The role of endothelium-derived nitric oxide in acetylcholine-induced coronary vasoconstriction in closed-chest pigs

Abstract

Our results suggest that, in pigs, ACh decreased coronary blood flow and caused myocardial ischemia as a result of the direct cholinergic vasoconstriction of peripheral small coronary arteries. The augmentation of ACh-induced coronary vasoconstriction by NNLA suggests that ACh facilitated the release of endothelium-derived nitric oxide, which attenuated the direct coronary vasoconstriction induced by ACh.