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Nicotine & Tobacco Research Advance Access originally published online on February 23, 2009
Nicotine & Tobacco Research 2009 11(3):270-277; doi:10.1093/ntr/ntn025
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© The Author 2009. Published by Oxford University Press on behalf of the Society for Research on Nicotine and Tobacco. All rights reserved. For permissions, please e-mail: journals.permissions@oxfordjournals.org

Nitric oxide synthase–dependent responses of the basilar artery during acute infusion of nicotine

William G. Mayhan, Denise M. Arrick, Glenda M. Sharpe and Hong Sun

William G. Mayhan, Ph.D., Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Denise M. Arrick, B.S., Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Glenda M. Sharpe, B.S., Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE
Hong Sun, M.D., Ph.D., Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, University of Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE

Corresponding Author: William G. Mayhan, Ph.D., Department of Cellular and Integrative Physiology, 985850 Nebraska Medical Center, Omaha, NE 68198-5850, USA. Telephone: 402-559-5329. Fax: 402-559-4438. Email: wgmayhan{at}unmc.edu


  Abstract

Introduction: Our goals were to determine whether acute exposure to nicotine alters nitric oxide synthase (NOS)–dependent responses of the basilar artery and to identify a potential role for activation of NAD(P)H oxidase in nicotine-induced impairment in NOS-dependent responses of the basilar artery.

Methods: We measured in vivo diameter of the basilar artery in response to NOS-dependent (acetylcholine) and NOS-independent (nitroglycerin) agonists before and during an acute infusion of nicotine (2 µg/kg/min intravenously for 30 min followed by a maintenance dose of 0.35 µg/kg/min). In addition, we measured superoxide anion production (lucigenin chemiluminescence) by the basilar artery in response to nicotine in the absence or presence of apocynin.

Results: We found that NOS-dependent, but not NOS-independent, vasodilation was impaired during infusion of nicotine. In addition, treatment of the basilar artery with apocynin (100 µM, 30 min prior to infusion of nicotine) prevented nicotine-induced impairment in NOS-dependent vasodilation. Further, the production of superoxide anion was increased in the basilar artery by nicotine, and this increase could be inhibited by apocynin.

Discussion: Our findings suggest that acute exposure to nicotine impairs NOS-dependent dilation of the basilar artery by a mechanism that appears to be related to the release of superoxide anion. A possible source of superoxide may be via the activation of NAD(P)H oxidase.

Received: March 11, 2008; Accepted: June 10, 2008
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