Role of E-type prostaglandin receptor EP3 in the vasoconstrictor activity evoked by prostacyclin in thromboxane-prostanoid receptor deficient mice

Prostacyclin, also termed as prostaglandin I2 (PGI2), evokes contraction in vessels with limited expression of the prostacyclin receptor. Although the thromboxane-prostanoid receptor (TP) is proposed to mediate such a response of PGI2, other unknown receptor(s) might also be involved. TP knockout (TP-/-) mice were thus designed and used to test the hypothesis. Vessels, which normally show contraction to PGI2, were isolated for functional and biochemical analyses. Here, we showed that the contractile response evoked by PGI2 was indeed only partially abolished in the abdominal aorta of TP-/- mice. Interestingly, further antagonizing the E-type prostaglandin receptor EP3 removed the remaining contractile activity, resulting in relaxation evoked by PGI2 in such vessels of TP-/- mice. These results suggest that EP3 along with TP contributes to vasoconstrictor responses evoked by PGI2, and hence imply a novel mechanism for endothelial cyclooxygenase metabolites (which consist mainly of PGI2) in regulating vascular functions.