J. X. Zhang, W. Pegoli Jr and M. G. Clemens
Department of Surgery, Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland 21287.
We studied the hepatic microvascular response to endothelin (ET) and the possible role of Ito cells (fat-storing cells) acting as pericytes in this response using isolated rat livers under high-power intravital microscopy. Livers were perfused in a modified pressure-controlled system with Krebs buffer plus rat erythrocytes (RBC, 10%), and sinusoids at the site of Ito cells were observed under a x 100 objective (total magnification x 2,533) before and during infusion of ET-1 (10(-9 M) alone, sodium nitroprusside (NP, 10(-5) M). plus ET-1, or phenylephrine (PE, 10(-7) M). Both ET-1 and PE decreased portal flow (25 and 51%) and increased inflow pressure (28 and 43%), respectively. PE had no effect on any sinusoidal parameters except that it decreased measured sinusoidal RBC velocity (P < 0.05); ET-1 decreased sinusoidal diameter by 25% and increased the calculated sinusoidal pressure gradient and resistance by 116 and 350%, respectively, but did not alter RBC velocity. NP significantly inhibited changes induced by ET-1. These results demonstrate that ET-1 induces a specific sinusoidal constriction that disrupts normal acinar flow dynamics, and the sinusoidal constriction colocalizes with Ito cells, suggesting that the constriction may be mediated at least in part by ET-1 action on Ito cells, which can beinhibited by a nitric oxide donor.
Xanya Sofra Weiss
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