CCL5 Acts As A Vasoconstrictor On Penetrating Arterioles In The Cerebral Circulation By Enhancing 20-HETE Activity

20-HETE is synthesized from arachidonic acid by cytochrome P450 (CYP) enzymes 4A and 4F. Inactivating mutations in the CYP enzymes that produce 20-HETE are associated with hypertension and stroke in man. We previously revealed that inactivating variants of CYP4A/F enzymes are associated with dementia in the Atherosclerosis Risk in Communities Neurocognitive Study (ARIC-NS) population. 20-HETE is involved with sodium regulation in the kidney and is a powerful vasoconstrictor. It was recently discovered that CCL5 and 20-HETE share the same receptor, GPR75. We previously found that 20-HETE constricts and augments the myogenic response (MR) of the middle cerebral artery (MCA) and renal afferent arteriole. However, whether CCL5 has any effect on penetrating arterioles (PAs) and interacts with 20-HETE is unknown. We found that GPR75 is expressed in PAs and pericytes in the brain. CYP4A is also expressed in pericytes and is inversely proportional to levels of GPR75 in the brain. In the present study, we found that 20-HETE contributes to the basal myogenic tone of PAs in SD rats. Administration of HET0016, a 20-HETE synthesis inhibitor, dilated the PA by 34 ± 3% (n = 6) under 10 mmHg perfusion pressure. Administration of WIT003, a 20-HETE agonist, constricted the vessel by 23 ± 4% (n = 6) under the same perfusion pressure. We found that CCL5 also reduced PA diameter by 20 ± 4% (n = 7) in SD rats under 10 mmHg perfusion pressure. Moreover, we compared the response to CCL5 in SS rats that are 20-HETE deficient and SS.CYP4A1 transgenic rats in which 20-HETE production is restored. PAs isolated from SS rats treated with 0.1 nM CCL5 constricted by 9 ± 5% (n = 6) while those treated with 10 nM constricted by 12 ± 3% (n = 6). CCL5 had a greater response in PAs from the SS.CYP4A1 strain, and the diameter of the PAs constricted by 14 ± 2% (n = 5) and 24 ± 5% (n = 5) in response to 0.1 and 10 nM CCL5, respectively. These results demonstrate that CCL5 has a direct effect on PAs similar to 20-HETE that acts via the GPR75 receptor. However, further study is needed to determine how CCL5 and 20-HETE interact to promote vasoconstriction. These studies would help further understand the involvement of 20-HETE in disease and potentially identify novel drug targets.