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Effects of histamine on endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression inpulmonary artery endothelial cells

Lu Deqin, Li Huige, Ye Hong, ye Shiqiao, Jin Si, Wang Dixun

Department of Pathophysiology, Tongji Medical College, Huazhong University of Science and Technology, Pulmonary Disease Laboratory of Ministry of Health of China. Wuhan 430030, China

Abstract

All three nitric oxide synthase (NOS) isoforms are found in the lungs. It has been demonstrated that eNOS-derived NO plays an important role in modulating pulmonary vascular tone and inhibiting pulmonary vascular remodeling. Histamine induces pulmonary vasocon- striction by activating H_1-receptor on the smooth muscle cells and vasodilation by stimulating H_2-receptor. It remains unclear whether histamine also modulates the pulmonary vascular tone by regulating eNOS gene expression and NO production in pulmonary artery endothelial cells. Therefore, the present study was performed on cultured primary porcine pulmonary artery endothelial cells (PAECs) to investigate the effects of histamine on eNOS gene expressinn, and to explore the role of CaMK Ⅱ in eNOS gene expression. After treatment with different concentrations histamine for different times, the levels of eNOS mRNA and protein were measured by RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively.

Key words: Histamine;Nitric-oxide synthase;Gene expression;Endothelial cells;Pulmonary artery

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Citing This Article：

Lu Deqin, Li Huige, Ye Hong, ye Shiqiao, Jin Si, Wang Dixun. Effects of histamine on endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression inpulmonary artery endothelial cells. Acta Physiol Sin 2004; 56 (3): (in Chinese with English abstract).