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Biomedical subjects

M Naruse

Publications and source records attributed to M Naruse.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Histological study on ouabain immunoreactivities in the mammalian hypothalamus.

The endogenous digitalis-like factor (EDLF) which has recently been purified from human plasma and identified as 'ouabain', a cis-trans-cis steroid of plant origin, is thought to be similar to the hypothetical humoral factor, 'endogenous digitalis-like substance (EDLS)'. In order to examine the hypothesis that EDLS is produced in the hypothalamus, we prepared an ouabain-specific antibody, and applied it to rat and macaque brains. Ouabain immunoreactivities were observed in the hypothalamus of both species. The immunopositive neurons were distributed in paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei, and some other hypothalamic regions. Their nerve fibers were seen abundantly in the hypothalamo-neurohypophysial regions. These results strongly support the possibility of existence of cis-trans-cis steroid including EDLF in mammalian brain.

Animals

Mechanism of PGE2-induced cell swelling in distal nephron segments.

The effects of prostaglandin (PG) E2 on cell swelling were studied in isolated perfused tubules of rabbit kidney. PGE2 (1 microM) added to the bath induced cell swelling by 13.4, 7.2, and 9.6% in the connecting tubule, distal convoluted tubule, and cortical collecting duct, respectively, but it had no effect on the proximal convoluted tubule and cortical thick ascending limb. The response was dose dependent in the range of 1 nM to 1 microM. PGI2 exerted a similar effect, but PGF2 alpha had no effect. The swelling was completely blocked by basolateral Na+ removal and was attenuated by bilateral Cl- removal, suggesting that the swelling was mediated by basolateral Na+ entry in association with Cl- entry. In all segments except proximal tubule, PGE2 caused an initial transient peak followed by a sustained increase in intracellular Ca2+. Intracellular Ca2+ chelation or inhibition of Ca2+ release from intracellular stores abolished the PGE2-induced cell swelling, but extracellular Ca2+ removal did not. An inhibitor of the Na(+)-Ca2+ exchanger (3',4'-dichlorobenzamil, 100 microM) in the bath completely inhibited PGE2-induced cell swelling. Neither furosemide (1 mM) nor amiloride (1 mM) added to bath abolished the response, indicating that neither Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl- cotransport nor Na(+)-H+ exchange is involved in the action of PGE2. The swelling response to PGE2 was observed even in the presence of ouabain, indicating that the effect of PGE2 is independent of Na(+)-K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase inhibition. Nicardipine added to bath partially inhibited the swelling response.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Endothelin stimulates aldosterone secretion in vitro from normal adrenocortical tissue, but not adenoma tissue, in primary aldosteronism.

In addition to vasoconstriction, endothelin (ET) has been reported to show various endocrine actions in animals. However, no data have emerged concerning the effect of ET on adrenal function in humans. We, therefore, investigated the effects of ET on aldosterone and cortisol secretion from adrenocortical tissues obtained from normal subjects (n = 6) and patients with primary aldosteronism (n = 5). Adrenal tissue slices were incubated at 37 C for 120 min in modified Krebs-Ringer solution containing glucose and HEPES. ET increased aldosterone secretion from normal adrenocortical tissue in a dose-dependent manner, with an ED50 of 0.036 nmol/L, although the maximum response was small compared with that to angiotensin-II. ET also stimulated aldosterone secretion from tissues adjacent to the adenoma, but not from the adenoma, in patients with primary aldosteronism. The effects of ET on aldosterone secretion were significantly suppressed by calcium channel blockade with nicardipine. ET did not affect cortisol secretion from the adrenal tissues. These results suggest that ET is one of the factors that regulates aldosterone secretion in humans.

Adenoma

Endothelin-3 immunoreactivity in gonadotrophs of the human anterior pituitary.

Endothelin (ET), originally discovered in vascular endothelial cells, has also been demonstrated in nonvascular tissues. The present study was undertaken to elucidate the presence of ET in the human pituitary. The avidin-biotin complex method with antiserum to ET-1 (and ET-2) or ET-3 was used to identify ET in human pituitaries obtained by autopsy. ET-3 immunoreactivity was found in the cytoplasm of large ovoid cells of the anterior pituitary. Using the double staining method, the cells containing ET-3 immunoreactivity were differentiated from cells containing ACTH, TSH beta, GH, PRL, and protein S-100. By staining with anti-LH beta antiserum in adjacent sections and using the double staining method, the cells were identified as gonadotrophs. No staining was observed in the posterior pituitary. In addition, no ET-1 (and ET-2) immunoreactivity was detected. The specific localization of ET-3 immunoreactivity in the gonadotrophs of the human pituitary suggests a possible role of ET-3 in the regulation of anterior pituitary function.

Adolescent

Rotational movement of a spermatozoon around its long axis.

The rotational movement of a spermatozoon around its longitudinal axis was investigated by two methods: by observing a spermatozoon attached vertically to a coverslip by the tip of its head, and by observing a spermatozoon freely swimming in a medium by means of 'double-focal microscopy', which yielded simultaneous images at two different focal planes. Similar results were obtained by these two methods. Sea urchin, starfish, medaka, human, golden hamster and bull spermatozoa rolled in both clockwise and counterclockwise directions, although there was a large difference in the proportion of spermatozoa rolling in each direction in the different species. The majority of sea urchin and starfish spermatozoa rolled in a clockwise direction when an observer viewed the cell from its anterior end, whereas the majority of medaka, golden hamster, human and bull spermatozoa rolled in a counterclockwise direction relative to the same observer. Moreover, some spermatozoa occasionally changed their rotational direction. These results suggest that the mechanism regulating the direction of rotation of the spermatozoa is lax. As rotational movement of a spermatozoon around its longitudinal axis is due to the three-dimensional component of the beat of the flagellum, the direction of the three-dimensional movement presumably changes as the spermatozoa swim.

Animals

A patient with a prolactinoma associated with an aldosterone producing adrenal adenoma: differences in dopaminergic regulation of PRL and aldosterone secretion.

A patient with a rare combination of prolactinoma and aldosterone producing adrenal adenoma (APA) was reported in relation to studies concerning dopaminergic regulation of PRL and aldosterone secretion. The patient is a 38-year-old female with plasma PRL and aldosterone concentrations (PAC) of 563 ng/ml and 54 ng/dl, respectively. A bolus of 10 mg of metoclopramide significantly increased plasma PRL in 6 normal subjects and in 4 patients with APA, whereas the responses were blunted in 7 patients with prolactinoma and in our patient. The response of aldosterone to metoclopramide was less than that of PRL, but similar in all studied subjects, indicating that the dopaminergic inhibition of aldosterone secretion is less than that of PRL in normal subjects and did not change in patients with APA or prolactinoma. Oral administration of 2.5 mg of bromocriptine suppressed plasma PRL significantly in all the subjects studied, but did not produce any consistent changes in PAC. Discrepancies in the response of PRL and aldosterone to metoclopramide and to bromocriptine suggest a difference in the dopaminergic regulation of PRL and aldosterone secretion in both normal subjects and patients with prolactinoma and APA. It is unlikely that reduced dopaminergic inhibition is the basis for hypersecretion of PRL and aldosterone in our patient.

Adenoma

Increased plasma endothelin in NIDDM patients with retinopathy.

OBJECTIVE: To elucidate the significance of ET in diabetic microvascular disease. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS: We determined plasma levels of ir-ET-1 in 25 NIDDM patients without hypertension and/or renal dysfunction. RESULTS: The plasma levels of ir-ET-1 in NIDDM patients with simple (n = 8) and proliferative (n = 8) retinopathy were 0.58 +/- 0.04 pM and 0.60 +/- 0.04 pM, respectively, which were significantly higher than those in normal, nondiabetic subjects (0.24 +/- 0.02 pM [n = 31]) and NIDDM patients without retinopathy (0.30 +/- 0.05 pM [n = 9]). CONCLUSIONS: These results suggest that plasma ET-1 is related to diabetic microvascular disease.

Biomarkers

Endothelin-specific antibodies decrease blood pressure and increase glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

OBJECTIVE: Studies were undertaken to clarify the pathophysiologic significance of endogenous endothelin in the control of blood pressure and renal hemodynamics in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). DESIGN: The technique of passive immunization was used to neutralize endogenous endothelin in order to estimate the contribution of endothelin to the in vivo control of blood pressure and renal hemodynamics. METHODS: Endothelin-specific antibodies were administered intravenously into anesthetized SHR and Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, and the effects upon blood pressure and renal function (renal plasma flow and glomerular filtration rate) assessed. Using the same antibodies, baseline plasma levels of endothelin in both strains of rats were determined by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: Infusion of endothelin-specific antibodies into SHR decreased mean arterial pressure by approximately 10% and renal vascular resistance and renal vascular resistance by approximately 35%. Glomerular filtration rate and renal plasma flow both increased by approximately 50% over control. In contrast, infusion of normal rabbit serum into SHR or of endothelin-specific antibodies into WKY rats did not result in any significant change in renal hemodynamics or arterial blood pressure. Baseline plasma levels of immunoreactive endothelin in SHR were significantly lower than those in WKY rats. CONCLUSION: These results suggest that endothelin plays an important role in the modulation of systemic blood pressure and renal function in SHR.

Animals

Arginine vasopressin increases intracellular calcium ion concentration in isolated mouse collecting tubule cells: distinct mechanism of action through V2 receptor, but independent of adenylate cyclase activation.

The effects of arginine vasopressin (AVP*2) and its V2 receptor agonist, 1-deamino-8-D-AVP (dDAVP), on the intracellular calcium ion concentration ([Ca2+]i) in isolated collecting tubular cells of mouse kidney were examined using fluorescent indicator fura-2 and a superfusion system. Both AVP and dDAVP evoked a rapid, transient increase followed by a sustained elevation of [Ca2+]i in CCT, OMCT, and IMCT in a dose-dependent manner. In CCT, the increments in [Ca2+]i by dDAVP were lower than those induced by AVP at all concentrations (10(-10)-10(-6) M) of the agonists tested, while in OMCT and IMCT, the increments were comparable. The initial peak of the rise in [Ca2+]i induced by AVP and dDAVP in these collecting tubule segments was partially attenuated by about 40% and the second sustained elevation was largely abolished in the absence of Ca2+ in the superfusate. Further, the increments [Ca2+]i induced by AVP were not affected by the addition of nicardipine to the superfusate. The increases in [Ca2+]i evoked by AVP and dDAVP were not mimicked by cAMP or forskolin. Moreover, they were not affected by alpha-adrenergic stimulation with epinephrine, in the presence and absence of prazosin, conditions which inhibit AVP-dependent cAMP production. These results indicate that AVP increases [Ca2+]i in CCT, OMCT, and IMCT, probably through V2 receptors, but via a mechanism which is independent of adenylate cyclase activation. In addition, the rise in [Ca2+]i is due to both Ca2+ release from the intracellular stores and increased Ca2+ influx through Ca2+ channels insensitive to nicardipine.

Adenylyl Cyclases

Atrial natriuretic peptide and brain natriuretic peptide coexist in the secretory granules of human cardiac myocytes.

To elucidate the intracellular localization of atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) in human cardiac myocytes, an immunocytochemical study was carried out by a double immunogold technique using antisera highly specific for ANP and BNP. Surgical and autoptic tissue specimens of human heart were studied. In the atrial myocytes, ANP was localized in almost all of the secretory granules, whereas BNP was colocalized with ANP in some of the granules. Although very few secretory granules were observed in ventricular myocytes, colocalization of ANP and BNP was basically the same as in atrial myocytes. No immunoreactive products were found in the control studies. These results suggest that secretion of BNP is under a regulatory mechanism similar to that of ANP.

Atrial Natriuretic Factor

Immunoreactive endothelin in plasma of nonmammalian vertebrates.

Immunoreactive endothelin (ir-ET) was estimated in plasma of nonmammalian vertebrates, using radioimmunoassay (RIA) for endothelin-1 (ET-1). Blood samples were collected from unanesthetized animals. Plasma ET was determined by RIA after extraction. Plasma levels of ir-ET were 0.7 +/- 0.2 pg/ml (n = 6) in the hagfish Eptatretus burgeri, 4.3 +/- 0.9 pg/ml (n = 5) in the banded dogfish Triakis scyllia, 3.6 +/- 0.8 pg/ml (n = 3) in the common Japanese conger Conger myriaster, 9.6 +/- 1.4 pg/ml (n = 7) in the carp Cyprinus carpio, 6.4 +/- 0.8 pg/ml (n = 5) in the bullfrog Rana catesbeiana, 6.7 +/- 0.6 pg/ml (n = 3) in the soft-shelled turtle Trionyx sinensis japonica, and 3.3 +/- 0.6 pg/ml (n = 8) in the Japanese quail Coturnix coturnix japonica. The dilution curves of the plasma extracts from each species almost paralleled the standard curve for ET-1. Analysis of the plasma extracts of the carp by reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography revealed that ir-ET consisted of three components, a predominant peak being located at the elution position of synthetic ET-1. The present results demonstrate clearly that an ET-1-like substance circulates in blood of nonmammalian vertebrates, suggesting an endocrine function of the peptide in these species.

Animals

Plasma immunoreactive endothelin, but not thrombomodulin, is increased in patients with essential hypertension and ischemic heart disease.

To ascertain an involvement of vascular endothelial cells in cardiovascular disease, we have determined plasma levels of two endothelium-derived substances, endothelin (ET) and thrombomodulin (TM), in essential hypertension (EH) and ischemic heart disease. Plasma ET was determined by radioimmunoassay (RIA) after extraction. Plasma TM levels were determined by enzymunoimmunoassay. Plasma ET levels were significantly elevated in patients with EH involving target organ damage, vasospastic angina pectoris (VSA), and acute myocardial infarction (AMI), especially in those associated with cardiogenic shock. There was a weak but significant correlation between plasma ET levels and serum creatinine concentration in patients with EH. Plasma ET levels were elevated even before the coronary spasm in patients with VSA, whereas they did not show any further increase during the spasm. In contrast, plasma TM levels in patients with EH and VSA did not show a significant difference from that in normal subjects. These results suggest that ET plays an important role in the pathophysiology of EH and ischemic heart disease, and also that increases in plasma ET cannot be simply attributed to a leakage of the peptide from the injured endothelial cells.

Angina Pectoris

Is big endothelin converted to endothelin-1 in circulating blood?

Although evidence has been accumulating to support an intracellular processing of big endothelin-1 (big ET-1) to ET-1, molecular conversion in the circulating blood remains to be elucidated. The present study was undertaken to investigate whether big ET-1 was converted to ET-1 in human blood. In the first experiment, normal serum with synthetic big ET-1 exogenously added or serum from patients with chronic renal failure was incubated in vitro at 37 degrees C for 1 h. In the second experiment, synthetic big ET-1 was incubated in the whole blood at 37 degrees C for 1 h. In the third experiment, synthetic big ET-1 was administered intravenously in anesthetized rat and a plasma sample was obtained before and after 15 min and 1 h. After respective incubation, molecular forms of ET were determined by a combination of reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography and radioimmunoassay. There was no significant conversion of big ET-1 to ET-1 in the serum obtained from normal and CRF patients. However, there was a slight but significant increase of ET-1 after incubation of big ET-1 in the whole blood or after administration of big ET-1 in anesthetized rat. The conversion in the whole blood was inhibited by 5 mM EDTA. These results suggest that circulating blood may not be a major site of molecular conversion from big ET-1 to ET-1, although conversion does occur in the circulation by blood cell-mediated process.

Animals

Molecular form of immunoreactive endothelin in plasma and urine of normal subjects and patients with various disease states.

To elucidate the pathophysiologic significance of the family of endothelin (ET) peptides, we have investigated plasma and urinary immunoreactive (ir-) ET levels and its molecular forms in normal and pathological conditions. Plasma and urine ET were extracted with an Amprep C2 column. The molecular form of ET was determined by a combination of radioimmunoassay and reverse-phase high-performance liquid chromatography. Although plasma ir-ET was composed mainly of big ET and endothelin-1 (ET-1) in normal subjects, that in acute myocardial infarction, chronic renal failure (CRF), essential hypertension, and vasospastic angina pectoris was characterized by an increase of high molecular ir-ET in addition to increases in big ET and ET-1. Urinary ir-ET in both normal subjects and patients with CRF was composed mainly of a high molecular form in addition to big ET and ET-1. These results suggest that the biosynthetic and/or degradation process of ET under pathological conditions appears to be different from that under normal conditions.

Angina Pectoris

Relationship between fetal hypoxia and endothelin-1 in fetal circulation.

The role of endothelin-1 (ET-1), a potent vasoconstrictor peptide secreted by endothelial cells, in fetal circulation was investigated in relation to fetal hypoxia. Umbilical venous blood was obtained from 23 subjects who delivered between 36 and 41 weeks of gestation. In all cases, pH of umbilical venous blood was measured immediately after the delivery of placenta. ET-1 was extracted from the umbilical venous plasma by an Amprep C2 column and determined by a specific radioimmunoassay. Immunoreactive ET levels in the umbilical cord plasma (pg/ml, mean +/- SEM) from subjects with umbilical venous blood pH levels below 7.30 (n = 9) were 12.53 +/- 2.03, significantly higher than those with pH levels above 7.30 (6.44 +/- 1.11, n = 14). These results indicate that ET-1 in the fetal circulation may be involved in the regulation of the circulation in response to changes in acid-base balance related to fetal hypoxia.

Adult

Endothelin 1 increases cell calcium in mouse collecting tubule cells.

Effects of endothelin 1 (ET-1) on intracellular free calcium concentration ([Ca2+]i) were examined in superfused single-nephron segments dissected from mouse kidney. ET-1, 10(-9) to 10(-6) M, caused a biphasic increase in [Ca2+]i consisting of an initial rapid rise followed by a second more sustained elevation in [Ca2+]i in cortical collecting tubules (CCT), outer medullary CT (OMCT), and inner medullary CT (IMCT). The magnitude of the response was dose dependent and was greater in CCT than in OMCT or IMCT. Additional studies using CCT revealed that Ca2+ removal from the superfusate resulted in attenuation of the second phase of [Ca2+]i with approximately 50% reduction in the height of the initial [Ca2+]i peak in response to 10(-6) M ET-1. Ca2+ channel blocker nicardipine had little effect on ET-1-evoked changes in [Ca2+]i. BAY K 8644 and high superfusate K+ also did not affect [Ca2+]i. Addition of ET-1 and arginine vasopressin (AVP), 10(-6) M each, showed the presence of homologous desensitization but the absence of heterologous desensitization in [Ca2+]i changes. There was no additive effect of ET-1 and AVP on [Ca2+]i when they were added together. These data show that ET-1 evokes a biphasic increase in [Ca2+]i of collecting tubules and suggest that the initial peak of the ET-1-evoked rise in [Ca2+]i is largely due to cell Ca2+ release and that the second sustained rise in [Ca2+]i is largely due to increased Ca2+ influx. Data also suggest that ET-1 and AVP may act in the collecting tubules through different receptors.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy