Figure 1.
The effect of acute incubation with mercury chloride (HgCl2) on the concentration-response curves for phenylephrine (A), acetylcholine (B), and sodium nitroprusside (NPS) (C) in aortic rings in control (CT) conditions or HgCl2.
Results (mean±SEM) are expressed as a percentage of the response to 75 mmol/l KCl and percentage of the relaxation to phenylephrine respectively. *P<0.05 by ANOVA. Number of animals used in parentheses.
Table 1.
Parameters of maximal response (Emax, mmHg) and sensitivity (pD2) of dose-response curves to phenyleprine in the aorta, before (E+) and after (E-) endothelial damage and after NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 µM) incubation, in the presence (HgCl2 E+) and absence of mercury chloride (E- HgCl2).
Figure 2.
The effect of endothelium removal (E-) on the concentration-response curves for phenylephrine in aortic rings in control (CT) conditions or HgCl2 (A,B).
Results (mean±SEM) are expressed as a percentage of the response to 75 mmol/l KCl. *P<0.05 by ANOVA. Number of animals used in parentheses. (C) Differences in area under the concentration-response curve (dAUC) in the presence and absence of the endothelium of aortic rings in control (CT) conditions or HgCl2. *P<0.05 by Student’s t-test.
Figure 3.
The effect of L-NAME (100 µM) on the concentration-response curves for phenylephrine in aortic rings in control (CT) conditions or HgCl2 (A,B).
Results (mean±SEM) are expressed as a percentage of the response to 75 mmol/l KCl. *P<0.05 by ANOVA. Number of animals used in parentheses. (C) Differences in the area under the concentration-response curve (dAUC) for aortic rings incubated in the presence and absence of L-NAME in controls (CT) or HgCl2. *P<0.05 by Student’s t-test.
Figure 4.
The effect of apocynin (0.3 mM) on the concentration-response curves for phenylephrine in aortic rings in control (CT) conditions or HgCl2 (A,B).
Results (mean±SEM) are expressed as a percentage of the response to 75 mmol/l KCl. *P<0.05 by ANOVA. Number of animals used in parentheses. (C) Differences in the area under the concentration-response curve (dAUC) in aortic rings cultured the presence and absence apocynin (0.3 mM), under control (CT) conditions or HgCl2. *P<0.05 by Student’s t-test.
Figure 5.
The effect of superoxide dismutase (SOD, 150 U ml−1) on the concentration-response curves for phenylephrine in aortic rings in control (CT) conditions or HgCl2 (A,B).
Results (mean±SEM) are expressed as a percentage of the response to 75 mmol/l KCl. *P<0.05 by ANOVA. Number of animals used in parentheses. (C) Differences in the area under the concentration-response curve (dAUC) in aortic rings cultured in the presence and absence of superoxide dismutase (SOD, 150 U ml−1) under control (CT) conditions or HgCl2. *P<0.05 by Student’s t-test.
Figure 6.
(A,B) The effects of enalapril (10 µM) and (C,D) losartan (10 µM) on the concentration-response curves for phenylephrine and (E) densitometric analysis of the western blot for AT1 in aortic rings in control (CT) conditions or HgCl2.
Results (mean±SEM) are expressed as a percentage of the response to 75 mmol/l KCl. *P<0.05 by ANOVA. (E) Densitometric analysis of the western blot for angiotensin receptor 1 (AT1) protein expression in aortic rings cultured in the absence (CT) of HgCl2 and after acute incubation with HgCl2. *P<0.05 by Student’s t-test. Number of animals used in parentheses. Representative blots are also shown.
Figure 7.
(A, B) The effect of indomethacin (Indo, 10 µM), on the concentration-response curves for phenylephrine in aortic rings in control (CT) conditions or HgCl2.
Results (mean±SEM) are expressed as a percentage of the response to 75 mmol/l KCl. *P<0.05 by ANOVA. Number of animals used in parentheses. (C) Differences in the area under the concentration-response curve (dAUC) in aortic rings cultured in the presence of indomethacin (10 µM) under control (CT) conditions and after acute incubation with mercury HgCl2. *P<0.05 by Student’s t-test.
Figure 8.
(A,B) The effect of NS 398 (10−6 M) and (D,E) furegrelate (FU, 10−3 M) on the concentration-response curves for phenylephrine in aortic rings in control (CT) conditions or HgCl2.
Results (mean±SEM) are expressed as a percentage of the response to 75 mmol/l KCl. *P<0.05 by ANOVA. Number of animals used in parentheses. (C, F) Differences in the area under the concentration-response curve (dAUC) in aortic rings cultured in the presence of NS 398 (10−6 M) and furegrelate (FU, 10−3 M) under control (CT) conditions and after acute incubation with mercury HgCl2. *P<0.05 by Student’s t-test. Densitometric analysis of the western blot for cycloxxigenase-2 (COX-2) protein expression in aortic rings in control (CT) conditions or HgCl2. *P<0.05 by Student’s t-test. Number of animals used in parentheses. Representative blots are also shown.