Cell-free hemoglobin potentiates acetylcholine-induced coronary vasoconstriction in rabbit hearts.

Cell-free hemoglobin (Hb) preparations have been shown to alter vascular tone in vitro and in vivo. The high affinity of Hb for nitric oxide, the putative endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), may be primarily responsible for this activity, but the contribution of tissue-damaging oxygen-derived free radicals has not been established. We investigated the effects of human Hb interdimerically cross-linked with bis-(3,5-dibromosalicyl)fumarate (alpha alpha Hb) on the coronary vasomotor response to acetylcholine (ACh) in isolated perfused rabbit hearts. Infusion of 0.1 g/dl alpha alpha Hb altered the dose-dependent response to ACh, decreasing the calculated IC50 (ACh concn at which coronary pressure is 50% of its maximal value) from 3.96 +/- 0.34 to 0.85 +/- 0.06 microM (P