Hyperoxic gassing with Tiron enhances bradykinin-induced endothelium-dependent and EDH-type relaxation through generation of hydrogen peroxide

Oxygenation with 95%O2 is routinely used in organ bath studies. However, hyperoxia may affect tissue responses, particularly in studies which involve reactive oxygen species (ROS). Here, the effects of the antioxidant, Tiron, were investigated under different gassing conditions in the porcine isolated coronary artery (PCA). Distal PCAs from male and female pigs were mounted in a wire myograph gassed with either 95%O2/5%CO2 or 95% air/5%CO2 and pre-contracted with U46619. Concentration-response curves to bradykinin were constructed in the presence of Tiron (1 mM), a cell permeable superoxide scavenger and catalase (1000 U ml−1) to breakdown H2O2. The H2O2 level in Krebs'-Henseleit solution was detected using Amplex Red. Bradykinin produced concentration-dependent vasorelaxations in male and female PCAs when gassed with either 95%O2 or air, with no differences in the Rmax or EC50. Tiron increased the potency of bradykinin only when gassed with 95%O2 in PCAs from both sexes. At 95%O2, catalase prevented the leftward shift caused by Tiron in both sexes indicating that catalase prevented the formation of H2O2 by Tiron. In female PCAs, addition of catalase to Tiron significantly reduced the Rmax. In the EDH-type response (using L-NAME and indomethacin), Tiron enhanced the potency of the bradykinin-induced vasorelaxation when gassed with 95%O2 in PCAs from both sexes. Biochemical analysis using Amplex Red demonstrated that H2O2 was generated in Krebs'-Henseleit solution when gassed with 95%O2, but not with air. Therefore, hyperoxic gassing conditions could alter the environment generating superoxide within the Krebs'-Henseleit buffer, which may, in turn, influence the in vitro pharmacological responses.