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Biomedical subjects

M Nagano

Publications and source records attributed to M Nagano.

At least 199 records · Page 11Linked to original sources
PubMed1991

Protective effect of ACE- and kininase-inhibitor on the onset of cardiomyopathy.

Attempts at treating idiopathic cardiomyopathy have been made both clinically and experimentally using the cardiomyopathic Syrian hamster. In recent years, the angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor has attracted considerable attention as an agent to treat heart failure. We administered the ACE inhibitor captopril to the cardiomyopathic hamster. In this study, 15 mg/kg body weight of captopril was administered to the cardiomyopathic hamster J2N at 5 weeks of age for 10 weeks; age matched J2N hamsters were used as non-treated control animals. At the end of captopril administration, blood was collected from the ventral aorta. Serum malondialdehyde (MDA), serum CPK, aldolase and LDH were determined, and myosin isoenzyme patterns of the extirpated myocardium were compared. Additionally, ECGs were compared and the fibrotic ratio of both ventricles determined. Serum MDA, CPK, and aldolase increased significantly in the cardiomyopathic hamster, whereas these indices were significantly inhibited in the hamster treated with captopril. The pathological ECG findings and the ventricular V3 predominant myosin isoenzyme patterns of the J2N were also much improved in the captopril group. However, the improvement in these parameters by enalapril administration was less than that seen with captopril. These results suggested that the effect of captopril is not only due to decrease of the angiotensin II level, but also due to increase in tissue kinin and vasodilatory prostaglandin which play an important role in the beneficial effect of captopril.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1991

Effects of long-term medication for essential hypertension on cardiac hypertrophy and function.

The effects of long-term treatment of hypertensive patients with alacepril (angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor) on cardiac mass and function were investigated. A total of 12 patients was examined. Both systolic and diastolic blood pressure were significantly reduced by treatment with alacepril for 1 year. Left ventricular mass, as estimated by echocardiography, was significantly decreased by alacepril treatment, although electrocardiographic and chest x-ray findings were not significantly altered. Cardiac pump function, which was also assessed by echocardiography, was not changed. These results indicate that long-term treatment of hypertension with alacepril induces regression of cardiac hypertrophy without any change in cardiac contractile function.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Ischemia-reperfusion arrhythmias and lipids: effect of human high- and low-density lipoproteins on reperfusion arrhythmias.

The effect of high- and low-density lipoproteins separated from human serum on the postischemic reperfusion arrhythmias was investigated. The hearts were perfused by working heart mode with Krebs Henseleit bicarbonate buffer containing arachidonic acid (1 microgram/ml) for 5 minutes. Whole heart ischemia was induced by the use of a one-way ball valve, and hearts were perfused for 15 minutes followed by 20 minutes of reperfusion. Physiologic concentrations of high- and low-density lipoproteins were constantly infused through the atrial route during ischemic perfusion. Coronary effluent was collected via pulmonary artery cannulation for subsequent radioimmunoassay of thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha, the major stable metabolites of thromboxane A2 and prostacyclin, respectively. The incidence of ventricular arrhythmias during reperfusion was 6/6 (100%), 1/6 (17%), and 6/6 (100%) in control, high-density lipoprotein and low-density lipoprotein infusion groups, respectively. There was no significant difference in coronary flow among the three groups throughout the perfusion. Both thromboxane B2 and 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha increased significantly during ischemia compared with preischemic values in all groups of hearts. However, the ratio of these two parameters varied in control and low-density lipoprotein infusion groups during ischemia, while there was no significant change in the high-density lipoprotein infusion group. These results provide the possibility that arachidonate metabolites may be involved in the regulation of ischemia-reperfusion arrhythmias and that high-density lipoprotein that was infused during ischemia markedly inhibits the incidence of ischemia-reperfusion-induced ventricular arrhythmias, due in part at least, to stabilizing the arachidonate metabolites during ischemic perfusion.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

A case of prominent hepatic cholestasis developing to hepatic failure in lambda-AL amyloidosis.

We report a case of lambda-AL amyloidosis which manifested prominent hepatic cholestasis. The patient was a 71-year-old Japanese male who was admitted to our hospital because of abdominal distension and jaundice. Laboratory examination revealed a marked deterioration of liver function with cholestasis. Gastric biopsy revealed amyloid deposition. Under a diagnosis of primary amyloidosis he was treated with corticosteroid and dimethylsulfoxide. However, jaundice progressed, renal function deteriorated rapidly, and he died two weeks after admission. Autopsy revealed a profound deposition of lambda-AL amyloid not only in the liver but also in the kidneys, spleen, lungs, heart and intestine.

Aged↗
PubMed1991

Giant metastatic VIPoma in the liver.

A case of giant metastatic liver VIPoma manifesting WDHA syndrome is described. The patient was a 33-year-old Japanese male who was admitted because of persisting watery diarrhea and weight loss. Laboratory examinations revealed marked hypokalemia, mild hypercalcemia and highly elevated plasma vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and glucagon levels. Intensive imaging examinations disclosed two large tumors in the liver but not in other organs, including the pancreas. Laparoscopy disclosed a slightly elevated purplish-colored large tumor on the surface of the apparently normal liver. At operation, however, a small hard nodule was observed in the tail of the pancreas. Histologically, it was revealed to be a VIPoma resembling a carcinoid or an islet cell tumor, and was identical to the liver tumors. Thus, this neoplasm was considered to be a VIPoma of pancreatic origin, with metastatic lesions in the liver.

Adult↗
PubMed1991

Age-dependent increase in deleted mitochondrial DNA in the human heart: possible contributory factor to presbycardia.

Cardiac function deteriorates with age, and endogenous damage to mitochondrial DNA (mt DNA) is believed to be a major contributory factor to aging. Mitochondria occupy a pivotal position in energy metabolism, and mitochondria have their own DNA, which encodes 13 subunits of the mitochondrial energy transducing system. Other subunits are encoded by nuclear DNA. DNA has been shown to have a high mutation rate, and genetic mutation might primarily be ascribed to mtDNA mutation in the energy transducing system. Recent advances in gene technology, especially in polymerase chain reactions (PCR), permit us to analyze mtDNA mutations in a small quantity of tissue. We devised rapid and accurate methods to detect mitochondrial mutations--the primer shift PCR method, PCR-Southern method, the modified primer shift PCR method, and the asymmetric PCR method. With these methods, we analyzed myocardia mtDNA in human cadavers of various ages (from 3 years old to 97 years old, mean 57 years old). The 7.4 kb deletion of mtDNA was commonly detected in elderly subjects, and the proportion of deleted mtDNA to normal mtDNA increased with age. Deleted mtDNA was observed in all subjects that were over 70 years old. The mutation was based on the directly repeated sequence: 5'-CATCAA-CAACCG-3', which exists in both the adenosine triphosphatase 6 gene and the displacement loop (D-loop) region. Replication impairment occurred at that directly repeated sequence, which caused the elimination of genomes between the adenosine triphosphatase 6 gene and the D-loop region and resulted in a 7.4 kb deletion.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adolescent↗
PubMed1991

Angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors suppress the vascular renin-angiotensin system of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The effects of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on the release of angiotensin II (Ang II) from isolated mesenteric arteries of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) were examined. Delapril, enalapril, and captopril suppressed Ang II release in a dose-dependent manner. After oral treatment with delapril (10 mg/kg/day), enalapril (10 mg/kg/day), and captopril (50 mg/kg/day) for 1 week, the blood pressure of SHRs was significantly reduced in the three groups and 54%, 46%, and 36% decreases in basal Ang II release were observed, respectively, compared with control. However, low-dose captopril (10 mg/kg/day) had no effect on blood pressure or basal Ang II release. These results provide clear evidence that ACE inhibitors suppress vascular renin-angiotensin activity of SHRs, and the possible contribution of the tissue renin-angiotensin system to spontaneous hypertension is suggested.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1991

In vitro effect of additives in benzodiazepine solutions on the superoxide anion-generating system in polymorphonuclear leucocytes.

Inhibitory effects of diazepam and flunitrazepam on the superoxide anion (O2-)-generating system in granulocytes were examined for their clinical relevance. When the effects of commercial solutions and pure preparations were compared using porcine and human polymorphonuclear leucocytes in vitro, the solutions were found to be more inhibitory than the pure drugs by 4-11 times, indicating that inhibition was caused mainly by the additives in the solutions. Concentrations of the additives required for 50% maximal inhibition of the system were 2.3, 7.5 and 0.9 microliters ml-1 for propylene glycol, ethanol and diazepam and flunitrazepam were 220 and 190 micrograms ml-1, respectively, under comparable conditions. However, plasma concentrations of the benzodiazepines and their additives during clinical use were far less than these inhibitory concentrations, indicating that they had no appreciable effect on the O2(-)-generating system in polymorphonuclear leucocytes of patients.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Effects of long term treatment with an alpha 1 adrenoceptor blocker on cardiac hypertrophy, contractility, and myosin isoenzymes in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

STUDY OBJECTIVE: The aim was to investigate the effects of long-term treatment with an alpha 1 blocker, bunazosin hydrochloride, on blood pressure, heart weight, myocardial contractility, and ventricular myosin isoenzyme pattern in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). DESIGN: Bunazosin hydrochloride was given orally in a dose of 10 mg.kg-1.d-1 for 8-9 weeks. Isometric tension development was measured in isolated left ventricular papillary muscles. The left ventricular myosin isoenzyme pattern was determined by pyrophosphate gel electrophoresis. SUBJECTS: 14 male SHR (seven treated and seven untreated rats) aged 23 to 24 weeks were studied. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: The blood pressure of the bunazosin treated rats was approximately 14% lower than that of the untreated rats at the end of the treatment period. The ventricular weight of treated SHR was significantly lower (around 8%) than that of untreated rats, but there were no significant differences between the two groups in the mechanical data obtained from isolated left ventricular papillary muscles. The myosin isoenzyme pattern of the left ventricle was significantly shifted toward VM-1 in the bunazosin treated SHR, the VM-1 concentration in the treated group being 38% greater than in the untreated group. CONCLUSIONS: These results indicate that long term treatment with bunazosin hydrochloride reduces blood pressure and leads to the regression of cardiac hypertrophy in SHR. Myocardial energetics (as represented by the myosin isoenzyme pattern) were affected, but there was no influence on myocardial tension development.

Adrenergic alpha-Antagonists↗
PubMed1991

Changes in gene expression of the renin-angiotensin system in two-kidney, one clip hypertensive rats.

To investigate the molecular mechanism of sustained hypertension in two-kidney, one clip (2K1C) hypertensive rats, possible changes in renin gene expression in the kidney and angiotensinogen in the liver were studied. In 2K1C rats 4 weeks after clipping, the plasma renin and angiotensin II levels were significantly higher than those in sham-operated rats, but the plasma angiotensinogen levels were similar in the two groups. At this time, expression of the renin gene in the ischaemic kidney of 2K1C rats was 2.6-times that in sham-operated rats (P less than 0.05), but expressions of the angiotensinogen gene were similar in the two groups. Sixteen weeks after clipping, the plasma renin and angiotensin II levels in 2K1C rats were not significantly higher than those in sham-operated controls, but expression of the renin gene in the kidney was still 2.2-times higher in 2K1C rats than in controls (P less than 0.05). The plasma angiotensinogen level was significantly higher in 2K1C rats than in controls (P less than 0.05), and expression of the angiotensinogen gene in the liver was 2.9-times higher in 2K1C rats than in controls (P less than 0.01). These results indicate that the roles of the renin-angiotensin system in maintenance of hypertension in 2K1C rats differ in the acute and chronic phases: in the acute phase, over-expression of the renal renin gene coupled to increased renin secretion plays the major role in elevating the blood pressure; in the chronic phase, a counter-regulatory mechanism may affect the post-transcriptional fate of renin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Angiotensinogen↗
PubMed1991

Converting enzyme inhibitors regressed cardiac hypertrophy and reduced tissue angiotensin II in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

To examine the role of the tissue renin-angiotensin system in left ventricular hypertrophy, converting enzyme inhibitors were administered orally to 12-week-old male spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) for 4 weeks, and cardiac tissue angiotensin II was measured. Treatment with enalapril (10 mg/kg per day) and trandolapril (1 mg/kg per day) lowered systolic blood pressure, left ventricular weight and left ventricular angiotensin II content. Plasma angiotensin II concentration was increased by the treatment with enalapril whereas trandolapril did not cause any change. There was significantly positive correlation between left ventricular weight and angiotensin II content. Because angiotensin II promotes cell proliferation, these results suggest that cardiac tissue angiotensin II, rather than circulating angiotensin II, may account for the pathophysiology of left ventricular hypertrophy in SHR.

Angiotensin II↗
PubMed1991

Effect of long-term treatment with an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor on the renin-angiotensin system in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

1. To obtain information on regulation of the brain renin-angiotensin system, the effect of long-term administration of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor on brain renin and angiotensinogen mRNA was studied. 2. Spirapril (3 mg/kg) was orally administered daily for 8 weeks to spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) from 12 weeks after birth. Renin and angiotensinogen mRNA in the brain and kidney were then quantitated by Northern blot analyses with [32P]-labelled rat renin and angiotensinogen cDNA as hybridization probes. Plasma renin activity (PRA), angiotensin II (AII) concentration, plasma ACE activity and brain tissue ACE activity were also measured. 3. Compared with the control group, the Spirapril-treated group had significantly lower blood pressure (P less than 0.01), significantly higher PRA (P less than 0.01), a not significantly different plasma AII concentration, and lower plasma and brain ACE activities (P less than 0.01). Interestingly, the brain renin and angiotensinogen mRNA levels of the two groups were similar, but the renal renin mRNA level was significantly higher in the Spirapril-treated group (P less than 0.01). 4. These results indicate that the mRNA levels of brain renin and angiotensinogen were not affected by chronic ACE inhibition in the circulation and suggest that AII in the brain might not be affected by systemic ACE inhibition.

Actins↗
PubMed1991

Consistent activation of prorenin mRNA in renal hypertensive rats.

To investigate the mechanism of maintaining hypertension in chronic two-kidney, one-clip (2K1C) rats, we studied the expression of the kidney renin gene. Total cellular RNA was extracted by the guanidine thiocyanate--CsCl method. Kidney renin messenger RNA was quantified by densitometric Northern blot analysis using 32P-labeled rat renin genomic DNA as a hybridization probe. Sixteen weeks after clipping, plasma renin concentration and plasma angiotensin II concentration did not differ between 2K1C and sham-operated rats (plasma renin activity, sham rats 16.2 +/- 4.2 vs. 2K1C rats 8.9 +/- 1.3 ng angiotensin I.mL-1.h-1; plasma angiotensin II, sham rats 14.7 +/- 7.5 vs. 2K1C rats 6.8 +/- 1.3 pg/mL), while plasma angiotensin concentration in 2K1C rats was higher than that of sham rats (p less than 0.05). Renin gene expression in the ischemic kidney was 2.2 times higher than that in the kidney of sham-operated rats (p less than 0.05), and decreased to 80% of those in the kidneys of sham-operated rats. These results suggest that overexpression of the kidney renin gene in the chronic phases of 2K1C rats may contribute to the sustained high blood pressure, and the kidney renin gene may be inhibited by posttranscriptional factors, i.e., suppressed activation of prorenin to renin.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

[Neurotoxicity of allyl chloride in rats. Dose-effect relationship following long-term exposure].

To elucidate the dose-effect relationship of neurotoxicity of allyl chloride (AC) in Donryu rats, 5 animals each were exposed to 10, 50 and 100 ppm AC for 8 h/d and 5 d/wk for a period of 34 wk. Nerve conduction velocities of the tail nerve in rats were determined before and after 4, 8, 12, 16, 22, 28 and 34 wk of exposure, and the width of landing foot-spread after 8, 12, 16, 28 and 34 wk. Animals subjected to 100 ppm AC showed significant (p less than 0.01) reduction of motor and sensory nerve conduction velocities and nerve action potentials (NAP) after 28 wk when clinical signs of neuropathy were observed, i.e., weakness of hindlimbs and significantly (p less than 0.01) extended landing foot-spreads. Motor distal latency was retarded in rats exposed to 100 ppm AC at the last period of exposure. In rats exposed to 50 and 100 ppm AC, no remarkable electrophysiological findings or abnormal clinical signs were observed except for depressed amplitude of NAP in 50 ppm-exposed rats when compared with those exposed to 10 ppm.

Action Potentials↗
PubMed1991

Substrain comparison of genetically hypertensive rats using DNA fingerprinting, and genetic analysis of blood pressure in the inbred rats.

Using DNA fingerprinting, genetic heterogeneity or homogeneity was studied between substrains of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats maintained in Japan. Using human myoglobin minisatellite 33.15 as a probe, we did not detect any inter- or intra-substrain genetic heterogeneities in HinfI digests of SHR or WKY rat DNA. However, analysis of Sau3AI digests of rat DNA using mouse C-6 gene as a probe revealed intra-substrain heterogeneity of 1-2 DNA bands in one of the WKY rat substrains. In the other substrains of SHR and WKY rats, there existed no intra-substrain heterogeneities, but several inter-substrain heterogeneities were observed in both SHR and WKY rats. In another experiment using the inbred substrains of SHR and WKY rats which have been confirmed as genetically homogeneous, we produced F1 and F2 rats, and biometrically analyzed their systolic blood pressure. The results suggested that there may be 1-4 dominant antihypertensinogenic genes with high heritability of 0.6-0.7.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Mechanisms of hypertension induced by erythropoietin in patients on hemodialysis.

To investigate the mechanisms of hypertension induced by recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) in patients on hemodialysis (HD), mean blood pressure (MBP), plasma renin activity (PRA), whole blood viscosity, blood volume (BV), cardiac index (CI) and total peripheral resistance index (TPRI) were measured before and after treatment with rHuEPO for 3 months in 9 patients on HD. Pressor responsiveness to exogenous norepinephrine (NE) and angiotensin II (AII) were also compared before and after treatment. Four patients were 'responders' (R) whose MBP increased by more than 10 mmHg, and 5 patients were 'non-responders' (non-R) whose MBP was unchanged or increased by less than 10 mmHg. Initial PRA and TPRI were significantly higher and BV was significantly lower in R than in non-R. After treatment, TPRI was increased in both groups, but CI was decreased in non-R. There was a significant correlation between changes in MBP and blood viscosity to rHuEPO. Pressor responsiveness to NE and AII were significantly enhanced after rHuEPO treatment in responders. These results suggest that inappropriate cardiovascular responses to the correction of anemia, increased blood viscosity, and enhanced pressor responsiveness may participate in the development of rHuEPO-related hypertension.

Adult↗