Impairment of endothelium-dependent relaxation in the arteries cultured with fetal bovine serum

Effects of chronic treatment with fetal bovine serum on the function of vas cular endothelium were examined using an organ culture system. Ln the rabbi t mesenteric arteries cultured with 10% fetal bovine serum for 7 days, the substance P- or ionomycin-induced endothelium-dependent relaxation was sign ificantly attenuated compared to the arteries cultured in the serum-free co ndition. The effects of the serum were concentration- and time-dependent. B y the treatment with the serum, the amounts of nitric oxide (NO) production and total mRNA for endothelial NO synthase were reduced, whereas the sodiu m nitroprusside-induced relaxation was rather augmented. These results sugg est that chronic treatment of rabbit mesenteric artery with fetal bovine se rum decreases endothelial NO synthase mRNA, reduces NO production and impai rs endothelium-dependent relaxation. (C) 1999 Elsevier Science B.V. All rig hts reserved.