Masato Tsutsui

Vasculoprotective roles of neuronal nitric oxide synthase

Nitric oxide (NO) has multiple important actions that contribute to the maintenance of vascular homeostasis. NO is synthesized by three different isoforms of NO synthase (NOS), all of which have been reported to be expressed in human atherosclerotic vascular lesions. Although the regulatory roles of endothelial NOS (eNOS) and inducible NOS (iNOS) on the development of atherosclerosis have been described, little is known about the role of neuronal NOS (nNOS). Here, we show that nNOS also exerts important vasculoprotective effects in vivo. In a carotid artery ligation model, nNOS gene‐deficient (nNOS‐KO) mice exhibited accelerated neointimal formation and constrictive vascular remodeling caused by blood flow disruption. In a rat balloon injury model, the selective inhibition of nNOS activity potently enhanced vasoconstrictor responses to a variety of calcium‐mobilizing stimuli, suppressed tissue cGMP concentrations, a marker of vascular NO production, and exacerbated neointimal formation. In both models, nNOS was absent before injury and was up‐regulated only after the injury, and was predominantly expressed in the neointima and medial smooth muscle cells. These results provide the first direct evidence that nNOS plays important roles in suppressing arteriosclerotic vascular lesion formation in vivo.

Regulation of Catecholamine Synthesis by Leptin

Abstract: Obesity is often associated with cardiovascular and metabolic disorders such as hypertension and hyperglycemia. Leptin, a protein product of the obese gene, regulates satiety and energy expenditure through its receptors in the hypothalamus. Recent studies have shown that leptin has extrahypothalamic and peripheral actions. The presence of leptin receptors has been reported in the adrenal medulla. In the present study, we examined the effects of leptin on catecholamine synthesis in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells. Leptin (3‐30 nM) caused a significant increase in 14C‐catecholamine synthesis from [14C] tyrosine, but not from [14C] DOPA. Incubation of cells with leptin resulted in an activation and phosphorylation of tyrosine hydroxylase. Leptin caused a transient activation of mitogen‐activated protein kinases (MAPKs). U0126, an inhibitor of MAPK kinase, abolished the effect of leptin on 14C‐catecholamine synthesis. High concentrations of leptin (10‐100 nM) produced an increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration, which was blocked by Cd2+, an inhibitor of voltage‐dependent Ca2+ channels. Concurrent treatment of cells with leptin (10 nM) and acetylcholine (0.3 mM) potently enhanced the stimulatory effect of acetylcholine on 14C‐catecholamine synthesis. Leptin, however, failed to enhance the stimulatory effect of acetylcholine on the phosphorylation and activity of tyrosine hydroxylase. Acetylcholine (0.3 mM) decreased the intracellular pH (pHi). Leptin (10 nM) affected neither the basal pHi nor the acetylcholine‐induced fall in pHi. These findings suggest that leptin phosphorylates and activates tyrosine hydroxylase and subsequently stimulates catecholamine synthesis through MAPK and probably Ca2+ pathways in the adrenal medulla.

Upregulation of Vascular Extracellular Superoxide Dismutase in Patients With Acute Coronary Syndromes

Objective—We examined the vascular expression levels of extracellular superoxide dismutase (EC-SOD), a major antioxidant enzyme in the cardiovascular system, in patients with acute coronary syndromes. Methods and Results—Twenty-one consecutive patients with acute myocardial infarction (AMI), 14 patients with unstable angina, 11 patients with stable angina, and 20 control subjects were studied. The levels of vascular EC-SOD expression were assessed by the difference in plasma EC-SOD concentrations before and after intravenous heparan injection. In the patients with AMI, vascular EC-SOD expression (ng/mL) was significantly higher on day 1 after the onset of AMI (148±10) as compared with the control subjects (116±6, P <0.05). The vascular EC-SOD expression returned to the normal range on day 7 (104±8), and that level persisted thereafter. The vascular EC-SOD expression was also significantly higher in the patients with unstable angina (160±13) than in those with stable angina (122±10) or in the controls (116±6) (P <0.05 each). Moreover, in the patients with AMI, higher levels of vascular EC-SOD expression on day 1 were significantly associated with smaller myocardial infarct size (P <0.05). Conclusions—This is the first clinical demonstration showing that vascular EC-SOD may be upregulated in acute coronary syndromes in humans in vivo. EC-SOD may play an important protective role against increased oxidative stress during acute ischemic coronary events.

Stimulation of catecholamine synthesis by orexin-A in bovine adrenal medullary cells through orexin receptor 1.

Orexin-A has recently been identified as a new hypothalamic peptide working as a mediator in the regulation of feeding behavior and sleep control. To determine the role of orexin-A in peripheral metabolic processes, we examined direct effects of orexin-A on catecholamine synthesis and secretion in cultured bovine adrenal medullary cells. Incubation of cells with orexin-A (100 pM) for 20 min caused a small but significant increase in 14C-catecholamine synthesis from [14C]tyrosine, but not from L-3,4-dihydroxyphenyl[3-14C]alanine. Orexin-A (100 pM) potentiated the stimulatory effects of acetylcholine (0.3 mM) on 14C-catecholamine synthesis. Orexin-A significantly increased tyrosine hydroxylase activity, which was evident at 1 pM and maximal at 100 pM. 4 beta-Phorbol-12 beta-myristate-13 alpha-acetate, an activator of protein kinase C, did not enhance the stimulatory effects of orexin-A on tyrosine hydroxylase activity, while H-7 and staurosporine, inhibitors of protein kinase C, nullified the effects of orexin-A. Orexin-A had little effect on catecholamine secretion from the cells. Orexin receptor 1 (OX(1)R) but not orexin receptor 2 (OX(2)R) mRNA was detected in bovine adrenal medullary cells by reverse transcriptase-polymerase chain reaction. These findings suggest that orexin-A activates tyrosine hydroxylase and then stimulates catecholamine synthesis, probably via activation of the OX(1)R-protein kinase C pathway in adrenal medullary cells.