Aim: To examine the effects of opioid receptor antagonists and norepinephrine on intracellular free Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) in mesenteric arterial (MA) smooth muscle cells (SMC) isolated from normal and hemorrhagic shocked rats in the vascular hyporesponse stage.
Methods: The rat model of hemorrhagic shock was made by withdrawing blood to decrease the artery mean blood pressure to 3.73-4.26 kPa and keeping at the level for 3 h. [Ca2+]i of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) were detected by the laser scan confocal microscopy.
Results: In the hyporesponse VMSC of rats in hemorrhagic shock, selective delta-, kappa-, and mu-opioid receptor antagonists (naltrindole, nor-binaltorphimine, and beta-funaltrexamine, 100 nmol/L) as well as norepinephrine 5 micromol/L significantly increased [Ca2+]i by 47 %+/-13 %, 37 %+/-14 %, 33 %+/-10 %, and 54 %+/-17 %, respectively, although their effects were lower than those in the normal rat cells (the increased values were 148 %+/-54 %, 130 %+/-44 %, 63 %+/-17 % and 110 %+/-38 %, respectively); and the norepinephrine-induced increase in [Ca2+]i was further augmented by three delta-, kappa-, and mu-opioid receptor antagonists (50 nmol/L, respectively) application (from 52 %+/-16 % to 99 %+/-29 %, 146 %+/-54 % and 137 %+/-47 %, respectively).
Conclusion: The disorder of [Ca2+]i regulation induced by hemorrhagic shock was mediated by opioid receptor and alpha-adrenoceptor, which may be partly responsible for the vascular hyporesponse, and the opioid receptor antagonists improved the response of resistance arteries to vascular stimulants in decompensatory stage of hemorrhagic shock.