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Semin Thromb Hemost 1996; 22(3): 261-265
DOI: 10.1055/s-2007-999017
Copyright © 1996 by Thieme Medical Publishers, Inc.

Relaxant and Contractile Responses of Porcine Pulmonary Arteries to Thrombin and Thrombin Receptor Activating Peptides

Erika Glusa, Manfred Paintz, Ellen Bretschneider
  • From the University of Jena, Faculty of Medicine, Center for Vascular Biology and Medicine, Erfurt, Germany.
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Publication History

Publication Date:
06 February 2008 (online)

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Abstract

The vascular effects of thrombin and thrombin receptor activating peptides (TRAP) were studied on isolated rings from porcine pulmonary arteries. In prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α)-precontracted vessels with intact endothelium, both thrombin- and TRAP-induced nitric oxide-mediated relaxation, whereas in endothelium-denuded vessels thrombin and TRAP elicited concentration-dependent contractile responses. The first phasic component of contraction was associated with increased generation of inositol 1,4,5-triphosphate and the tonic component seemed to be due to the activation of protein kinase C. Both peptides (TRAP-6 with 6 and TRAP-14 with 14 amino acid residues) did not differ in their intrinsic activity; like thrombin, both peptides elicited dualistic vascular effects but their potency was more than three orders of magnitude less than that of thrombin.

Keywords:

Thrombin - thrombin receptor activating peptides - porcine pulmonary arteries - relaxation - contraction