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Biomedical subjects

I Abe

Publications and source records attributed to I Abe.

At least 145 records · Page 8Linked to original sources

Cardiovascular and neurohormonal effects of intravenous adrenomedullin in conscious rabbits.

Adrenomedullin is a vasodilative peptide and shows slight homology with calcitonin gene-related peptide. In the present study, we investigated the effects of adrenomedullin on cardiovascular and neurohormonal responses in 13 conscious rabbits. The animals were chronically instrumented with bipolar electrodes on the left renal sympathetic nerve. Intravenous administration of human adrenomedullin (10, 100, 1,000, and 3,000 pmol/kg, n = 6) caused a dose-dependent reduction in mean arterial pressure (0 +/- 2, -1 +/- 2, -19 +/- 2, and -29 +/- 4 mmHg, respectively) concomitant with increases in heart rate, renal sympathetic nerve activity, plasma renin activity, and plasma norepinephrine. The significant reduction in mean arterial pressure induced by 1,000 pmol/kg of adrenomedullin occurred within 1 min after injection and lasted for 15 min (n = 7). In contrast, the significant increases in heart rate and renal sympathetic nerve activity lasted for more than 50 min. When mean arterial pressure was decreased by 15 mmHg by adrenomedullin, the increases in heart rate and renal sympathetic nerve activity were 53 +/- 8 beats/min and 78 +/- 13%, respectively, which were significantly smaller than those induced by intravenous injection of sodium nitroprusside (102 +/- 14 beats/min and 155 +/- 34%, respectively). These results suggest that intravenous adrenomedullin exerts a hypotensive action that is associated with the attenuated reflex-mediated sympathetic activation.

Adrenomedullin↗

Seasonal variation in 24-h blood pressure pattern of young normotensive women.

To investigate the seasonal variations in ambulatory blood pressure patterns, 24-h blood pressure was measured every 15 minutes noninvasively in ten young normotensive women. Urine was collected every 4 hours. The examinations were repeated in spring, summer, autumn, and winter in a standardized living environment. The 24-h average systolic and diastolic blood pressures did not differ significantly among the seasons. Similarly, there were no significant differences in the average values of either daytime or nighttime blood pressure. In contrast, the average pulse rate during nighttime was significantly higher in winter than in summer (64 +/- 2 beats/min vs. 59 +/- 2 beats/min, p < 0.05). The variabilities of either blood pressure or pulse rate did not change significantly among the seasons. The mesors and acrophases of both systolic and diastolic blood pressures, determined by a single cosinor method, were not significantly different among the seasons. On the other hand, the acrophase of pulse rate appeared significantly later in winter (16:19) compared with those in spring (14:54), summer (14:42), and autumn (14:21). Urine volume and urinary excretion of norepinephrine were significantly greater in winter than in summer. These results indicate that the 24-h pattern of blood pressure is reproducible and shows no seasonal difference in young normotensive women.

Adult↗

Effects of intra-arterial infusion of insulin on forearm vasoreactivity in hypertensive humans.

We previously demonstrated that intra-arterial infusion of insulin attenuates vasoreactivity to phenylephrine and angiotensin II in the forearm of normotensive humans, which suggests that the pressor effects of insulin via sympathetic activation may be offset in peripheral arteries. In the present study, we investigated the effects of insulin on vasoreactivity in hypertensive humans. Seven male patients with essential hypertension (age, 26 +/- 2 yr; blood pressure, 159 +/- 4/103 +/- 4 mmHg; mean +/- SEM) were studied. We measured forearm blood flow by a strain gauge plethysmograph while infusing phenylephrine (1, 4, 12 nmol/min) and angiotensin II (5, 10, 20 pmol/min) locally into the brachial artery before and during simultaneous intra-arterial infusion of human insulin (0.15 mU/kg/min). Forearm vascular resistance was calculated from directly measured arterial pressure and forearm blood flow. Intra-arterial infusion of insulin raised the local plasma insulin level without changing the blood glucose level, basal forearm blood flow, or forearm vascular resistance. Phenylephrine and angiotensin II increased forearm vascular resistance dose-dependently before and during insulin infusion. In contrast to the previous results in normotensive subjects, locally infused insulin did not attenuate vasoconstrictive responses to phenylephrine and angiotensin II in patients with essential hypertension. These results suggest that the balance between the pressor and depressor effects of insulin might be altered in favor of a pressor effect in patients with hypertension.

Blood Glucose↗

Ambulatory blood pressure monitoring in elderly hypertensives treated with the new calcium antagonist, pranidipine (OPC-13340).

Pranidipine (OPC-13340), a new dihydropyridine calcium antagonist, was given to 9 elderly hypertensive inpatients aged 64-79 years. Once-daily administration of pranidipine (1-2 mg) for 1-2 weeks decreased the 24-h average BP significantly from 167/92 mmHg to 150/83 mmHg without any change in pulse rate (PR) or the variabilities of BP and PR. The reduction of BP was observed exclusively during daytime (171/95 mmHg to 153/86 mmHg, p < 0.01 for SBP, p < 0.05 for DBP), while BP reduction during nighttime was significant only for DBP (157/84 mmHg to 146/79 mmHg, p > 0.05 for SBP, p < 0.05 for DBP). The analysis of the circadian rhythm by the cosinor method revealed that the acrophases of BP and PR were not changed significantly by the treatment with pranidipine. No adverse effects such as flushing and headache developed during the treatment. These results suggest that once-daily treatment with pranidipine is safe and exerts a sufficient antihypertensive effect during daytime with mild reduction of nighttime BP in elderly hypertensives. Furthermore, it does not alter the circadian patterns or variabilities of BP and PR. Thus, pranidipine may be useful as a monotherapy for elderly hypertensives.

Aged↗

Active site mapping of affinity-labeled rat oxidosqualene cyclase.

Rat liver oxidosqualene cyclase (OSC), a 78-kDa membrane-bound enzyme, was purified and labeled with the mechanism-based irreversible inhibitor, [3H]29-methylidene-2,3-oxidosqualene (Abe, I., Bai, M., Xiao, X.-Y., and Prestwich, G. D. (1992) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 187, 32-38). A 6-kDa CNBr peptide was separated by Tricine sodium dodecyl sulfate-polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis and blotted to a polyvinylidene difluoride membrane. The sequence of the first 30 amino acids of this peptide were determined by Edman degradation and showed unexpectedly high similarity to the fungal OSC from Candida albicans (50% identity with Arg413-Val442) and to the bacterial squalene cyclase from Alicyclobacillus (formerly Bacillus) acidocaldarius (37% identity with Lys356-Leu385). Further, radioanalysis clearly established that the two adjacent Asp residues in the highly conserved region (Asp-Asp-Thr-Ala-Glu-Ala or DDTAEA) were equally labeled by the irreversible inhibitor. This result provides the first information on the structural details of the active site of OSC and shows for the first time the ancient lineage of this vertebrate enzyme to ancestral eukaryotic and prokaryotic cyclases. Interestingly, the covalently modified DDXX(D/E) sequence of rat liver OSC showed surprising similarity to the putative allylic diphosphate binding site sequence of sesquiterpene cyclases and prenyl transferases.

Affinity Labels↗

Circadian blood pressure variation in non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus with nephropathy.

We studied a circadian blood pressure variation in relation to the progression of diabetic nephropathy in patients with non-insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus (NIDDM). Age, duration of diabetes, body mass index and glycemic control did not differ among the groups of patients with normo-, micro- and macroalbuminuria. None of the patients received antihypertensive drugs. There were no differences in renal and autonomic functions between normo- and microalbuminuric groups, but these functions were impaired in the macroalbuminuric group. The rise in blood pressure was more apparent in 24-h ambulatory blood pressure (AMBP), especially during night-time, as compared with casual blood pressure. Such blood pressure rise was in accordance with the progression of nephropathy. However, pulse rate did not differ among the three groups. The nocturnal fall in blood pressure was blunted in the micro- and macroalbuminuria groups, but evident in the normoalbuminuric group. In the latter, daytime systolic blood pressure (SBP) was significantly higher than night-time SBP (123 +/- 5 mmHg vs. 113 +/- 3 mmHg, P = 0.002). In contrast, in the former two groups of patients, there were no significant differences in SBP between daytime and night-time (134 +/- 9 mmHg vs. 134 +/- 9 mmHg, ns, for microalbuminuria and 159 +/- 8 mmHg vs. 165 +/- 7 mmHg, ns, for macroalbuminuria). Urinary albumin excretion was significantly correlated with night-time SBP (r = 0.48, P = 0.015), but not with daytime SBP (r = 0.30, ns).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Albuminuria↗

Naloxone augments sympathetic outflow induced by centrally administered endothelin in conscious rabbits.

We examined the role of endogenous opioids in cardiovascular and neurohormonal responses to intracerebroventricular (icv) endothelin-1 (ET-1) in conscious rabbits. With or without pretreatment with intravenous naloxone (1 mg/kg), the effects of icv ET-1 (25 pmol/kg) on cardiovascular and neurohormonal responses were examined. ET-1 (icv) caused significant increases in mean arterial pressure (MAP), renal sympathetic nerve activity (RSNA), plasma catecholamines, and vasopressin levels. Naloxone pretreatment significantly augmented the increases in MAP and RSNA induced by icv ET-1. To clarify the mechanism of these effects, we also examined the effects of naloxone and naloxone methobromide, which does not cross the blood-brain barrier, on baroreceptor reflex. Intravenous naloxone (1 mg/kg) attenuated the baroreflex sensitivity assessed by RSNA (Smax: -9.9 +/- 1.7 vs. -6.9 +/- 1.2, P < 0.01); however, intravenous naloxone methobromide failed to alter the baroreflex sensitivity. Furthermore, in sinoaortic-denervated rabbits, naloxone pretreatment did not affect the increase in MAP induced by (icv) ET-1. These results suggest that intravenous naloxone acts in the central nervous system to attenuate the baroreflex sensitivity, which might augment the increases in MAP and RSNA induced by icv ET-1 in conscious rabbits.

Animals↗

Role of metabotropic glutamate receptors in ventrolateral medulla of hypertensive rats.

Evidence is accumulating for the role of metabotropic, as well as ionotropic, glutamate receptors in cardiovascular regulation. We sought to determine whether stimulation of metabotropic glutamate receptors in the rostral ventrolateral medulla would evoke enhanced cardiovascular responses in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Thus, we microinjected (1S,3R)-1-aminocyclopentane-1,3-dicarboxylic acid [(1S,3R)-ACPD], a selective agonist of metabotropic glutamate receptors, into the rostral ventrolateral medulla of urethane-anesthetized adult SHR and age-matched Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Microinjection of (1S,3R)-ACPD (1 nmol/50 nL) produced increases in mean arterial pressure and splanchnic sympathetic nerve activity in SHR (+41 +/- 6 mm Hg and +34 +/- 4%, respectively) that were significantly greater than those observed in WKY rats (+18 +/- 3 mm Hg and +22 +/- 3%, P < .005 and P < .05, respectively). The pressor responses evoked by microinjection of L-glutamate (2 nmol), N-methyl-D-aspartate (20 pmol), or alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionic acid (5 pmol) were also significantly (P < .001) augmented in SHR (+55 +/- 3, +61 +/- 7, and +53 +/- 5 mm Hg, respectively, in SHR versus +31 +/- 1, +30 +/- 3, and +28 +/- 2 mm Hg in WKY rats). Results indicate that stimulation of metabotropic, as well as ionotropic, glutamate receptors in the rostral ventrolateral medulla evokes enhanced cardiovascular responses in SHR, which may contribute to hypertension in this model.

Animals↗

Modulation of circadian rhythm of blood pressure by cortisol in patients with hypopituitarism.

We conducted a study to determine the effect of exogenous cortisol on circadian blood pressure changes in patients with hypopituitarism. Under replacement with hydrocortisone of 15 to 25mg either once (8:00) or twice a day (8:00 and 20:00), and with prednisolone of 3.75 to 5mg once a day, the patients underwent non-invasive ambulatory blood pressure monitoring for 24 hours. The average 24-hour blood pressure before hydrocortisone replacement was 92.9 +/- 1.0 (systolic)/53.2 +/- 0.8mmHg (diastolic), while that after hydrocortisone replacement once or twice a day and prednisolone replacement significantly increased to 108.2 +/- 1.4/63.5 +/- 0.9mmHg, 109.1 +/- 1.6/62.3 +/- 1.0mmHg, and 105.4 +/- 1.2/62.3 +/- 0.9mmHg, respectively. Hydrocortisone replacement once a day showed a significant increase in day-night differences of blood pressure, while hydrocortisone replacement twice a day did not. There were no differences in nocturnal decrease in pulse rate between these two replacements. The daytime and nighttime urinary excretions of 17-hydroxycorticosteroids in hydrocortisone replacement once a day were 7.7mg/12hr (daytime) and 1.4mg/12hr (nighttime), respectively, while those in hydrocortisone replacement twice a day were 3.9mg/12hr (daytime) and 3.6mg/12hr (nighttime), respectively. Urinary 17-ketosteroids, epinephrine and norepinephrine did not show any differences between hydrocortisone replacement once and twice a day. These results suggest that hydrocortisone administration is one of the factors which modulate the circadian variation of blood pressure in patients with hypopituitarism, and may also suggest that the circadian change of cortisol secretion participates, at least in part, in the formation of an intrinsic circadian rhythm of blood pressure.

Blood Pressure↗

Crossover comparison of the effects of enalapril and captopril on potassium homeostasis in patients with mild hypertension.

The effects of two types of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors, enalapril (long-acting) and captopril (short-acting), on serum electrolytes and circadian rhythm of urinary electrolyte excretions were compared in relation to aldosterone status in patients with essential hypertension and normal renal function. Enalapril (5 mg once daily) and captopril (12.5 mg t.i.d.) were administered to 11 patients for 1 week each in a crossover fashion. Blood sampling in the early morning and 4-hour split urinary sampling for 24 hours were performed on the last day of control and each treatment periods. Enalapril and captopril significantly reduced blood pressure to similar levels. Enalapril but not captopril significantly inhibited plasma aldosterone concentration and urinary aldosterone excretion. Neither drug apparently altered serum or urinary Na levels. Both drugs significantly decreased urinary K excretion (p < 0.05, control: 44 +/- 4 mEq/day, captopril: 39 +/- 2 mEq/day, enalapril: 39 +/- 2 mEq/day; mean +/- SEM), but did not significantly alter serum K level (control: 4.1 +/- 0.1 mEq/l, captopril 4.2 +/- 0.2 mEq/l, enalapril 4.3 +/- 0.1 mEq/l). The circadian rhythm (acrophase) of urinary K excretion was not affected by either drug, while the amplitude was decreased by both, as assessed by the cosinor method. In summary, although enalapril caused more sustained inhibition of aldosterone secretion compared with captopril, both drugs showed similar effects on the K homeostasis in patients with mild essential hypertension.

Aldosterone↗

Hypertension and ageing impair acetylcholine-induced vasodilation in rats.

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the influence of hypertension and ageing on the in vivo effect of acetylcholine on blood pressure and regional vascular conductance and the inhibitory effect of NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis, on the effects of acetylcholine. METHODS: Male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats aged 3-4, 7-8 and 20-26 months, were anaesthetized with pentobarbital. After sino-aortic denervation, regional blood flow in the left common carotid, superior mesenteric, right renal and right femoral arteries was measured with pulsed Doppler flowmeters. After pretreatment with indomethacin (2 mg/kg intravenously), bolus injections of acetylcholine (0.03, 0.1 and 0.3 microgram/kg intravenously) were given with or without L-NMMA (20 mg/kg intravenously). RESULTS: Dose-dependent hypotensive responses to acetylcholine were significantly smaller in SHR than in WKY rats in each age group. Ageing reduced the hypotensive effect of acetylcholine in both SHR and WKY rats. In rats aged 3-4 and 7-8 months acetylcholine-induced increases in regional vascular conductances were significantly smaller in SHR than in WKY rats. Ageing reduced acetylcholine-induced increases in regional vascular conductances in WKY rats. L-NMMA had little effect on the responses to acetylcholine in both SHR and WKY rats. Sodium nitroprusside had similar effects in SHR and WKY rats and in age groups within each strain. CONCLUSION: The in vivo vasodilatory action of acetylcholine, which appeared to be partly independent of nitric oxide, was impaired by hypertension and age.

Acetylcholine↗

Factors related to QT interval prolongation during probucol treatment.

To clarify factors related to the QT interval prolongation produced by probucol, multivariate analysis was applied to clinical and laboratory data retrospectively obtained from 89 patients with hypercholesterolaemia, who had taken probucol for more than 3 months. The corrected QT interval (QTc) increased from 0.410s before treatment to 0.431 s after the administration of probucol; the total cholesterol level decreased from 267 mg.dl-1 to 212 mg.dl-1. None of the patients demonstrated new arrhythmia. The QTc after probucol was independently correlated with sex, serum albumin level and baseline QTc. Changes in QTc after probucol were independently correlated with the presence of ischaemic heart disease, baseline QTc, and a change in the total cholesterol level. The results suggest that a prolonged QTc is likely to appear in female patients, and in patients with a long baseline QTc or with a low serum albumin. It is also suggested that marked lengthening of the QTc is likely to occur in patients with ischaemic heart disease or with a short baseline QTc. Probucol can be used safely in patients with hypercholesterolaemia, but ECG monitoring may be necessary, especially in female patients, as well as in those with hypoalbuminaemia or with ischaemic heart disease.

Electrocardiography↗

Circadian variations of blood pressure and pulse rate in essential hypertensives with diabetes mellitus.

1. The circadian variations of blood pressure and pulse rate in essential hypertensives either with or without diabetes mellitus were studied. 2. Diabetic patients with orthostatic hypotension showed an increase in variability of blood pressure and a decrease in that of pulse rate when assessed by coefficient of variation. Cosinor analysis showed no significant circadian rhythm in both blood pressure and pulse rate in these patients. 3. There were no differences in the circadian variations of blood pressure and pulse rate between essential hypertensives with and without diabetes mellitus unless orthostatic hypotension was present. 4. These results suggest that diabetes mellitus per se does not have any effects on the circadian variations of blood pressure and pulse rate in essential hypertensives unless autonomic neuropathy is present.

Blood Pressure↗

Age-related changes in endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization in the rat mesenteric artery.

This study was designed to determine the age-related changes in the endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization to acetylcholine (ACh) and its contribution to relaxation in the isolated mesenteric artery from normotensive and hypertensive rats. Membrane potentials and contractions were recorded in arteries from male Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) that were 5-6 wk old (young), 6-8 mo old (adult), and 20-26 mo old (aged). Endothelium-dependent hyperpolarizations produced by ACh, applied both at the resting state of the membrane and under conditions of depolarization with norepinephrine (10(-5) M), were markedly impaired in aged WKY rats, adult SHR, and aged SHR. Endothelium-dependent relaxations to ACh in arterial rings precontracted with 10(-5) M norepinephrine were also impaired in aged WKY rats, adult SHR, and aged SHR even in the presence of indomethacin. Furthermore, in these rats, N omega-nitro-L-arginine, an inhibitor of nitric oxide formation, showed potent inhibitory effects on the relaxations, whereas the 20 mM high K+ solution that reduces hyperpolarization had less pronounced effects. Hyperpolarizations and relaxations to cromakalim (10(-5) M), a K(+)-channel opener, were on the whole preserved in aged rats. It would thus appear that the endothelium-dependent hyperpolarization to ACh is reduced with aging as well as by hypertension, and this would, in part, account for the impaired relaxation to ACh in arteries of both aged rats and hypertensive rats.

Acetylcholine↗

Voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in resistance arteries from spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Alterations in voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels in the arterial smooth muscle cells of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were investigated using the whole-cell voltage clamp and compared with Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats. Single cells were freshly isolated from resistance mesenteric arteries from 4- to 5-week-old (young) and 16- to 18-week-old (adult) SHR. Elevated blood pressure was only evident in adult SHR, not in young SHR. In young rats, the Ca2+ channel current density (current amplitude normalized by cell capacitance) was significantly higher (P < .01) in SHR than in WKY rats at the command potential of -10 mV or higher (with 50 mmol/L Ba2+): The current density at 20 mV was -16.8 +/- 1.1 pA/pF in SHR (n = 38 cells) and -11.0 +/- 0.8 pA/pF in WKY rats (n = 30 cells). In adult rats, the difference in current densities disappeared: -15.9 +/- 1.3 pA/pF in SHR (n = 25 cells) and -15.6 +/- 1.5 pA/pF in WKY rats (n = 29 cells). The ratio of maximal amplitude of T-type current to that of L-type current was low in young SHR (0.10 +/- 0.01) compared with the other three groups (0.16 to 0.20). Neither the activation curve nor the steady-state inactivation curve of SHR was different from that of age-matched WKY rats. However, the activation curves in adult rats were shifted to a hyperpolarized direction compared with those of young rats in both strains. These results suggest that the increased activity of voltage-dependent L-type Ca2+ channels of resistance arteries in young SHR may be related to the development of hypertension. The changes observed in adult rats may be due to a secondary modification of the channel during maturation and the presence of hypertension.

Animals↗