Soluble guanylate cyclase redox state under hypoxia or hypoxia/ reoxygenation in isolated monkey coronary arteries

Hypoxia or hypoxia/reoxygenation impairs nitric oxide (NO)-mediated relaxation through the increase in superoxide generation in monkey coronary arteries. Soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), the target enzyme of NO, has been shown to change from the NO-sensitive reduced form to the NO-insensitive oxidized/heme-free form under substantial oxidative stress, so the present study investigated whether hypoxia or hypoxia/reoxygenation influences sGC redox equilibrium. In isolated monkey coronary arteries without endothelium, the relaxation caused by the sGC stimulator BAY 41-2272 (E_max: 93.3% ± 2.2%) was somewhat impaired under hypoxia (E_max: 86.3% ± 2.6%) or hypoxia/reoxygenation (E_max: 86.1% ± 3.2%), whereas that by the sGC activator BAY 60-2770 (E_max: 86.0% ± 3.2%) was significantly augmented under hypoxia (E_max: 94.4% ± 1.3%) or hypoxia/reoxygenation (E_max: 95.5% ± 1.1%). In addition, cGMP formation in response to BAY 41-2272 and BAY 60-2770 was inhibited and stimulated, respectively, under hypoxia or hypoxia/reoxygenation. The effects of hypoxia or hypoxia/reoxygenation on BAY 41-2272- and BAY 60-2770-induced vasorelaxation were completely canceled by the treatment with the superoxide dismutase mimetic tempol. These findings suggest that sGC redox equilibrium in the coronary artery is shifted towards the NO-insensitive form under hypoxia or hypoxia/reoxygenation and that superoxide seems to play an important role in this shift.