Vitamins Reverse Endothelial Dysfunction Through Regulation of eNOS and NAD(P)H Oxidase Activities

Ulker, Sible; McKeown, Pascal; Bayraktutan, Ulvi

Abstract

Antioxidant vitamins C and E have protective properties in genetic hypertension associated with enhanced
oxidative stress. This study investigated whether vitamins C and/or E modulate vascular function by regulating
enzymatic activities of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and NAD(P)H oxidase using thoracic aortas of 20- to
22-week-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and their matched normotensive counterparts, Wistar-Kyoto
rats (WKY). SHR aortas had impaired relaxant responses to acetylcholine but not to sodium nitroprusside, despite an
2-fold increase in eNOS activity and NO release. The levels of superoxide anion (O2
), a potent NO scavenger, and
NAD(P)H oxidase activity were also 2-fold higher in SHR aortas. Mechanical but not pharmacological inactivation of
endothelium (by rubbing and 100 mol/L L-NAME, respectively) significantly abrogated O2
in both strains.
Treatments of SHR aortas with NAD(P)H oxidase inhibitors, namely diphenyleneiodinium and apocynin, significantly
diminished O2
production. The incubation of SHR aortas with different concentrations of vitamin C (10 to 100 mol/L)
and specifically with high concentrations of vitamin E (100 mol/L) improved endothelial function, reduced superoxide
production as well as NAD(P)H oxidase activity, and increased eNOS activity and NO generation in SHR aortas to the
levels observed in vitamin C- and E-treated WKY aortas. Our results reveal endothelial NAD(P)H oxidase as the major
source of vascular O2
in SHR and also show that vitamins C and E are critical in normalizing genetic endothelial
dysfunction through regulation of eNOS and NAD(P)H oxidase activities.

Citation

Ulker, S., McKeown, P., & Bayraktutan, U. (2003). Vitamins Reverse Endothelial Dysfunction Through Regulation of eNOS and NAD(P)H Oxidase Activities. Hypertension, 41,

• Journal Article Type: Article
• Publication Date: Jan 1, 2003
• Deposit Date: Oct 26, 2006
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 22, 2008
• Journal: Hypertension
• Print ISSN: 2224-1485
• Publisher: Publishing House Zaslavsky
• Peer Reviewed: Peer Reviewed
• Volume: 41
• Keywords: nitric oxide endothelium enzymes antioxidants hypertension, experimental vitamins
• Public URL: https://nottingham-repository.worktribe.com/output/1022526
• Related Public URLs: http://hyper.ahajournals.org/