THE CORONARY VASCULATURE AND THE MYOCARDIUM

Abstract

It has been reported that the activity of bradykinin on vascular endothelial receptors results in vasodilatation ( 1-3) due to the release of both nitric oxide (NO) and the so called endothelial-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF) (4-7). It has also been suggested that in the rat bradykinin-induced vasodilatation is not mediated by NO but by EDHF only (2). Although a number of compounds can cause hyperpolarization of the smooth muscle fibres .of the vascular wall, in the coronary bed of the rat and some other species EDHF has been identified with a non-prostanoid autacoid produced by the activity of cytochrome P-450 on arachidonic acid (3). This autacoid is likely to be one of the epoxiecocystrienoic acids (EETs) (8,9). [...]