Cg. Cote et al., REGULATION OF INTRACELLULAR XANTHINE-OXIDASE BY ENDOTHELIAL-DERIVED NITRIC-OXIDE, American journal of physiology. Lung cellular and molecular physiology, 15(5), 1996, pp. 869-874
We have previously shown that nitric oxide (NO) donors, such as nitros
oglutathione, inhibit endothelial cell (EC) xanthine dehydrogenase (XD
)/xanthine oxidase (XO) activity. The purpose of this study was to ass
ess whether endothelial-derived NO plays any role in the regulation of
intracellular XD/XO. We exposed rat pulmonary microvascular EC to L-a
rginine (precursor of NO) or inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase (NOS)
, i.e., N-G-nitro-L-arginine methyl esther (L-NAME) and N-G-nitro-L-ar
ginine, in conditions of normoxia, hypoxia, and hypoxia followed by re
oxygenation. Hypoxia alone caused a 1.9- and a 6.6-fold increase in XO
and a 5-fold increase in XO + XD activities after 24 and 48 h of expo
sure, respectively. The combination of hypoxia and L-NAME (300 mu M) t
reatment amounted at 48 h to a 10- and 7.5-fold increase in XO and XO
+ XD activities, respectively, compared with normoxic untreated cells.
L-NAME also prevented the decline in XD/XO activity that occurred in
untreated EC after hypoxia-reoxygenation. On the other hand, treatment
with L-arginine caused a dose-dependent decrease in XD/XO activity in
hypoxic EC compared with cells provided with L-arginine-free medium.
In separate experiments, we assessed the role of L-arginine supplement
ation on the in vivo regulation of lung XD/XO by exposing male adult S
prague-Dawley rats for a period of 5 days to a hypoxic hypobaric atmos
phere (0.5 atm). Exposure to hypoxia produced a significant increase i
n lung tissue XO activity and an increase in the ratio of XO to XD. L-
Arginine supplementation in the drinking water prevented the increase
in lung XO and the XO-to-XD ratio in hypoxic rats and caused a signifi
cant decrease in XO and XD in rats exposed to normoxia. In conclusion,
this study suggests that endogenous NO has a significant role in the
regulation of XD/XO both in vitro and in vivo. By inhibiting XD/XO act
ivity, NO may have a modulating effect in conditions of hypoxia and hy
poxia-reoxygenation, where this enzyme is thought to be important.