Figure 2. Basal NO production in vessels requires endothelial Akt1.
(A) Aortic rings from Akt1iECKO display increased sensitivity to phenylephrine (PE)-induced constriction, whereas (B) Ach-induced vascular relaxation is maintained, suggesting basal impaired NO production in Akt1iECKO mice. Aortic rings from Akt1iECKO mice display enhanced (C) KCl-induced (60mM) constriction, where (D) pre-incubation of vessels with L-NAME normalizes the differences in PE sensitivity. Data are mean± SEM, n=4-9 mice per group, 3-4 aortic rings/mouse. **p<0.01 ***p<0.001.