Cytokine enhancement of endothelin ETB receptor-mediated contraction in human temporal artery

Segments of human temporal artery were incubated in organ culture for 2 days in the absence or presence of cytokines. Thereafter, contractions were induced by the selective endothelin ETB receptor agonist sarafotoxin S6c, a peptide that does not induce contraction in fresh human temporal artery. Interleukin-1 beta was most potent in increasing the sarafotoxin-induced contraction in cultured segments. Tumour necrosis factor(TNF)-alpha increased the magnitude of contraction to a similar degree, but at a higher dose. A significant increase was also induced by interferon-gamma, but not by interleukin-6 at the concentrations used. The results suggest that endothelin ET, receptor-mediated contraction can be enhanced by pro-inflammatory cytokines in a concentration-dependent manner, and this may have relevance for pathophysiological conditions where inflammation and vasoactivity are important. (C) 2000 Elsevier Science B.V. All rights reserved.