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Hydrogen sulfide activates Ca 2+ sparks to induce cerebral arteriole dilatation
Author(s) -
Liang Guo Hua,
Xi Qi,
Leffler Charles W.,
Jaggar Jonathan H.
Publication year - 2012
Publication title -
the journal of physiology
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 1.802
H-Index - 240
eISSN - 1469-7793
pISSN - 0022-3751
DOI - 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.225128
Subject(s) - arteriole , vasodilation , hyperpolarization (physics) , chemistry , biophysics , intracellular , vascular smooth muscle , medicine , calcium , membrane potential , endocrinology , biochemistry , microcirculation , smooth muscle , biology , stereochemistry , nuclear magnetic resonance spectroscopy
Key points• Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), a gas produced by endothelial cells, relaxes smooth muscle cells within the vascular wall to increase organ blood flow and lower systemic blood pressure. • Mechanisms by which H 2 S produces vasodilatation in the cerebral circulation are unclear. • We demonstrate that H 2 S increases the quantity of calcium ions (Ca 2+ ) contained with the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR), the intracellular Ca 2+ store, of cerebral arteriole smooth muscle cells. • This elevation in SR Ca 2+ stimulates the generation of local intracellular Ca 2+ signals called Ca 2+ sparks, which in turn activate Ca 2+ ‐sensitive potassium (K Ca ) channels on the cell membrane, leading to membrane hyperpolarization and vasodilatation. • Elucidating this novel mechanism of H 2 S‐induced vasodilatation is important to better understand physiological control of blood flow within the brain.