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N Wiernsperger

Publications and source records attributed to N Wiernsperger.

At least 55 records · Page 3Linked to original sources
PubMed1994

Effect of experimental non-insulin requiring diabetes on myocardial microcirculation during ischaemia in dogs.

To examine whether chronic high blood glucose may influence myocardial microcirculation during acute myocardial ischaemia in the dog, a noninsulin-requiring diabetes was induced by the streptozotocin-alloxan method. Seventy-five days later, myocardial ischaemia was provoked by occluding the left anterior descending coronary artery for 2 h and microcirculation regulation was assessed in the ischaemic and non-ischaemic myocardium by the radioactive microsphere method. Diabetic dogs were compared with normal dogs. Diabetic dogs had higher blood glycated haemoglobin (2.66 +/- 0.4%) and fructosamine (397 +/- 62 mumol l-1) than control dogs (0.66 +/- 0.2, P < 0.004 and 229 +/- 13, P < 0.03, respectively). Haemodynamic data in the two groups were not different at any time. The size of the ischaemic zone was similar in both groups. During the 2 h ischaemia in the ischaemic zone subendocardial (P = 0.22) and subepicardial (P < 0.05) blood flow slightly increased in control dogs whereas there was a 63% (P < 0.02) and 35% (P = 0.06) reduction respectively in diabetic dogs. In the non-ischaemic zone, blood flow of controls tended to increase (P < 0.006 in the subepicardium and P < 0.06 in the subendocardium) whereas in diabetic dogs blood flow tended to decrease (P = 0.03 in the subendocardium and in the subepicardium). This first investigation on myocardial microcirculation in diabetic dogs during ischaemia suggests that one of the possible causes of increased mortality rate from ischaemic cardiac disease in diabetics might be related to a paradoxical and unfavourable pattern of myocardial blood flow during ischaemia.

Animals↗
PubMed1994

Internalization of metformin is necessary for its action on potentiating the insulin-induced Xenopus laevis oocyte maturation.

In this study, metformin (N, N1 dimethylbiguanide) was found to potentiate insulin-induced Xenopus laevis oocyte maturation, a phenomenon of transition from late G2 to M phase of the cell cycle. These cells also accumulated exogenous metformin (130 +/- 6.5 nmol/oocyte). Metformin covalently-coupled to Sepharose 4B beads failed to potentiate the insulin-induced oocyte maturation which suggests that these cells did not take up metformin from the extracellular medium. Addition of metformin alone to Xenopus laevis oocytes did not induce the maturation process, though these cells took up exogenous metformin. Micro-injection of metformin (120 nmol/oocyte) to oocytes accelerated the insulin-induced maturation, but it was lower than in cells which were incubated with free metformin together with insulin. Interestingly, insulin had no effect on metformin uptake by the oocytes. Methylglyoxal-bis(guanylhydrazone), MGBG, an apparent analogue of metformin, induced oocyte maturation. Addition of metformin, either free or Sepharose-bound, did not influence the MGBG-induced 60% maturation of Xenopus laevis oocytes. These results suggest that the internalization of metformin is necessary for its action and its effects are specific on insulin activity.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Metformin decreases gluconeogenesis by enhancing the pyruvate kinase flux in isolated rat hepatocytes.

Metformin (dimethylbiguanide) has been used for more than 30 years as an antihyperglycemic agent in the treatment of diabetes mellitus, but its effect on gluconeogenesis is still controversial. In isolated hepatocytes from fasted rats, a significant inhibition of glucose production from lactate/pyruvate (10:1, mol/mol), fructose, alanine or glutamine, following metformin addition, is observed. Moreover, in hepatocytes perifused with dihydroxyacetone as the gluconeogenic substrate and treated with 0.5 mM metformin, an inhibition of the glucose flux and a simultaneous stimulation of the lactate/pyruvate flux were observed. This enhancement of lactate/pyruvate formation appears to be due to an effect on the pyruvate-kinase enzyme. A direct effect of metformin on pyruvate kinase cannot explain this result, since pyruvate-kinase activity was not affected by metformin at this concentration. In contrast, the addition of metformin caused a significant decrease in the cellular ATP concentration, a known allosteric inhibitor of this enzyme. This could explain the stimulation of pyruvate-kinase activity following metformin addition and thus the inhibition of gluconeogenesis.

Adenosine Diphosphate↗
PubMed1993

Acute myocardial infarction in dogs with experimental diabetes.

OBJECTIVE: The aim was to examine whether diabetes interferes with the development of myocardial injury in a canine ischaemia-reperfusion model. METHODS: Non-insulin-requiring diabetes was induced in dogs by the streptozotocin-alloxan method. After 75 d, the dogs were anaesthetised and myocardial infarction was provoked by occluding the left anterior descending coronary artery for 2 h followed by 6 h reperfusion. RESULTS: Diabetic dogs had higher blood glucose [9.4(SEM 1) mmol.litre-1], fructosamine [417(57) mumol.litre-1], and glycated haemoglobin [3.3(0.7)%], than control dogs [5.5(0.6), p = 0.04, 243(15), p = 0.01, and 0.7(0.2), p = 0.003, respectively], and they also had higher serum lipids (p = 0.001) and platelet aggregation (p = 0.03). Area at risk was similar in diabetic and control dogs but in contrast to controls (r = 0.78, p = 0.007), area at risk and infarct size were not correlated in diabetics (r = 0.08). In both groups, collateral flow was the major determinant of infarct size: r = -0.73 in controls (p = 0.02) and -0.97 in diabetics (p = 0.001). In spite of higher subendocardial collateral flow in diabetics [representing 21.6(6)% of the flow in the corresponding non-ischaemic zone] than in controls [11.2(6)%], infarct size was similar in both groups. However, the mean observed infarct size in the diabetic group [7.5(2.8)% of the left ventricle] was significantly (p < 0.03) larger than the mean predicted infarct size [5.2(2)%]. Multivariate analysis confirmed that diabetes, as well as collateral flow, is an independent (p = 0.03) predictor of infarct size. CONCLUSIONS: For a given collateral flow, diabetic dogs develop larger infarcts than controls. Further studies are required to investigate the biochemical mechanism(s) underlying this deleterious effect. However, this may partly explain the poor prognosis of myocardial infarction in diabetic persons.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Effects of naftidrofuryl on isolated perfused kidneys of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

1. Experiments were designed to determine the effects of low concentrations (5-500 nmol/L) of naftidrofuryl, a 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) antagonist, on renal functions and prostanoid synthesis responses to noradrenaline (NA) and 5-HT. Isolated kidneys of 8 week old male spontaneously hypertensive rats were perfused at a constant flow rate in a single-pass system. 2. In baseline conditions, naftidrofuryl did not modify the renal vascular resistance and the glomerular filtration rate (GFR), although it elicited a significant but not dose-dependent increase in the venous excretion of 6-keto-prostaglandin (PG) F1 alpha and thromboxane (Tx)B2, the stable end-products of PGI2 and TxA2, respectively. 3. NA increased renal vascular resistance and GFR in a dose-dependent manner and enhanced the venous excretion of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and TxB2. Naftidrofuryl significantly attenuated the effects of NA on renal vascular resistance, abolished those on GFR and enhanced, at the highest concentration (500 nmol/L) only, those on 6-keto-PGF1 alpha excretion. 4. 5-HT increased renal vascular resistance but not GFR. It did not change the sodium excretion and the release of 6-keto-PGF1 alpha and TxB2. Naftidrofuryl blunted the RVR response to 5-HT without change in the prostanoid release. The inhibitory action of naftidrofuryl was not modified by indomethacin which, by itself, prevented the vasoconstrictor response to 5-HT.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗
PubMed1992

The effects of glucose, insulin and metformin on the order parameters of isolated red cell membranes. An electron paramagnetic resonance spectroscopic study.

Human red blood cell (RBC) membranes (RBC ghosts) were treated with glucose, insulin and metformin. The order parameters of RBC membranes were determined by 5- and 16-doxyl-stearic acid spin labels. Metabolic effects were excluded using an isolated system of RBC membranes. The membranes were incubated with glucose in physiological (5 mM), renal threshold (10 mM) and manifested diabetic (20 mM) concentrations for limited times. High concentrations of glucose (10, 20, 100 mM) increase the order parameters of RBC membranes significantly. Insulin by itself has a similar effect which is, however, not strictly concentration-dependent. By contrast, metformin at therapeutic concentrations (0.5 and 5.0 microM) decreases the order parameters. At 50 microM concentration the metformin effect is expressed less and recurs at 100 microM concentration. The effects are significant with 5-doxyl-stearic acid, but are not significant with the 16-doxyl derivative. When RBC membranes are co-incubated with 20 mM glucose and metformin at 0.5 and 5.0 microM concentrations the order parameters as determined by 5-doxyl-stearic acid remain normal (= control values). Higher concentrations of metformin (50 and 100 microM) cause an overshoot to very low order parameters. Insulin at 10, 100 and 200 mU/L does not influence significantly the effects of metformin. Addition of physiological amounts of bovine serum albumin does not abolish the effects of metformin. Metformin, at therapeutic concentrations (0.5 and 5.0 microM), maintains the normal fluidity at the polar interface of isolated RBC membranes by counterbalancing non-enzymatic glycosylation with 20 mM glucose in vitro.

Cyclic N-Oxides↗
PubMed1992

Characterization of metformin transport system in NIH 3T3 cells.

The biochemical properties of the metformin transport system were studied in NIH 3T3 cells. 14C-metformin uptake appeared to be a sodium dependent process. Iso-osmotical replacement of Na+ by choline chloride in the assay medium resulted in a decrease of metformin uptake. Amiloride (200 microM) inhibited the metformin transport by 35% in these cells. Gramicidin, a channel ionophore, was the most effective in inhibiting the metformin transport as compared to valinomycin, a mobile ion carrier, and Ca2+ ionophore (A 23187). Loading of cells with asparagine, ornithine, or polylysine did not influence the uptake process. However, the addition of lysine or arginine significantly stimulated the metformin uptake by NIH 3T3 cells. Similarly, the addition of metformin stimulated the arginine uptake by these cells, suggesting that metformin shares the y+ transport system. Metformin inhibited competitively the uptake of 14C-spermidine, a molecule of the polyamine family, by NIH 3T3 cells, whereas the latter failed to influence the uptake of the former significantly by these cells. Incubation of NIH 3T3 cells in the presence of difluoromethyl-ornithine (a suicidal inhibitor of polyamine biosynthesis) stimulated the spermidine, but not the metformin, uptake by these cells. Interestingly, a prolonged incubation of these cells in the presence of metformin failed to down-regulate the spermidine transport process. The spermidine- and methylglyoxal-bis(guanylhydrazone), MGBG-transport deficient (3T3MG) cells which do not accumulate exogeneous spermidine or MGBG, took up 14C-metformin. However, 14C-metformin uptake by 3T3MG cells was lower than that by normal NIH 3T3 cells.

3T3 Cells↗
PubMed1992

Postischemic breakdown in hippocampal protein synthesis and mnesic deficits in rats: pharmacological improvement by curative naftidrofuryl treatment.

This work was designed to investigate the effects of brain ischemia on mnesic retention in the model of unilateral microsphere embolization in rats. Using various radioactive tracers as well as a learning/memory test, we could correlate following parameters: regional blood flow, protein synthesis and memory retention. All were severely impaired by the hemispheric multi-infarction. A curative treatment with naftidrofuryl (15 mg/kg i.p.) for 3 consecutive days strongly improved the mnesic capacities of the animals, and this effect was corroborated by a marked protective drug action on protein synthesis in the hippocampus. Indeed, studies on valine incorporation into proteins revealed that, despite having no quantitative effect on regional blood flow, naftidrofuryl allowed an almost normal functioning of protein synthesis. As naftidrofuryl had also no direct effect on protein synthesis in the intact contralateral hemisphere, this effect was consequently attributed to the metabolic and/or antiserotoninergic effects of the drug.

Animals↗
PubMed1991

Erythrocyte glucose consumption in insulin-dependent diabetes: effect of metformin in vitro.

Erythrocyte glucose consumption in red blood cells from healthy donors or insulin-dependent diabetics with stable glycemia was measured using the 2-deoxyglucose technique. Data showed that the formation of glucose-6P was severely impaired in diabetic red blood cells in both normo- and hyperglycemic incubation conditions. This defect seems to be inherent to the disease. Coincubation with Metformin (6.4 ug/ml) did not modify the G6P levels in RBCs from healthy donors and in RBCs from diabetics when incubated in normoglycemic conditions. However, when diabetics RBCs were incubated in a hyperglycemic medium, addition of Metformin strongly improved the intracellular levels of G6P. The underlying mechanism for the defect and the correction by Metformin remains to be determined. This study shows that also red blood cells may be involved in the failure of glucose homeostasis in diabetes and thus this may represent an additional target for therapy.

Blood Glucose↗
PubMed1990

Serotonin 5-HT2 receptors and brain circulation.

Most evidence in the literature concerning the role of serotonin in ischemia originates from brain research. This is partly because the central nervous system is particularly prone to accumulation of 5-HT, due to the neuronal sources of the amine in addition to circulating 5-HT from platelets. In ischemia, platelet invasion, rupture of the blood-brain barrier, liberation of 5-HT from nerve terminals inside the vessel wall, and necrosis of serotonergic neurons favor local increases of the transmitter in the brain. The pathophysiological consequences include amplifications of processes such as vasoconstriction of major and collateral arteries, edema formation, platelet aggregation, and blood sludging. 5-HT2 receptors appear to be the major effector of these actions of serotonin, judging from experimental and clinical pharmacology data with specific or partial 5-HT2 serotonergic antagonists. This review summarizes current knowledge on the key role serotonin plays in the induction or consequences of brain ischemia.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

The effect of naftidrofuryl on red blood cell aggregation detected in vitro with ultrasound.

Red blood cell aggregates are mainly responsible for the echogenicity of flowing blood. Thus, ultrasound can be used to observe the degree of red blood cell aggregation in slow flow conditions. We quantified blood echogenicity to study aggregation tendency of red blood cells in blood of patients with claudication, patients with suspected venous thrombosis, and normal volunteers without and with in vitro addition of naftidrofuryl (10(-6) M). Normal volunteers showed lower original echogenicity than any group of patients, and claudication patients showed the highest echogenicity. Naftidrofuryl caused a fall in mean echogenicity in all groups, and its effect was pronounced on blood samples with a high original echogenicity.

Aged↗
PubMed1990

Chronic treatment with naftidrofuryl attenuates the development of vascular hypersensitivity to serotonin in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.

Three-month-old spontaneously hypertensive rats were treated for 1, 2, or 3 months with daily intraperitoneal injections of naftidrofuryl (30 mg/kg). Systolic arterial pressure was measured. Tail arteries were removed and perfused at a constant flow rate of 2 ml/min. A concentration-response curve for serotonin was prepared. A second curve was then constructed in the presence of naftidrofuryl. Chronic treatment with naftidrofuryl had no effect on blood pressure but produced a decrease in the maximal vasoconstrictor response and the sensitivity to serotonin in vitro. The in vitro sensitivity to naftidrofuryl was unchanged. These studies suggest that chronic treatment with a dose of naftidrofuryl that does not modify blood pressure attenuates the in vitro vascular sensitivity to serotonin.

Animals↗
PubMed1983

Incomplete cerebral ischemia in the rat: vascular and metabolic changes as measured by infrared transillumination in vivo.

Cerebral blood volume, hemoglobin saturation and the cytochrome a, a3 redox state were monitored simultaneously by using three wavelengths of light in the near infrared portion of the spectrum for transillumination of the intact skull of rats. The changes in these parameters following incomplete cerebral ischemia were assessed in Wistar and Long-Evans rats submitted to carotid ligation. Another group of Wistar rats was submitted to vertebral + carotid occlusion. The experiments, performed under N2O/O2 anesthesia, showed that in all three groups carotid occlusion induced a decrease in blood volume, Hb saturation and a reduction of cyt. a, a3. However, the cytochrome redox state tended to normalize during ischemia as a consequence of higher O2 extraction from blood. The primary finding of this study was the marked hyperoxidation of cyt. a, a3 which occurred after reestablishing of the carotid blood supply, in spite of a secondary post-ischemic hypoperfusion of the brain. Although uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation cannot be excluded the dissociation between blood supply and metabolism could well be due to ischemia-induced hypermetabolism of the central nervous tissue. In view of the marked oxidation of cyt. a, a3 during the reperfusion period as compared with the small extent of its reduction during the ischemic episode, the data also support the hypothesis that under steady state conditions in vivo, cytochrome oxidase is mainly reduced.

Animals↗