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Role of β3-adrenoceptors in regulation of retinal vascular tone in rats

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Abstract

The aim of this study was to determine the role of β3-adrenoceptors in the action of endogenous catecholamines (adrenaline and noradrenaline) on rat retinal arterioles in vivo. Using an original high-resolution digital fundus camera, the rat ocular fundus images were captured. The diameter of retinal arterioles contained in the images was measured. Both systemic blood pressure and heart rate were recorded continuously. Adrenaline (0.3–5.0 μg/kg/min, i.v.) increased the diameter of retinal arterioles, mean blood pressure and heart rate in a dose-dependent manner. Under blockade of β1/β2-adrenoceptors with propranolol (2 mg/kg, i.v. bolus followed by 100 μg/kg/min infusion), adrenaline decreased the diameter of retinal arterioles. Similar observation was made under treatment with the β3-adrenoceptor antagonist L-748337 (50 μg/kg, i.v.). The pressor response to adrenaline was enhanced by propranolol, but not by L-748337. The positive chronotropic action of adrenaline was markedly prevented by propranolol, whereas it was unaffected by L-748337. Noradrenaline (0.03–1.0 μg/kg/min, i.v.) decreased the diameter of retinal arterioles but increased the mean blood pressure and heart rate. The effects of noradrenaline on retinal arteriolar diameter and blood pressure were unaffected by propranolol or L-748337. The positive chronotropic action of noradrenaline was almost completely abolished by propranolol. These results suggest that β3-adrenoceptors play crucial roles in vasodilator responses to adrenaline of retinal arterioles but have minor or no effect on noradrenaline-induced responses. The results also indicate that the functional role of β3-adrenoceptors may be more important than that in peripheral resistance vessels.

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Acknowledgements

This study was supported in part by a Grant-in-Aid for Scientific Research from the Ministry of Education, Culture, Sports, Science and Technology, Japan (No. 21590102 K.I.) and by a Kitasato University Research Grant for Young Researchers (A.M.).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Department of Molecular Pharmacology, Kitasato University School of Pharmaceutical Sciences, 5-9-1 Shirokane, Minato-ku, Tokyo, 108-8641, Japan

    Asami Mori, Tsutomu Nakahara, Kenji Sakamoto & Kunio Ishii

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  1. Asami Mori
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  2. Tsutomu Nakahara
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  3. Kenji Sakamoto
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  4. Kunio Ishii
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Correspondence to Tsutomu Nakahara.

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Mori, A., Nakahara, T., Sakamoto, K. et al. Role of β3-adrenoceptors in regulation of retinal vascular tone in rats. Naunyn-Schmiedeberg's Arch Pharmacol 384, 603–608 (2011). https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-011-0682-2

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  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s00210-011-0682-2

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