Cigarette smoking impairs Na+-K+-ATPase activity in the human coronary microcirculation. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 2011 Jan;300(1):H109-17
Date
11/16/2010Pubmed ID
21076023Pubmed Central ID
PMC3023254DOI
10.1152/ajpheart.00237.2010Scopus ID
2-s2.0-78651273062 (requires institutional sign-in at Scopus site) 16 CitationsAbstract
The extracellular K(+) concentration ([K(+)](o)) has been proposed to link cardiac metabolism with coronary perfusion and arrhythmogenesis, particularly during ischemia. Several animal studies have also supported K(+) as an EDHF that activates Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase and/or inwardly rectifying K(+) (K(ir)) channels. Therefore, we examined the vascular reactivity of human coronary arterioles (HCAs) to small elevations in [K(+)](o), the influence of risk factors for coronary disease, and the role of K(+) as an EDHF. Changes in the internal diameter of HCAs were recorded with videomicroscopy. Most vessels dilated to increases in [K(+)](o) with a maximal dilation of 55 ± 6% primarily at 12.5-20.0 mM KCl (n = 38, average: 16 ± 1 mM). Ouabain, a Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase inhibitor, alone reduced the dilation, and the addition of Ba(2+), a K(ir) channel blocker, abolished the remaining dilation, whereas neither endothelial denudation nor Ba(2+) alone reduced the dilation. Multivariate analysis revealed that cigarette smoking was the only risk factor associated with impaired dilation to K(+). Ouabain significantly reduced the vasodilation in HCAs from subjects without cigarette smoking but not in those with smoking. Cigarette smoking downregulated the expression of the Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase catalytic α(1)-subunit but not Kir2.1 in the vessels. Ouabain abolished the dilation in endothelium-denuded vessels to a same extent to that with the combination of ouabain and Ba(2+) in endothelium-intact vessels, whereas neither ouabain nor ouabain plus Ba(2+) reduced EDHF-mediated dilations to bradykinin and ADP. A rise in [K(+)](o) dilates HCAs primarily via the activation of Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase in vascular smooth muscle cells with a considerable contribution of K(ir) channels in the endothelium, indicating that [K(+)](o) may modify coronary microvascular resistance in humans. Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase activity is impaired in subjects who smoke, possibly contributing to dysregulation of the coronary microcirculation, excess ischemia, and arrhythmogenesis in those subjects. K(+) does not likely serve as an EDHF in the human coronary arteriolar dilation to bradykinin and ADP.
Author List
Miura H, Toyama K, Pratt PF, Gutterman DDMESH terms used to index this publication - Major topics in bold
AdultAged
Aged, 80 and over
Analysis of Variance
Arterioles
Biological Factors
Coronary Circulation
Coronary Vessels
Endothelium, Vascular
Female
Humans
Male
Microcirculation
Middle Aged
Multivariate Analysis
Muscle, Smooth, Vascular
Ouabain
Reverse Transcriptase Polymerase Chain Reaction
Risk Factors
Smoking
Sodium-Potassium-Exchanging ATPase
Vasodilation