Date of Completion
2014
Document Type
Honors College Thesis
Department
Pharmacology
First Advisor
George C. Wellman
Second Advisor
Christopher Landry
Keywords
Middle Meningeal Artery, Vascular Smooth Muscle TRPV1, TRPV1 mediated vasoconstriction, TRPV1 in smooth muscle cells, TRPV1-mediated mechanism of vasoconstriction
Abstract
Research in the past on transient receptor potential cation channel subfamily V member 1 (TRPV1) has been limited to mainly nervous tissue TRPV1 because of the channel’s role in pain perception. Here, we studied the potential role of TRPV1 in vascular smooth muscle. We have observed that capsaicin, a TRPV1 agonist, induced constriction of the middle meningeal artery (MMA). Our goal was to decipher the mechanism of capsaicin-induced constriction of the MMA. Arterial diameter measurements showed that constriction due to 100 nM capsaicin (65.4% ± 3.7, n=7) was significantly diminished in the presence of the voltage-dependent calcium channel (VDCC) blocker 100 µM diltiazem (43.1% ± 8.1, n=7). Capsaicin-induced constriction was not significantly altered in the presence of the sarco/endoplasmic reticulum calcium transport ATPase (SERCA) inhibitor 30 µM cyclopiazonic acid (63.7 ± 9.0%, n=5) compared to control arteries (58.4 ± 8.6%, n=5). The unaltered capsaicin-induced constriction of the MMA in the presence of a SERCA inhibitor suggests that calcium-induced calcium release does not contribute to the overall calcium influx mechanism within the smooth muscle cells of the MMA. The diminished capsaicin-induced constriction of the MMA in the presence of a VDCC blocker suggests that sodium entry through TRPV1 channels can possibly lead to the membrane potential depolarization and increased activity of VDCCs causing further calcium influx. Furthermore, since the capsaicin effect was not abolished by the blockage of VDCCs, our data suggest that calcium entry through TRPV1 is sufficient to cause approximately 65% of the total constriction of the MMA in response to activation of TRPV1.
Creative Commons License
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Recommended Citation
Manuelyan, Inessa; Syed, Arsalan U.; Koide, Masayo; Shui, Bo; Kotlikoff, Michael I.; and Wellman, George C., "Capsaicin-Induced Ca2+ Influx and Constriction of the Middle Meningeal Artery" (2014). UVM Honors College Senior Theses. 200.
https://scholarworks.uvm.edu/hcoltheses/200