Photoactivation of intravascular
dyes with high doses of light is a technique used clinically to treat
tumors. This procedure results in arteriolar constriction, mast cell degranulation, platelet
thrombus formation, and, ultimately, microvascular stasis. In vivo microscopy was utilized in the current study to examine if the endothelial release of
prostaglandins and
nitric oxide could participate in the microvascular effects of photoactivation. Diameter changes and
thrombus formation of arterioles and venules of the cremaster muscle of male Sprague-Dawley rats were quantitated during continuous light activation of intravascular
fluorescein isothiocyanate conjugated to
bovine serum albumin. Vasoconstriction and
thrombus development were assessed separately, using the relationships between the width of the red blood cell column, the inner wall diameter, and the thickness of the plasma layer. Venular photoactivation resulted in
thrombus growth which reached 30% of the maximum size by 16.8 +/- 3.71 min and a subsequent growth rate of 6.2 +/- 1.64 microns/min. In arterioles, 30%
thrombus growth occurred at 14.0 +/- 2.02 min with a growth rate of 3.0 +/- 0.57 microns/min. Continuous arteriolar photoactivation led to a vasoconstriction of 34.4 +/- 6.87% of the initial vessel diameter. Thirty percent of the maximal constriction occurred after 10.6 +/- 1.26 min of photoactivation. Constriction proceeded at a rate of 3.8 +/- 1.32 microns/min. Topically applied
mefenamic acid (a
cyclooxygenase inhibitor) and Nw-nitro-
L-arginine methyl ester (
L-NAME, a
nitric oxide synthase inhibitor) each enhanced both the arteriolar and the venular
thrombus growth due to photoactivation. Photoactivation-induced arteriolar constriction was augmented by
L-NAME and inhibited by
mefenamic acid. These data suggest that the photoactivation of intravascular
dyes is accompanied both by the release of
nitric oxide, which inhibits
thrombus development and arteriolar constriction, and by the release of
cyclooxygenase products, which inhibit
thrombus growth and induce vasoconstriction. Rats treated with
busulfan to induce
thrombocytopenia exhibited a 90% decrease in circulating platelets. In these animals, photoactivation caused significantly delayed
thrombus growth in arterioles and venules, while arteriolar constriction remained unaltered, suggesting that the
vasoconstrictor prostanoid is not of platelet origin.