Homocysteine-induced changes in vascular reactivity of guinea-pig pulmonary arteries: Role of the oxidative stress and poly (ADP-ribose) polymerase activation

This study was aimed to examine the effects of homocysteine (Hcy) on vascular responsiveness of guinea-pig isolated pulmonary arteries and to investigate possible underlying mechanisms. In order to evaluate vascular reactivity, isometric tension studies were performed in response to potassium chloride (KCl), phenylephrine (Phe), acetylcholine (ACh), and sodium nitroprusside (SNP). Incubation of pulmonary artery rings with Hcy (10−3 M, 180 min) resulted in significant inhibition of response to ACh (an endothelium-dependent vasodilator)(Emax: 55.3±6.7 vs. 13.1±2.0*, P<0.05) while SNP (an endothelium-independent vasodilator)-induced relaxation was not changed significantly. Furthermore, Hcy enhanced KCl- and Phe-induced contraction of pulmonary artery rings (Emax: 1568±81 vs. 2101±145* mg for KCl and 1081±101 vs. 1544±117* mg for Phe, P<0.05). Pulmonary artery ring contractions induced by stepwise addition to Ca2+ to high KCl solution with no Ca2+ were also significantly augmented by Hcy incubation (Emax: 1750±121 vs. 2295±134* mg, P<0.05). To investigate mechanisms of Hcy action, additional sets of experiments involving rings incubation with Hcy alone or with addition of Tiron (an intracellular superoxide anion scavenger, 10−2 M), PJ34 (an inhibitor of polyADP-ribose polymerase, 3×10−6 M), and combination of two antioxidant enzymes superoxide dismutase (SOD, 100 U/ml) and catalase (CAT, 120 U/ml) for 180 min. The findings of our study clearly show that all these co-treatments significantly prevented the development of endothelial dysfunction induced by Hcy. Furthermore, the effect of Hcy on KCl- and Phe-induced contraction was significantly inhibited by the concomitant incubation with either SOD plus CAT, Tiron or PJ34. This study demonstrates that Hcy causes a significant alteration in vascular reactivity of pulmonary arteries, and this alteration seems to be via oxidative stress in pulmonary artery endothelium with subsequent DNA damage and activation of poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) pathway.