Influence of TMB-8 and Thapsigargin on Vasoconstrictor Responses in the Pulmonary Vascular Bed of the Cat

The effects of 8-(diethylamino)octyl-3,4,5-trimethoxybenzoate hydrochloride (TMB-8), a protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor, and thapsigargin, a CaATPase inhibitor, on pressor responses were studied in the pulmonary vascular bed of the intact-chest anesthetized cat. Under conditions of constant lobar blood flow in the cat, injections of the angiotensin peptides (ANG II), norepinephrine (NE), serotonin (5-HT), Bay K 8644, and the thromboxane A2 mimic U46619 into the lobar arterial perfusion circuit caused dose-related increases in lobar arterial pressure and responses were reproducible with respect to time. Intravenous infusion of TMB-8 at 1.0 mug . kg reduced the pressor response to the ANG II and to NE. However, TMB-8 did not alter pressor responses to 5-HT, U46619, or Bay K 8644. In a separate series of experiments, the effects of thapsigargin were investigated and intravenous infusion of the CaATPase inhibitor at 1.0 mug . kg also reduced pressor responses to the ANG II and to NE but did not alter pressor responses to 5-HT, U46619, and Bay K 8644. The data provide support for the hypothesis that vasoconstrictor responses to ANG II and NE in the pulmonary vascular bed are mediated in part by the activation of protein kinase C (PKC) and sarcoplasmic reticulum CaATPase-sensitive mechanisms in the cat. The present data suggest that pulmonary pressor responses to U46619, 5-HT, and Bay K 8644 are not mediated by PKC or CaATPase activation in the pulmonary vascular bed of the cat.