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Biomedical subjects

M J Rand

Publications and source records attributed to M J Rand.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources
PubMed1997

Characterisation of excitatory and inhibitory transmitter systems in prostate glands of rats, guinea pigs, rabbits and pigs.

Excitatory and inhibitory transmitter systems were investigated in strips of prostate glands from rats, guinea pigs, pigs and rabbits. In strips from all species, electrical field stimulation (1 ms pulses at 1-30 Hz for 10 s) produced frequency-dependent contractions which were abolished by tetrodotoxin (1 microM). In strips from rats, guinea pigs and rabbits, contractions were reduced by prazosin (1 microM), guanethidine (10 microM) and atropine (2 microM), indicating the presence of noradrenergic and cholinergic mechanisms. However, the smooth muscle in the pig prostate appears to have a non-(nor)adrenergic non-cholinergic (NANC) excitatory innervation for which the transmitter was not identified. When noradrenergic and cholinergic mechanisms were blocked by guanethidine and atropine, respectively, and tone was raised with noradrenaline or methoxamine, field stimulation produced relaxations only in strips of rabbit prostate, and these were greatly reduced by N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 microM), providing functional evidence for a nitrergic relaxant innervation. In accord with this, nitric oxide (NO) synthase activity was considerably higher in rabbit than in rat or pig prostates.

Animals↗
PubMed1997

Mechanisms of electrical field stimulation-induced vasodilatation in the guinea-pig basilar artery: the role of endothelium.

1. The role of endothelium in neuronal vasodilatation elicited by electrical field stimulation (EFS) was investigated in preparations of the isolated guinea-pig basilar artery in which the tone was raised with prostaglandin F2 alpha. 2. In preparations with intact endothelium, EFS produced frequency-dependent dilatations which were not affected by guanethidine but were slightly yet significantly reduced by atropine (1 microM), and were blocked by tetrodotoxin (1 microM) and the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor L-NAME (10 microM). 3. Dilatations were elicited by acetylcholine (3 microM); these were blocked by L-NAME and atropine (1 microM). 4. Dilatations were elicited by nicotine (100 microM); these were blocked by L-NAME and hexamethonium (100 microM). 5. Dilation elicited by sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 3 microM) was not affected by L-NAME. 6. The inhibitory effects of L-NAME were partially prevented by L-arginine (1 microM). 7. Removal of the endothelium resulted in a significant reduction of dilatations elicited by EFS, elimination of the dilator action of acetylcholine, but enhancement of that to SNP. 8. The results suggest that EFS-induced vasodilatation is mediated in part by the nitrergic transmitter and in part endothelium derived relaxing factor (EDRF) activated by acetylcholine released from cholinergic nerves.

Animals↗
PubMed1996

Comparison of the effects of hydroxocobalamin and oxyhaemoglobin on responses to NO, EDRF and the nitrergic transmitter.

1. The effects of ranges of concentrations of oxyhaemoglobin (0.01-30 microM) and hydroxocobalamin (1-100 microM) were compared for their abilities to reduce relaxant responses to EDRF released by acetylcholine in endothelium-intact rat aortic rings, the nitergic transmitter in rat anococcygeus muscles, and NO in aqueous solution in both tissues (aortic rings were denuded of endothelium). 2. The concentrations of oxyhaemoglobin producing 50% reduction of responses to EDRF and NO in rat aorta correspond closely, the IC50 values being 0.13 +/- 0.02 microM and 0.11 +/- 0.02 microM respectively. 3. Oxyhaemoglobin was equally effective in inhibiting responses to NO in anococcygeus muscles and in aortic rings with an IC50 of 0.14 +/- 0.05 microM. However, responses to the nitrergic transmitter were considerably less sensitive to inhibition by oxyhaemoglobin, the IC50 being 19.7 +/- 5.1 microM. 4. The IC50 values for hydroxocobalamin in inhibiting responses to EDRF and NO in aorta were 3.4 +/- 0.2 microM and 8.4 +/- 0.63 microM, respectively, but it was less effective against responses to NO in anococcygeus muscles the IC50 being 46 +/- 9.6 microM. However, even in the highest concentration used (100 microM), it did not reduce responses to the nitrergic transmitter. 5. The findings are compatible with the views that EDRF is NO, but suggest that the nitergic transmitter in the rat anococcygeus muscle does not behave like free NO.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1996

Inhibition of NO-medicate responses by 7-ethoxyresorufin, a substrate and competitive inhibitor of cytochrome P450.

1. The effects of 7-ethoxyresorufin (7-ER), which is a substrate for and competitive inhibitor of cytochrome P450, were studied on responses to nitric oxide (NO), the NO donors sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), acetylcholine-induced endothelium-dependent relaxations of rat and rabbit aortic rings and nitrergic nerve stimulation-induced relaxations of rat anococcygeus muscles. 2. In rat and rabbit aortic rings, 7-ER (2 microM) inhibited the relaxations to acetylcholine in endothelium-intact preparations and the relaxant action of NO in endothelium-denuded preparations. Relaxant responses to SNP and GTN were inhibited by 7-ER in the rat but not rabbit aortic rings. However, the relaxant actions of papaverine and 8-bromo-cyclic GMP were not affected by 7-ER. 3. In rat anococcygeus muscles, 7ER (2 microM) inhibited the relaxant action of NO, but relaxations elicited by nitrergic nerve stimulation were only partly inhibited by a higher concentration of 7-ER (10 microM). 4. After inhibition by 7-ER, superoxide dismutase (100 u ml-1) restored NO-induced relaxations of the rat aortic rings, but not acetylcholine-, SNP or GTN-induced relaxations, and restored NO- and nitrergic nerve stimulation-induced relaxations of anococcygeus muscles. 5. Another cytochrome P450 inhibitor, troleandomycin (10-30 microM), had no effect on NO- or acetylcholine-induced relaxations of rat aortic rings and NO- or nitrergic nerve stimulation-induced relaxations of anococcygeus muscles. However, resorufin, an analogue of 7-ER, inhibited responses to acetylcholine, NO and GTN in rat aortic rings. 6. The results suggest that 7-ER inhibited responses to NO and nitrergic nerve stimulation through generation of superoxide radicals. However, an additional mechanism may be involved in the reduction in acetylcholine-induced response in aortic rings. 7. A 7-ER sensitive P450 system may be involved in the bioactivation of GTN and SNP in rat aortic rings, but not in rabbit aorta or rat anococcygeus muscles.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1996

Evidence for two distinct P2-purinoceptors subserving contraction of the rat anococcygeus smooth muscle.

1. The effects of the P2-purinoceptor agonists, adenosine 5'-triphosphate (ATP), alpha, beta-methylene ATP (alpha, beta-MeATP), beta, gamma-methylene ATP (beta, gamma-MeATP), L-beta, gamma-methylene ATP (L-beta, gamma-MeATP), adenosine-5'-O-(2-thiodiphosphate) (ADP beta S), and 2-methylthio ATP (2-MeSATP) were investigated on the isometric tension of the rat anococcygeus muscle. 2. Non-cumulative additions of ATP (100-1500 microM), alpha, beta-MeATP (1-300 microM), beta, gamma-MeATP (10-300 microM), L-beta, gamma-MeATP (3-100 microM) and ADP beta S (1-100 microM) produced concentration-dependent contractions, whereas 2-MeSATP (1-100 microM) had no effect. The rank order of potency was alpha, beta-MeATP > L-beta, gamma-MeATP > or = ADP beta S > beta, gamma-MeATP > > ATP > 2-MeSATP. 3. Contractions to cumulative additions of ATP, alpha, beta-MeATP, beta, gamma-MeATP and L-beta, gamma-MeATP were subject to desensitization whilst those to ADP beta S were unaffected. 4. Contractions to ATP, alpha, beta-MeATP, beta, gamma-MeATP and ADP beta S were abolished by the non-selective P2X/. P2Y-purinoceptor antagonist, suramin (100 microM). In contrast, contractions to ATP, alpha, beta-MeATP and beta, gamma-MeATP were not affected by the non-selective P1-purinoceptor antagonist 8-(p-sulphophenyl)-theophylline (8SPT, 30 microM). Blockade of P2X-purinoceptors with the selective P2X-purinoceptor antagonist pyridoxal-phosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulphonic acid (PPADS, 10 microM) or desensitization with L-beta, gamma-MeATP (10 microM) abolished contractions to alpha, beta-MeATP, but enhanced those to ADP beta S. The P2Y-purinoceptor antagonist, reactive blue 2 (RB2, 100 microM) enhanced contractions to ATP and alpha, beta-MeATP but abolished those to ADP beta S. 5. Simultaneous addition of alpha, beta-MeATP and ADP beta S produced an additive contraction. 6. The findings suggest that in the rat anococcygeus, smooth muscle cells are endowed with two distinct P2-purinoceptors which subserve contractions: a P2X-purinoceptor activated by ATP and its analogues, and another type of P2-purinoceptor activated by ADP beta S.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMed1995

Hydroxocobalamin and haemoglobin differentiate between exogenous and neuronal nitric oxide in the rat gastric fundus.

In longitudinal strips of rat gastric fundus, hydroxocobalamin (30 microM) significantly reduced relaxations to sodium nitroprusside (100 nM), nitric oxide (NO; 5 microM) and S-nitrosocysteine (3 microM), whereas responses to non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic (NANC) nerve stimulation were only slightly reduced. The stimulation-induced relaxations were markedly reduced by the NO synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine (100 microM). Hydroxocobalamin (30 microM) enhanced relaxations to S-nitrosoglutathione (1 and 3 microM), and had no effect on responses to vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (1 nM). Haemoglobin (10 microM) significantly reduced relaxations to sodium nitroprusside, NO, S-nitrosocysteine and S-nitrosoglutathione, but did not affect responses to NANC nerve stimulation or vasoactive intestinal polypeptide. The results suggest that hydroxocobalamin and haemoglobin can differentiate between exogenous and neuronally released NO, and that the transmitter released from nitrergic nerves in the rat gastric fundus is not free NO or the nitrosothiols, S-nitrosocysteine and S-nitrosoglutathione.

Analysis of Variance↗
PubMed1995

Discrimination by the NO-trapping agent, carboxy-PTIO, between NO and the nitrergic transmitter but not between NO and EDRF.

1. The effects of carboxy-PTIO, a scavenger of free radical nitric oxide (NO), were studied on endothelium-dependent relaxations of rat aorta and nitrergic nerve stimulation-induced relaxations of anococcygeus muscle and gastric fundus strips to test the hypothesis that endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF) and the transmitter released by nitrergic nerves is free radical NO. 2. Carboxy-PTIO (10-300 microM) produced concentration-dependent reductions of relaxations elicited by exogenous NO, and relaxations mediated by EDRF released by acetylcholine and ATP in rings of rat aorta. The inhibitory effect of carboxy-PTIO was removed by washing the tissues. 3. In the rat anococcygeus muscle, carboxy-PTIO (10-300 microM) produced concentration-dependent reductions of relaxations to exogenous NO; however, in concentrations up to 2000 microM it did not reduce relaxations elicited by nitrergic nerve stimulation (1-2 Hz), in fact, concentrations of 300 microM or more slightly enhanced them. 4. In rat gastric fundus strips, carboxy-PTIO (100 and 300 microM) reduced relaxations to exogenous NO, but relaxations elicited by stimulation of the nitrergic component of non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic nerves were not affected. 5. These results suggest that EDRF is free radical NO and may be designated EDNO, but the transmitter released from nitrergic nerves does not appear to be identical to EDNO and may not be free radical NO.

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1994

Pharmacological actions of the coenzymes NAD(H) and NADP(H) on the rat anococcygeus muscle.

1. The pharmacological actions of the oxidized and reduced forms of nicotinamide-adenosine dinucleotide (NAD, NADH) and nicotinamide-adenosine dinucleotide phosphate (NADP, NADPH) were studied on rat isolated anococcygeus muscles. 2. The actions of the two nucleotides were different, but there were no apparent qualitative differences between the oxidized and reduced forms of each. 3. In fully relaxed anococcygeus muscles, NADP(H) produced transient contractions that were subject to desensitization, but NAD(H) had no effect. 4. NADP(H) slightly enhanced contractions elicited by noradrenergic nerve stimulation. In contrast, noradrenergic contractions were inhibited by NAD(H). NADH reduced the stimulation-induced release of noradrenaline, but enhanced contractions elicited by exogenous noradrenaline. 5. In anococcygeus muscles partly contracted with guanethidine, NAD(H) produced a further sustained increase in tone; in contrast, NADP(H) mainly produced transient relaxations to which there was immediate desensitization. 6. Relaxations of anococcygeus muscle elicited by nitrergic nerve stimulation were not affected by NAD. In contrast, NADP(H) reduced them. 7. The actions of NAD(H) were generally the same as those of adenosine and can be attributed to activation of P1-purinoceptors since they were blocked by the selective antagonist 8-sulphophenyltheophylline. 8. The actions of NADP resembled those of the P2-purinoceptor agonist ATP to some extent, but there were some differences. As suggested by others, NADP may act on a unique receptor.

Adenosine↗
PubMed1994

Inhibition by ethacrynic acid of NO-mediated relaxations of the rat anococcygeus muscle.

1. The effects of ethacrynic acid were studied on relaxations elicited by nitric oxide (NO), the NO-donors sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and glyceryl trinitrate (GTN), nitrergic nerve stimulation and the NO-independent agent papaverine in isolated preparations of rat anococcygeus muscles. 2. Ethacrynic acid (100 mumol/L) produced complete relaxation of partially contracted anococcygeus muscles, but the tone recovered after the ethacrynic acid was washed out. Following exposure to ethacrynic acid, the relaxant responses to NO, SNP, GTN and nitrergic nerve stimulation were abolished or markedly reduced; however, the response to papaverine was only slightly reduced. 3. The presence of 3 mmol/L L-cysteine during the period of exposure to ethacrynic acid prevented the inhibition of the relaxing effects of SNP, GTN and nitrergic nerve stimulation almost completely, but did not affect the slight reduction in responses to papaverine. 4. The addition of L-cysteine (3 mmol/L) after incubation with ethacrynic acid did not significantly affect the inhibited responses to SNP and GTN; however, the inhibited responses to nitrergic nerve stimulation were slightly but significantly increased. 5. The results suggest that endogenous sulphydryl groups are required for the actions of NO, NO-donating drugs and the nitrergic transmitter in the rat anococcygeus muscle and possibly for the synthesis or release of the nitrergic transmitter.

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1994

Effects of ethanol and other aliphatic alcohols on NO-mediated relaxations in rat anococcygeus muscles and gastric fundus strips.

1. In anococcygeus muscles, ethanol (20-500 mM) slightly increased the tone and inhibited relaxations elicited by nitrergic nerve stimulation (0.5-5 Hz) in a concentration-dependent manner. 2. Other aliphatic alcohols decreased the tone but had inhibitory effects similar to ethanol on stimulation-induced relaxations, the EC50 (mM) values being: methanol 280, ethanol 80, propan-1-ol 20, propan-2-ol 55, propan 1,2-diol 135, butan-1-ol 120, butan-2-ol 15 and pentan-1-ol 3. 3. Relaxations induced by sodium nitroprusside (SNP, 10 nM) were inhibited by ethanol (20-500 mM) in a concentration-dependent manner and by propan-2-ol (100 mM). Relaxations induced by NO (1 microM) were inhibited by high concentrations of ethanol (200-300 mM) and by propan-2-ol (100 mM). 4. In gastric fundus strips, ethanol (60-200 mM) did not affect the resting tone but inhibited NO-mediated relaxations elicited by low frequency (1 Hz) field stimulation and reduced the initial relaxation by high frequency field stimulation (10 Hz) and by SNP (50 nM). The relaxant action of isoprenaline (10 nM) was not reduced although it was slightly slower in onset. Other aliphatic alcohols tested decreased the tone and inhibited relaxations elicited by field stimulation. 5. Acetaldehyde (1-10 mM) inhibited relaxations elicited by field stimulation and SNP in both the rat anococcygeus muscles and gastric fundus strips. The tone of gastric fundus strips was decreased by acetaldehyde but it was transiently increased in anococcygeus muscles. 6. The dehydrogenase inhibitors, 4-methylpyrazole (100 MicroM) and disulfiram (100 MicroM) did not significantly affect the inhibition by ethanol of nitrergic nerve stimulation-induced relaxations in anococcygeus muscles, which suggests that ethanol acts directly.7. The inhibition of NO-mediated relaxations by alcohols is attributed to sequestration of NO to form nitroso-alcohols.

Acetaldehyde↗
PubMed1993

Endothelin-1 enhances vasoconstrictor responses to exogenously administered and neurogenically released ATP in rabbit isolated perfused arteries.

Vasoconstrictor responses to ATP were enhanced in a concentration-dependent-manner by endothelin-1 (0.1-1 nM) in isolated perfused segments of rabbit ear artery. Higher concentrations of endothelin-1 (3-10 nM) also enhanced vasoconstrictor responses to ATP. The enhancement of ATP responses by endothelin-1 (0.1-10 nM) was not affected by nicardipine (10 nM). The ATP-mediated component of the vasoconstrictor response to perivascular nerve stimulation in the rabbit jejunal artery was enhanced by endothelin-1 to a similar extent as that to exogenously administered ATP. The enhancement of vasoconstrictor responses to neurogenic ATP was also not affected by nicardipine.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗
PubMed1993

Differential effects of hydroxocobalamin on relaxations induced by nitrosothiols in rat aorta and anococcygeus muscle.

In aortic rings, hydroxocobalamin (30 microM) reduced the relaxant actions of S-nitrosocysteine (0.1-3 microM), S-nitrosoglutathione (0.1-3 microM) and S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP, 0.01-3 microM), but did not affect the relaxant action of S-nitroso-coenzyme A (0.1-3 microM). In anococcygeus muscles, hydroxocobalamin (30 microM) had little effect on relaxations produced by nitrosocysteine (0.1-3 microM) and SNAP (0.01-1 microM), and enhanced those produced by nitrosoglutathione (0.1-3 microM) and nitroso-coenzyme A (0.1-3 microM). Since hydroxocobalamin is thought to act like haemoglobin by sequestering NO, some of the effects of hydroxocobalamin were compared with those of haemoglobin. Haemoglobin (10 microM) inhibited relaxations of aortic rings produced by nitrosocysteine and nitrosoglutathione and relaxations of anococcygeus muscles produced by nitrosocysteine, nitrosoglutathione and SNAP. Thus the effects of hydroxocobalamin on nitrosothiol-induced relaxations differ between the rat aorta and anococcygeus muscle, and depend on the exact nature of the nitrosothiol; however, the effects of haemoglobin did not differ qualitatively between the two tissues. Since hydroxocobalamin reduced relaxations of rat anococcygeus muscles elicited by NO, but not those elicited by nitrergic nerve stimulation or nitrosothiols, the nitrergic transmitter more closely resembles a nitrosothiol than free NO. Of those tested, the best correspondence was with nitrosocysteine; however, there were some differences between it and the transmitter.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Effects of hydroxocobalamin and haemoglobin on no-mediated relaxations in the rat anococcygeus muscle.

1. The effects of hydroxocobalamin (Vitamin B12a) on relaxations produced by nitric oxide (NO), some NO-donating compounds and nitrergic nerve stimulation in isolated preparations of the rat anococcygeus muscle were compared with the effects of haemoglobin. 2. Hydroxocobalamin (30 mumol/L) significantly reduced relaxations induced by NO (0.1-3 mumol/L) and sodium nitroprusside (SNP; 0.01-0.3 mumol/L) but did not affect relaxations induced by glyceryl trinitrate (GTN; 0.01-1 mumol/L), S-nitrosocysteine (0.1-0.3 mumol/L) or stimulation of nitrergic nerves. A higher concentration of hydroxocobalamin (100 mumol/L) slightly reduced nitrergic nerve stimulation-induced relaxations. 3. Haemoglobin (10 mumol/L) blocked relaxation induced by NO and reduced relaxations induced by SNP, GTN, S-nitrosocysteine and nitrergic nerve stimulation. 4. When nitrergic nerve stimulation-induced relaxations had been partially reduced by the NO synthase inhibitor L-NAME (5-10 mumol/L), hydroxocobalamin had only a weak and transient inhibitory effect. 5. Noradrenergic contractions induced by field stimulation were not affected by hydroxocobalamin (30 mumol/L), but were enhanced by haemoglobin (10 mumol/L). 6. The results suggest that the transmitter released from nitrergic nerves in anococcygeus muscles resembles NO-releasing compounds such as S-nitrosocysteine and GTN but not SNP or free NO.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

The inhibition of nitric oxide-mediated relaxations in rat aorta and anococcygeus muscle by diphenylene iodonium.

1. The effects of diphenylene iodonium (DPI), an inhibitor of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate-dependent oxidases (which generate superoxide anions), were studied on nitric oxide (NO)-mediated responses in isolated preparations of the rat aorta and anococcygeus muscle. 2. In aortic rings, the endothelium-dependent relaxant action of acetylcholine was reduced by DPI (0.3-10 mumol/L) in a concentration-dependent manner and abolished by the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-nitro-NG-arginine methylester (L-NAME; 100 mumol/L). Relaxations induced by sodium nitroprusside (SNP) or NO were not affected by DPI or L-NAME. 3. In anococcygeus muscles, DPI (0.3-10 mumol/L) as well as L-NAME (5-100 mumol/L) produced concentration-dependent reductions of relaxations produced by nitrergic nerve stimulation. Relaxations induced by NO and SNP were not affected by either DPI or L-NAME. L-Arginine (1 mmol/L) prevented the reduction of nitrergic relaxations by L-NAME but not by DPI. 4. Contractions of anococcygeus muscles elicited by exogenous noradrenaline (1 mumol/L) were not affected or were inhibited by DPI (0.3-10 mumol/L), but the contractions elicited by noradrenergic nerve stimulation were significantly enhanced by DPI and L-NAME. When noradrenergic contractions had already been maximally enhanced by L-NAME (100 mumol/L), DPI produced no further enhancement. L-Arginine (1 mmol/L) prevented the enhancement of noradrenergic contractions by L-NAME but not by DPI. 5. The efflux of radioactivity induced by field stimulation from anococcygeus muscles previously incubated with [3H]-noradrenaline was not affected by either DPI or L-NAME.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acetylcholine↗