-stimulated release of prostaglandins; however, it is likely that this occurs largely through a direct effect of B2 receptor stimulation. Our findings in coronary resistance arteries are similar to those of Ehring et al,26 who recently demonstrated in dogs that attenuation of myocardial stunning by the ACE inhibitor ramiprilat involves a signal cascade of bradykinin and prostaglandins but not NO.
Study Limitations
We did not explore other potential mechanisms of ACE
inhibitioninduced vasodilation. The vasoconstrictor effect of
angiotensin II may, in part, be sympathetically
mediated,27 28 and a sympatholytic effect may contribute
to vasodilation induced by ACE inhibition.29 Furthermore,
the measurement of absolute coronary blood flow with combined
2D and Doppler ultrasound may have some inaccuracy inherent in the
technique.12 However, all of our inferences are based on
within-animal comparisons and paired data, and the final emphasis
is on change from baseline rather than on absolute values. So, it is
unlikely that the interpretation of our data was influenced by the
measurement technique.
Potential Clinical Applications
Two recent studiesthe Survival and Ventricular
Enlargement study30 and the Acute Infarction Ramipril
Efficacy (AIRE) study31 have shown survival beneficial
effects of captopril and ramipril, respectively, in patients after an
acute myocardial infarction. It is possible that some of the benefits
of ACE inhibition may be mediated via an increase in myocardial blood
flow. The beneficial effect of ramipril in the AIRE study was observed
within the first 30 days of treatment. During this period, improvement
in myocardial blood flow may accelerate recovery of reversibly injured
myocardium, as suggested by the study of Ehring et
al.26 The contribution of NO and bradykinin in large and
small coronary arteries to ACE
inhibitorinduced vasorelaxation suggests that
mechanisms other than inhibition of angiotensin II may play
a role in its vasoprotective effects. However, the present study
was performed in anesthetized dogs with a normal
coronary circulation, and the effects of ACE inhibition in
diseased human coronary arteries may be different.
In conclusion, ramiprilat induces direct vasodilation in coronary conductance and resistance arteries, possibly via mechanisms in addition to decreases in local or circulating angiotensin II. In large arteries, the vasorelaxation is largely NO dependent, whereas in small arteries, bradykinin appears to play a major role. Further studies are required to elucidate the clinical relevance of these findings.
| Selected Abbreviations and Acronyms |
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| Acknowledgments |
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| Footnotes |
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Received July 12, 1995; revision received November 9, 1995; accepted November 15, 1995.
| References |
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