Cerebral vasospasm: contractile activity of hemoglobin in isolated canine basilar arteries

✓ Recent studies suggest the possible role of the red blood cell (RBC) in causing chronic cerebral vasospasm. However, the basic action of hemoglobin (Hb), the major component of the RBC, on cerebral arteries remains unknown. The present study was undertaken to analyze the contractile effects of human Hb (purified by ion-exchange chromatography) on canine arteries in vitro . The contractile activity of lysed RBC was shown to be derived from Hb. Hemoglobin in oxygenated form (oxyHb) caused a maximum contraction equal to about 70% of that induced by serotonin in the basilar artery. Ferrous Hb's (oxyHb and carboxyHb) produced much greater contraction than ferric Hb's (methemoglobin and cyanmethemoglobin), suggesting that superoxide radicals, an active species of oxygen, may be related to the contractile activity of Hb. Neither methysergide, phentolamine, mepyramine, nor aspirin inhibited the vasoconstrictive activity of oxyHb. This finding indicates that the activation of serotonergic, alpha-adrenergic, or histaminergic H 1 receptors, or prostaglandin synthesis may not be involved in the mechanism of action of oxyHb. The constituents of Hb caused little or no contraction as compared with Hb as a whole. The basilar artery was more highly sensitive to Hb than arteries from other anatomical locations. Cyclic adenosine monophosphate caused a very slight decrease in the Hb-induced contraction. It is concluded that oxyHb can contract cerebral arteries in vitro . These results, coupled with recent reports on the participation of the RBC in producing chronic vasospasm, strongly suggest that oxyHb released from RBC's plays an important role in the pathogenesis of chronic cerebral vasospasm.