Different sensitivities of porcine coronary arteries and veins to BAY 60–2770, a soluble guanylate cyclase activator

Nitric oxide (NO)-donor drugs, which stimulate reduced form of soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC), have different efficacy to the arteries and veins. This study examined whether sGC activators, which activate oxidized/apo sGC, also have arteriovenous selectivity similar to that of NO-donor drugs. The mechanical responses of the isolated blood vessels were assessed using the organ chamber technique and protein expression was verified using western blotting. BAY 60–2770 (sGC activator) caused concentration-dependent relaxation in both porcine coronary arteries and veins, with the response being slightly more pronounced in the arteries. In contrast, sodium nitroprusside (NO-donor drug)-induced relaxation of the arteries was slightly weaker than that of the veins. Vasorelaxant responses to 8-Br-cGMP (cGMP analog) did not differ between the arteries and veins. In the presence of ODQ (heme oxidant), the heterogeneities in the responses to BAY 60–2770 and sodium nitroprusside between the arteries and veins disappeared. The sGC expression in the arteries did not differ from that in the veins. These findings suggest that sGC activators, in contrast to NO-donor drugs, have greater effects on the arteries than on the veins. This may be due to differences in the balance of sGC forms expressed in the arteries and veins.