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L Mantelli

Publications and source records attributed to L Mantelli.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Influence of oestrogens on muscarinic receptor density and contractile response in the guinea-pig uterus.

The objective of this study was to investigate the contractile response in vitro of uterine and myometrial strips from control and oestrogen-treated guinea-pigs to carbachol. In addition, the muscarinic receptor parameters in subcellular preparations from the myometrium of the same animals were evaluated. Strips of guinea-pig uterus contract in response to carbachol in a concentration dependent manner and the effect of carbachol is independent of the presence of an intact endometrium. However, treatment with oestrogen reduces the response to carbachol, when expressed with respect to the effect of KCl. Measurement of the specific binding of [3H]quinuclidinyl benzylate ([3H]QNB) to myometrial membranes from control and oestradiol-treated immature guinea-pigs showed that oestradiol significantly decreased the number of specific binding sites of [3H]QNB, but did not change the apparent affinity of specific [3H]QNB binding. Moreover, the apparent affinity constants for the different antagonists showed a close similarity to those obtained at muscarinic receptors present in the myometrium from control and oestradiol-treated guinea-pigs.

Animals↗

Bradykinin-induced vasodilation is changed to a vasoconstrictor response in vessels of aged normotensive and hypertensive rats.

The vascular response to bradykinin was investigated in mesenteric vascular bed preparations preconstricted with methoxamine, obtained from 2- and 18-month old normotensive (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats. In preparations from young normotensive rats bradykinin (1 nm-10 microM) produced an endothelium-dependent vasorelaxant effect which was greatly reduced by the B2 receptor antagonist Ac-D-Arg[Hyp3,D-Phe7,Leu8]-bradykinin (1 microM), and was unaffected by the B1 receptor antagonist des-Arg9,[Leu8]-bradykinin (1 microM). The degree of vasodilation was similar in preparations from age-matched SHR rats. In vessels obtained from old animals bradykinin induced an endothelium-independent vasoconstrictor response; this effect was more pronounced in preparations from SHR than in those from WKY rats. The vasoconstriction was unaffected by both B1 and B2 receptor antagonists, and was abolished by 3 microM indomethacin. We conclude that the vasorelaxant effect of bradykinin in vessels of young animals is due to stimulation of B2 receptors. This vasodilating response can be converted by aging to a vasoconstriction and is probably due to the release of a prostanoid product; moreover it is more pronounced in spontaneously hypertensive animals.

Aging↗

Roles of nitric oxide and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor in vasorelaxant effect of acetylcholine as influenced by aging and hypertension.

We investigated vasodilator responses to acetylcholine (ACh) in isolated mesenteric vascular bed preparations (preconstricted with methoxamine) of young (2 months) and old (18 months) normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). ACh produced a similar dose-dependent vasorelaxant effect in preparations from both 2-month old normotensive and hypertensive rats. This vasodilator response to ACh decreased with age, especially in hypertensive animals. In preparations from young WKY, the vasorelaxant effect of ACh was not affected by 100 microM NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), and was only slightly reduced by 500 microM L-NAME. The K+ channel blocker tetraethylammonium (TEA 2.5-10 mM) concentration-dependently antagonized the ACh-induced vasodilation in the same preparations. In preparations obtained from aged WKY animals, as well as in those from young and aged SHR animals, ACh-induced vasodilation was significantly and concentration-dependently reduced by 100 and 500 microM L-NAME. On the other hand, TEA induced a lesser antagonistic effect than that observed in young normotensive animals. In preparations preconstricted with 80 mM KCl, ACh caused vasodilation that was weaker in preparations from young WKY than in those from aged WKY; on the contrary, ACh was more effective in young than in aged SHR. These results confirm that the vasodilating response to ACh decreases with age and hypertension and suggest that the main mechanism responsible for the effect of ACh in vessels of young normotensive animals consists of activation of K+ channels. In preparations from old normotensive, as well as in those from young and old hypertensive animals, ACh induces vasorelaxation mainly through nitric oxide (NO) release.

Acetylcholine↗

Effects of aging and hypertension on vasorelaxant activity of calcitonin gene-related peptide: a comparison with other vasodilator agents.

We investigated the influence of aging and hypertension on the vasorelaxant effect of calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), examining the responses to stimulation of perivascular vasodilatory nerves and to administration of the peptide in isolated mesenteric vascular bed preparations of young (aged 2-3 months) and old (aged 18 months) normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). We used preparations preconstricted by perfusion with 100 microM methoxamine with addition of 5 microM guanethidine. The stimulation-induced vasorelaxation in the preparations of young SHR animals was significantly lower than that in those of age-matched WKY rats. Moreover, the vasodilator response to stimulation displayed an age-dependent decline in vascular beds of normotensive animals. The degree of the relaxant response to CGRP (0.01-1 microM) did not differ significantly between vascular preparations of normotensive and hypertensive rats; but was significantly reduced in preparations of both SHR and WKY rats aged 18 months as compared with those of young animals. An age-dependent decrement in the vascular reactivity, qualitatively similar to that observed with CGRP, was also detected with two other vasodilators, i.e., the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine (ACh 0.1-100 microM) and the directly acting nitrovasodilator sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 1-10 microM). We conclude that the vascular sensitivity to CGRP, as well as that to other vasodilator agents acting by different mechanisms, decreases with age in both normotensive and genetically hypertensive rats.

Acetylcholine↗

Effects of GM1 ganglioside on cardiac function following experimental hypoxia-reoxygenation.

Rat hearts made hypoxic for 20 min by perfusion with 95% N2/5% CO2 and reoxygenated for 20 min in a Langerdorff apparatus showed a dose-dependent reduction of lactate dehydrogenase release when incubated with ganglioside GM1 (0.1-10 microM). The decline of contractile force during hypoxia was also reduced dose dependently in the presence of GM1. Similar effects were observed in hearts obtained from animals treated i.p. with 40 mg/kg GM1 for 14 days. The levels of Na+,K(+)-ATPase in ventricular tissue were also reduced after hypoxia-reoxygenation and the reduction was prevented in hearts from GM1-treated animals. GM1 (1-30 microM) reduced the functional response to field stimulation of adrenergic nerve terminals in isolated atria. Rat atria made hypoxic in glucose-free media maintained normal stores of tissue noradrenaline in the presence of 1 microM GM1. In the rabbit, GM1 (40 mg/kg i.p. for 4 days) reduced the alterations of the ST segment of the ECG during acute occlusion of the left descending and circumflex coronaries artery. In conclusion, ganglioside GM1 reduces some effects of hypoxia-reoxygenation in the heart, through still unknown mechanisms.

Animals↗

Age-dependent modifications of the role of prostanoids in cardiac preparations from normotensive and hypertensive rats.

The cardiac response to field stimulation of adrenergic nerve terminals in isolated atrial preparations from adult (6-month-old) normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SH) rats was enhanced in comparison to that observed in the atrial tissue of young (2-month-old) animals of both strains; the increase in the sympathetic response was significantly higher in preparations from SHR than in those from age-matched WKY rats. The sensitivity of cardiac adrenergic neurotransmission to the prejunctional inhibitory effects exerted by exogenously administered prostaglandin E2 (0.1 nM-1 microM) and iloprost (0.1-10 microM) did not show any strain-dependent difference in preparations from both young and adult rats. Moreover, acetylsalicylic acid (500 microM) induced a similar degree of potentiation of the response to sympathetic stimulation in atrial tissues of young WKY and SH animals; however, the effect of the cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor was completely missing in preparations from adult rats of both strains. Finally, arachidonic acid (10 microM) inhibited the adrenergic response to a greater extent in preparations from young and adult SH rats than in those from age-matched normotensive rats. The results of the study indicate that, at least in cardiac preparations, changes in the modulatory role of endogenous prostaglandins occur as age-dependent processes and, therefore, may not be indicative of possible differences in the role of prostaglandins between hypertensive and normotensive animals. The possible significance of the dissimilar response to arachidonic acid, detected as the only difference between preparations from SH and WKY rats, is discussed.

Age Factors↗

Pertussis toxin does not affect the adenosine-induced inhibition of the efferent function of cardiac capsaicin-sensitive nerves.

The negative inotropic effect of adenosine (1-100 microM) was abolished in isolated guinea-pig atria obtained from pertussis toxin-pretreated guinea pigs electrically driven at 4 Hz. However, the inhibitory effect of the same concentrations of adenosine on the cardiac response to stimulation of non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC), capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves, was not modified by the toxin. These results suggest that, while pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins are involved in the negative inotropic effect of adenosine, they do not mediate the inhibitory effect of adenosine on cardiac NANC neurotransmission.

Adenosine↗

Nitric oxide is not involved in the effects induced by non-adrenergic non-cholinergic stimulation and calcitonin gene-related peptide in the rat mesenteric vascular bed.

The mechanism involved in the effects induced by the activation of perineural non-adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) nerves or by exogenous calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) was investigated in the rat mesenteric vascular bed (MVB) perfused with Kreb's solution containing methoxamine and guanethidine. The activation of NANC terminals of the tissue was carried out by means of electrical field stimulation (EFS). An increase in the perfusion pressure of the preparations was observed in the presence of two inhibitors of nitric oxide synthase: NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) (100 microM) and NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (100 microM). However L-NMMA and L-NAME did not modify the relaxant effect induced by EFS and exogenous CGRP. Furthermore the relaxant effect induced by EFS and exogenous CGRP was not affected by the removal of endothelium from the preparations. These results provide evidence that the vasodilation induced by NANC stimulation or by exogenous CGRP in MVB does not involve NO production.

Acetylcholine↗

Modulation of adrenergic responses by prostanoids in the isolated mesenteric vascular bed of the rat.

1. The influences of PGE2, PGE1, iloprost and carbocyclic thromboxane A2 (cTxA2) on the response to adrenergic nerve stimulation, exogenous noradrenaline and perfusion with methoxamine, have been compared in the rat mesenteric vascular bed. 2. PGE2, PGE1 and cTxA2 enhanced the vasoconstrictor response elicited by field stimulation, as well as that induced by noradrenaline and methoxamine. 3. Iloprost did not affect the increase in perfusion pressure induced by field stimulation, slightly reduced the vasoconstrictor response to high concentrations of noradrenaline, and significantly attenuated the increase in vascular tone induced by perfusion with methoxamine. 4. These findings suggest that, in the rat mesenteric vascular bed, prejunctional mechanisms are not involved in the interference exerted by different prostanoids on the vascular response to adrenergic activation.

Alprostadil↗

Calcium modulatory properties of 2,6-dibutylbenzylamine (B25) in rat isolated vas deferens, cardiac and smooth muscle preparations.

1. In rat isolated vas deferens the new compound 2,6-dibutylbenzylamine (B25) evoked a series of repeating rhythmic contractions. Concentration-response curves constructed for this effect were bell-shaped, indicating a biphasic effect for this compound. By contrast, B25 depressed heart contractility without any visible positive inotropic or chronotropic activity. 2. Experiments with tetrodotoxin, reserpine, capsaicin, alpha-adrenoceptor blocking compounds and other agents permit us to exclude a release of neuromediators or a direct stimulation of post-synaptic receptors to account for the rhythmic effect of B25 in the rat vas deferens. 3. In the same tissue, the increase in 45Ca2+ uptake, the voltage-dependency as well as the dependence of the B25-induced rhythmic activity upon the external calcium concentration indicate a direct activation of voltage-sensitive calcium channels (VSCC). 4. Verapamil paradoxically stimulated the rhythmic effect of B25 in the rat vas deferens. La3+ was inactive while nifedipine was a weak inhibitor. By contrast Ni2+ and Mn2+ ions were good inhibitors (IC50 < 10(-4) M), suggesting that a possible opening of T-type VSCC underlies rhythmic effect of B25. 5. In radioligand binding studies competition experiments with [3H]-nitrendipine indicated that only at high concentrations was B25 able to interact with dihydropyridine-sensitive binding sites of heart and vas deferens smooth muscle. 6. B25 (3-30 microM) counteracted the inhibitory effects of omega-conotoxin GVIA in field-stimulated rat vas deferens.

Animals↗

Blockade of adenosine receptors unmasks a stimulatory effect of ATP on cardiac contractility.

1. The effects of ATP, alpha,beta-methylene ATP and beta,gamma-methylene ATP on the contractile tension of guinea-pig isolated left atria were evaluated. 2. ATP (1-100 microM) produced a concentration-dependent negative inotropic effect; this response was converted to a positive inotropic effect in the presence of the antagonist of adenosine A1 receptors, 1,3-dipropyl-8-cyclopentylxanthine (DPCPX; 0.1 microM), and in the presence of 8-phenyltheophylline (10 microM), an antagonist of A1 and A2 receptors. 3. The positive inotropic effect of ATP was antagonized by the P2 receptor antagonist, suramin (500 microM). Reactive blue 2 (30-500 microM), a putative P2y receptor antagonist, concentration-dependently reduced and finally abolished the effect of ATP. 4. In the presence of 8-phenyltheophylline, the stable analogues of ATP, alpha,beta-methylene ATP and beta,gamma-methylene ATP (1-30 microM), produced a concentration-dependent increase in atrial contractility of a lesser degree than that induced by ATP. 5. The results suggest that when inhibitory adenosine receptors are blocked, ATP produces a positive inotropic effect, probably mediated by P2y receptor stimulation.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Cardiovascular effects of capsaicin-sensitive neurons.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide, the main transmitter released from capsaicin-sensitive sensory-motor fibers, has positive inotropic and chronotropic effects on the heart and causes vasodilatation in the coronary arteries and elsewhere in the peripheral vasculature. We review some aspects of the cardiovascular actions induced by exogenous calcitonin gene-related peptide and by release of the peptide following activation of capsaicin-sensitive nerves. The efferent function of cardiac sensory-motor neurones is modulated by a number of endogenous substances of physiopathological interest, including opioid peptides, norepinephrine and adenosine. The receptors involved in the prejunctional regulation due to these substances have been characterized. Studies on the mesenteric bed of the rat have shown that, at least in such a resistance vascular bed, the relaxing effect of calcitonin gene-related peptide is mediated by a direct mechanism independent of endothelium-derived nitric oxide release. In cultured human endothelial cells from the umbilical cord vein, calcitonin gene-related peptide, at nM concentrations, stimulates cell growth in a dose-dependent manner. The possible implications of calcitonin gene-related peptide in the physio-pathological regulation of the cardiovascular system and in the trophism of vascular tissues are discussed.

Animals↗

The inhibitory effect of opioid and alpha 2-adrenoceptor agonists on cardiac sensory neurones is pertussis toxin-insensitive.

The role of pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins on the alpha 2-adrenoceptor and mu-opioid receptor-mediated inhibition of the efferent function of capsaicin-sensitive neurones was investigated in guinea-pig atria pretreated with guanethidine. In the presence of atropine, CGP 20712A (2-hydroxy-5-(2-[hydroxy-3-(4-[(1-methyl- 4-trifluormethyl)1H-imidazol-2-yl]-phenoxy)propyl]aminoethoxyl+ ++)-benzamide) and prazosin, [D-Ala2,NMe-Phe4,Gly5-ol]enkephalin (DAGO, 0.1-3 microM) and 2-amino-6-allyl-5,6,7,8-tetrahydro-4H-thiazolo(4,5-d)azepine (BHT 920, 0.01-1 microM) reduced the positive inotropic effect induced by transmural stimulation of preparations obtained from control and from pertussis toxin-treated animals. These results suggest that pertussis toxin-sensitive G proteins are not involved in the inhibitory regulation of the efferent function of capsaicin-sensitive nerve terminals in cardiac tissue induced by alpha 2 and opioid receptor stimulation.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗

Effects of thromboxane agonists on cardiac adrenergic neurotransmission.

The effects of thromboxane B2 (TxB2) and of two thromboxane mimetics, dl-(9,11), (11,12)-dimethano-TxA2 (ONO 11006) and 9,11-dideoxy-11,9-epoxymethano prostaglandin F2 alpha (U46619) on the cardiac response to adrenergic nerve stimulation in isolated guinea-pig atria were evaluated. All the agonists dose dependently reduced the positive inotropic effect induced by field stimulation, U46619 being the most active. The inhibitory effect of U46619 was reduced by the thromboxane receptor antagonists, sulotroban and AH 23848B. U46619 did not significantly reduce the positive inotropic effect induced by exogenous noradrenaline. However U46619 was unable to modify the tritium overflow induced by field stimulation in preparations preloaded with [3H]noradrenaline. In addition to this influence on adrenergic neurotransmission, U46619 also had a direct positive inotropic effect on cardiac contractility, which was antagonized by AH 23848B. These results indicate that U46619 reduces the cardiac response to sympathetic nerve stimulation and that is also has a direct stimulatory effect on cardiac muscle.

15-Hydroxy-11 alpha,9 alpha-(epoxymethano)prosta-5↗

Beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptors in sheep cardiac ventricular muscle.

The presence of beta 2-adrenoceptors in the sheep ventricular myocardium was assessed by the radioligand binding technique and functional studies. In membrane preparations, the competition curve between [3H]-dihydroalprenolol and the selective beta 1-antagonist CGP 20712A (0.1 nM-1 mM) was clearly biphasic, and revealed the presence of two different binding sites showing an affinity (pKD) for CGP 20712A of 9.5 +/- 0.9 and 4.5 +/- 0.4, respectively. The relative proportion of beta 1:beta 2 adrenoceptors was about 70:30 in both the right and left ventricle. In ventricular trabeculae driven at 1Hz, isoprenaline (1-300 nM) caused a dose-dependent increase in the force of contraction, the maximum effect being 298 +/- 26 mg, associated with reduction of time to peak tension (t1, clinotropic effect) and relaxation time (t2, 298 +/- 26 mg, associated with reduction of time to peak tension (t1, clinotropic effect) and relaxation time (t2, lusitropic effect). The inotropic dose-response curve for isoprenaline was significantly shifted to the right by pretreatment of the preparations with 0.1 microM CGP 20712A or with the selective beta 2-antagonist ICI 118551 (50 nM). In the presence of CGP 20712A (0.1 microM), isoprenaline, up to a concentration of 10 microM, did not affect either t1 or t2; on the other hand, pretreatment of the preparations with ICI 118551 (50 nM) fully antagonized the clinotropic but not the lusitropic effect of isoprenaline. In the presence of CGP 20712A procaterol (0.01-10 microM), a beta 2-adrenoceptor agonist, induced a positive intropic effect which was not associated with any significant modifications in t1 or t2. This effect was completely abolished by ICI 118551 (50 nM). The positive inotropic action of isoprenaline (1 microM) was associated with a significant decrease in action potential duration measured at -60 mV (220 +/- 8 and 193 +/- 10 ms in the absence and presence of isoprenaline, respectively; P less than 0.05). In the presence of CGP 20712A (0.1 microM) alone, isoprenaline (1 microM) still induced a significant increase in contractility but the action potential profile was only slightly affected. The effects of isoprenaline were fully antagonized by the simultaneous presence of CGP 20712A and ICI 118551 (10 nM). It is concluded that both beta 1- and beta 2-adrenoceptors appear to coexist in sheep ventricular myocardium where their stimulation mediates a positive inotropic effect. However, their functional role on the relaxation phase of the twitch may be different.

Action Potentials↗

Positive inotropic effects of CGRP and isoprenaline: analogies and differences.

In guinea-pig isolated left atria, electrically stimulated at 1 Hz, isoprenaline and calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) induced a positive inotropic effect in the same concentration range (0.3-100 nM). The increase in contractile tension induced by both agonists was associated with a reduction in time to peak tension and relaxation time. However CGRP was more active than isoprenaline in reducing the time to peak; this effect was more evident when the bath temperature was reduced from 30 degrees to 24 degrees C. The positive inotropic effects of isoprenaline and CGRP were potentiated by forskolin (30 nM), a direct activator of adenylcyclase; on the other hand, cholera toxin (1 microgram/ml), which irreversibly ribosylates Gs protein, did not modify the effect of CGRP, while antagonizing the concentration-response curve for isoprenaline. It is concluded that the increase in atrial contractile tension produced by isoprenaline and CGRP are linked to the adenylcyclase system in a different manner.

Animals↗

ATP modulates the efferent function of capsaicin-sensitive neurones in guinea-pig isolated atria.

1. The effect of adenosine triphosphate (ATP) and its stable analogues, alpha, beta-methylene-ATP and beta, gamma-methylene-ATP, on the efferent function of capsaicin-sensitive non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) nerves was tested in guinea-pig isolated atria. 2. Transmural nerve stimulation of atria isolated from reserpine-pretreated guinea-pigs, in the presence of 1 microM atropine and 0.3 microM CGP 20712A, induced a transient positive inotropic effect attributable to calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) release from NANC nerve endings. 3. ATP (1-30 microM) concentration-dependently reduced the cardiac response to transmural nerve stimulation, without affecting the inotropic response to 10 nM exogenous CGRP. The inhibitory effect of ATP was competitively antagonized by the P1-purinoceptor antagonist, 8-phenyltheophylline (8-PT, 1 microM), but was unaffected by the P2-purinoceptor antagonist, suramin (100 microM). 4. beta, gamma-methylene-ATP in the same concentration range as ATP, inhibited the cardiac response to transmural nerve stimulation. The inhibitory effect of beta, gamma-methylene ATP was antagonized by 1 microM 8-PT. The desensitizing agonist for P2-purinoceptors, alpha, beta-methylene ATP did not induce any inhibitory effect either on the cardiac response to transmural nerve stimulation or on the inhibitory effect curve for ATP. 5. The inhibitory effect of ATP on the NANC neurotransmission was inconsistently modified in the presence of 10 microM alpha, beta-methylene-adenosine diphosphate, an inhibitor of the 5'-ectonucleotidases. 6. These results demonstrate that ATP modulates the efferent function of cardiac NANC nerve endings through prejunctional inhibitory receptors belonging to the P1 type. The metabolic conversion of ATP to adenosine does not seem to be a pre-requisite for the ATP agonist activity.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗

Alpha-adrenoceptor modulation of the efferent function of capsaicin-sensitive sensory neurones in guinea-pig isolated atria.

1. Transmural nerve stimulation of guinea-pig atria, obtained from animals pretreated with reserpine (5 mg kg-1, i.p.), in the presence of atropine 1 microM and of the beta-adrenoceptor blocker CGP 20712A 1 microM, induced a positive inotropic effect which was reduced by the calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) antagonist hCGRP-(8-37) and abolished by pretreatment with capsaicin 1 microM. 2. Noradrenaline concentration-dependently (0.01-10 microM) reduced the increase in cardiac contractility induced by transmural nerve stimulation. The inhibitory effect of noradrenaline was antagonized by yohimbine (0.5-1 microM), in a dose-dependent manner. Prazosin (0.5-1 microM) antagonized the effect of noradrenaline and this effect was independent of concentration. 3. In the presence of yohimbine, the lower part of the inhibitory-response curve for noradrenaline was slightly but significantly shifted by prazosin. A similar degree of antagonism was observed in the presence of 1 microM phenoxybenzamine. 4. The selective alpha 2 agonists BHT 920 and clonidine reduced, in the same concentration-range (0.01-1 microM), the cardiac response to transmural nerve stimulation in a yohimbine-sensitive fashion. 5. Phenylephrine (0.1-100 microM) and methoxamine (1-300 microM) also induced an inhibitory effect on transmural nerve stimulation. The effect of phenylephrine was antagonized by yohimbine (1 microM) more efficiently than by prazosin (0.5 microM). 6. These results are in keeping with the presence of inhibitory prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors on cardiac sensory nerve endings which modulate the efferent function of capsaicin-sensitive neurones.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗