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Biomedical subjects

U Albus

Publications and source records attributed to U Albus.

30 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Effects of endothelin on isolated ischaemic rat hearts during ramiprilat, bradykinin and indomethacin perfusion.

In isolated ischaemic rat hearts, endothelin induced a short transient increase, followed by a lasting decrease in coronary flow and an increase in the left ventricular dp/dt max in a concentration-dependent manner. Both enzyme activities and lactate output were increased in the venous effluent. Myocardial tissue levels of glycogen, ATP and creatine phosphate were reduced. Endothelin aggravated post-ischaemic reperfusion arrhythmias. Perfusion with ramiprilat and bradykinin increased coronary flow and left ventricular dp/dt max and reduced reperfusion arrhythmias; enzyme activities and lactate output were significantly reduced and in the myocardial tissue glycogen and energy-rich phosphates were preserved. In comparison, indomethacin prolonged reperfusion arrhythmias, decreased coronary flow and increased the enzyme activities with no changes in myocardial metabolism. When ramiprilat and bradykinin were combined with endothelin, reperfusion arrhythmias and the enzyme activities were reduced but the decrease in coronary flow could not be fully blocked. Indomethacin aggravated the endothelin-induced coronary flow reduction, enzyme release and reperfusion arrhythmias but had no effects on the other parameters.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

High-affinity binding of the converting enzyme inhibitor, ramiprilat, to isolated human glomeruli.

Evidence for effects of angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) on isolated human glomeruli was provided using specific binding of tritium-labeled ramiprilat, a potent inhibitor of ACE. [3H]ramiprilat bound to isolated glomeruli, depending on time and temperature, displaying a KD of 3.8 nmol/L and a Bmax of 853 fmol/mg protein. Specific binding represented more than 90% of total binding. Dissociation occurred rapidly after dilution of the sample with incubation buffer or after addition of an excess of unlabeled inhibitor. Binding of [3H]ramiprilat was also inhibited by increasing concentrations of enalaprilat, another ACE inhibitor. ACE is a zinc-containing enzyme. Addition of EGTA to the assay, which chelates zinc ions, completely prevented binding. This was reversed by divalent Zn2+ and Ca2+ ions, but not by magnesium. Binding of [3H]ramiprilat to isolated glomeruli was maximal at pH 8, which also is optimal for ACE activity. The binding of [3H]ramiprilat to isolated human glomeruli is specific, and resembles the characteristics which have been found earlier for enzyme activity of ACE. Thus, binding of [3H]ramiprilat to isolated glomeruli can be assumed to be directed to ACE.

Adult↗

Potentiation of the effects of atrial natriuretic factor on the cardiovascular system by amiloride.

Amiloride has previously been shown to facilitate receptor binding of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) to membranes of adrenal cortex and to enhance ANF induced inhibition of steroid secretion in vitro. This interaction of amiloride and ANF also holds true for the cardiovascular system. In precontracted rabbit aortic strips the relaxing effect induced by the combination of ANF (10(-10) mol/l) and amiloride (10(-5) mol/l) was overadditional. The production of cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP), which parallels ANF induced relaxations of vascular strips, was not affected by amiloride alone up to 10(-3) mol/l, but was concentration-dependently increased in the presence of ANF (10(-8) mol/l). In spontaneously hypertensive rats ANF-induced decreases in blood pressure were potentiated by amiloride. Post ischemia reperfusion arrhythmias in isolated rat hearts were reduced by ANF. Amiloride increased this effect. The binding experiments revealed an interaction of amiloride and ANF on the receptor level. Binding of labeled ANF to aortic tissue was concentration-dependently increased by amiloride. Addition of ATP had the opposite effect. Therefore it can be suggested that amiloride and ATP interfere with a mechanism regulating the sensitivity of the vascular ANF-receptor for its ligand regarding binding and signal transforming presumably by a kinase mediated phosphorylation/dephosphorylation process.

Amiloride↗

High affinity binding of ramiprilat on isolated human glomeruli.

Evidence for angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) on isolated human glomeruli was furnished by specific binding of tritium-labeled ramiprilat, a potent inhibitor of ACE. 3H-ramiprilat bound to isolated glomeruli, depending on time and temperature displaying a KD of 3.8 nmol/l and a Bmax of 853 fmol/mg protein. Specific binding represented more than 90% of total binding. Dissociation occurred rapidly after dilution of the sample with incubation buffer or after addition of an excess of unlabeled inhibitor. Binding of 3H-ramiprilat was also inhibited by increasing concentrations of enalaprilat, another ACE-inhibitor or by preincubation of the glomeruli with polyclonal antibodies against ACE. ACE is a zinc-containing enzyme. Addition of EGTA to the assay, which chelates zinc ions, completely inhibited binding. This inhibitory effect of EGTA was reversed by divalent Zn2+ and Ca2+ ions but not by magnesium. Binding of 3H-ramiprilat to isolated glomeruli was maximal when the pH of the assay medium was brought to pH 8. In conclusion, the binding of 3H-ramiprilat to isolated human glomeruli is specific and resembles the characteristics which have been found earlier for enzyme activity of ACE. Thus, binding of 3H-ramiprilat to isolated glomeruli can be assumed to be directed to ACE.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors↗

Amiloride potentiates the vascular effects of atrial natriuretic factor.

We have demonstrated an interaction between the effects of amiloride and atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) on the vascular system. In precontracted rabbit aortic strips the relaxant effect of a combination of ANF (10(-10) mol/l) and amiloride (10(-5) mol/l) was synergistic. The production of cyclic (c)GMP, which parallels ANF-induced relaxation of the strips, was not affected by amiloride alone up to 10(-3) mol/l, but was concentration-dependently increased in the presence of 10(-8) mol/l ANF. In spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) ANF-induced decreases in blood pressure were potentiated by amiloride. Binding experiments revealed an interaction between amiloride and ANF at the receptor level; binding of labelled ANF to aortic tissue was increased by amiloride but decreased by ATP. These data show that amiloride and ATP influence a mechanism that determines the sensitivity of vessels to ANF and this interaction occurs both at receptor level and at the level of transduction.

Adenosine Triphosphate↗

Atrial natriuretic factor protects the isolated working ischaemic rat heart against the action of angiotensin II.

The interaction between atrial natriuretic factor [synthetic human ANF-(103-126)] and angiotensin II (Ang II) and its influence on reperfusion arrhythmias, cardiodynamics, enzyme loss and metabolic changes were investigated in isolated ischaemic working rat hearts. Acute regional myocardial ischaemia was induced by coronary artery occlusion which was associated with ventricular fibrillation. Perfusion with 1 X 10(-9) mol/l Ang II markedly aggravated these arrhythmias. Perfusion with 1 X 10(-7) mol/l ANF, in contrast, gave protection against ventricular fibrillation and prevented Ang II-induced aggravation of ventricular fibrillation. Atrial natriuretic factor improved cardiodynamics, in particular, during reperfusion, whereas Ang II impaired cardiodynamics and increased the release of creatine kinase and lactate dehydrogenase. These adverse effects of Ang II were absent when ANF was simultaneously perfused. Compared with control hearts, myocardial tissue levels of glycogen, ATP and creatine phosphate were increased in hearts perfused with either ANF or ANF plus Ang II, whereas lactate levels decreased. Perfusion with Ang II alone led to deterioration in these metabolic parameters. These results in isolated working rat hearts suggest that ANF protects against the consequences of ischaemia and reperfusion and that functional antagonism between ANF and Ang II may contribute to this.

Angiotensin II↗

Interaction between tetanus toxin and rabbit kidney: a comparison with rat brain preparations.

125I-Tetanus toxin is bound by basolateral membranes from rabbit kidneys. Fixation is specific, as it is minimally inhibited by the nonbinding (fragment B) moiety of tetanus toxin, whereas the binding moiety (fragment C) is equivalent to the native toxin in inhibiting fixation. Competition is also pronounced with mildly toxoided toxin. Association and dissociation of 125I-toxin are delayed in kidney when compared to brain membranes. The binding sites in kidney membranes are partially sensitive to neuraminidase and resist heating to 56 degrees C, in contrast to those in brain membranes which are very sensitive to both treatments. The binding sites of the two preparations can be discriminated further by variation of the ionic environment. Sodium dodecyl sulfate-disc gel electrophoresis followed by transfer to nitrocellulose, and TLC with consecutive overlay indicate that tetanus toxin exclusively binds to long-chain gangliosides from rat brain. Binding sites in kidney membranes from rabbits and rats can be made visible by the overlay technique. They are apparently heterogeneous and more hydrophobic. We conclude that rabbit kidney contains binding sites for tetanus toxin which resemble gangliosides but differ from the major gangliosides in brain both chemically and with respect to their interaction with tetanus toxin.

Animals↗

Atriopeptin III induces endothelium-independent relaxation and increases cGMP levels in rabbit aorta.

Atriopeptin III (AP III) is a 24 amino acid synthetic peptide and a fragment of the atrial natriuretic factor. Using isolated rabbit aortic segments with intact or functionally destroyed endothelium, the effect of AP III on muscular relaxation was examined. cAMP- and cGMP levels were also determined. Aortic segments were pre-contracted with norepinephrine 10(-8) M, angiotensin II 10(-7) M or potassium chloride 20 mM. Addition of AP III (10(-10)-10(-7) M) to these pre-contracted segments exerted a concentration-dependent relaxation which was independent of intact endothelium, with EC50 values of 2.2 X 10(-9) M, 2.0 X 10(-9) M and 3.1 X 10(-8) M, respectively. In aortic segments with functionally destroyed endothelial surface, basal levels of cGMP were lower compared with intact vascular tissue. The process of relaxation, induced by AP III, was associated with marked increases of cGMP in intact vascular tissue. cAMP levels were unchanged in both preparations. Our results suggest that AP III elicits a direct, endothelium-independent vascular relaxation associated with increased levels of cGMP in tissue with intact endothelium. Extrusion of intracellular Ca++ by activation of cGMP-dependent protein-kinase may be part of the vasorelaxant profile of AP III.

Animals↗

Novel 1,4-dihydropyridine (Bay K 8644) facilitates calcium-dependent [3H]noradrenaline release from PC 12 cells.

The effects of the novel 1,4-dihydropyridine Bay K 8644 [methyl-1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethyl-3-nitro-4-(2-trifluoromethylphenyl)-pyridine- 5-carboxylate] on the release of [3H]noradrenaline in cultured PC 12 cells were investigated. K+ in a concentration-dependent manner evoked 3H-transmitter release with an EC50 of 50-56 mM. Bay K 8644 at 30 nM potentiated the K+-evoked [3H]noradrenaline release; however, in the absence of calcium neither K+ evoked nor Bay K 8644 enhanced [3H]noradrenaline release. At a K+ concentration of 25 mM, Bay K 8644 stimulated [3H]noradrenaline release fivefold, with an EC50 of 10 nM, and 100 nM of the calcium channel blocker nitrendipine shifted the concentration response curve of Bay K 8644 to the right in an apparently competitive fashion. Nitrendipine blocked the Bay K 8644-potentiated release with an EC50 of 700 nM in the presence of 500 nM Bay K 8644. [3H]Nitrendipine bound to a saturable population of binding sites on PC 12 cell membranes with a Bmax of 180 fmol X mg-1 of membrane protein and a KD of 0.9 nM. Bay K 8644 inhibited [3H]nitrendipine binding with a Ki of 16 nM. It is concluded that Bay K 8644 binds to, and stabilizes, the open state of calcium channels and thus acts as a "calcium agonist" to mediate calcium-dependent cellular events such as catecholamine release from PC 12 cells.

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

Tetanus toxin inhibits the evoked outflow of an inhibitory (GABA) and an excitatory (D-aspartate) amino acid from particulate brain cortex.

In order to elucidate the mode of action of tetanus toxin, particles from rat forebrain were preloaded with tritiated GABA or D-aspartate, pre-incubated with tetanus toxin and then depolarized with K+, either in a batch procedure or by superfusion. The toxin depresses, but does not abolish, the evoked outflow of both amino acids in either system. Omission of Ca2+ decreases the outflow in the batch procedure by about 40%. The remaining outflow of either amino acid is insensitive to tetanus toxin, whereas the Ca2+ dependent outflow is completely inhibited. Antitoxin neutralizes the toxin but does not reverse its in vitro effects, once manifest. The toxin effects increase with time and temperature of pre-incubation. Pretreatment of the particles with V. cholerae neuraminidase, which is known to convert the long-chain gangliosides quantitatively into GM1, does not decrease the sensitivity to tetanus toxin. Besides particles from rat brain, those from chicken, but not those from frog brain, are toxin-sensitive when tested for GABA outflow in the batch procedure. Frog brain does not yield the typical ganglioside pattern, and also does not measurably bind 125I-tetanus toxin. The homoexchange diffusion of GABA, but not of D-aspartate, is slightly facilitated by tetanus toxin. We confirmed that tetanus toxin slightly inhibits the uptake of GABA, whereas that of D-aspartate is not measurably influenced. The accumulation, driven by a Na+/K+ gradient, of GABA into membrane vesicles from rat cortex is not affected by tetanus toxin. The present data support the hypothesis that tetanus toxin influences a process involved in the outflow of many transmitters, both excitatory and inhibitory.

Animals↗

Na+/H+ exchange and its inhibition in cardiac ischemia and reperfusion.

The characterization of various ion transport systems has led to a better understanding of the effects, which seem to take part in the impairment of ischemic and reperfused cardiac tissue. This review discusses the role of the Na+/H+ exchange system in the pathophysiology of ischemia and reperfusion and the beneficial effects of its inhibition. At the onset of ischemia intracellular pH (pHi) decreases due to anaerobic metabolism and ATP hydrolysis, leading to an activation of Na+/H+ exchange. This in turn increases intracellular Na+ (Na+i) and activates Na+/K+ ATPase, with a consecutive increase of energy consumption. Since cellular Na+ and Ca++ transport are coupled by the Na+/Ca++ exchange system, which depends on the Na+ gradient, the high Na+i leads to increased intracellular Ca++ (Ca++i). After a certain period, Na+/H+ exchange is inactivated by a decrease of extracellular pH. In case of reperfusion the acid extracellular fluid is washed out, which reactivates Na+/H+ exchange, leading to an unfavourably fast restoration of pHi and a second time to Na+ and Ca++i overflow. High Ca++i is assumed to be one of the main reasons for ischemic and reperfusion injury, like arrhythmias, myocardial contracture, stunning and necrosis. It seems that the inhibition of Na+/H+ exchange can interrupt this process at an early phase and prevent or delay the consequences of ischemia and reperfusion as demonstrated by numerous investigators.

Animals↗

Effects of the Na+/H+-exchange inhibitor Hoe 642 on intracellular pH, calcium and sodium in isolated rat ventricular myocytes.

The inhibitors of the Na+/H+-exchange (NHE1) system Hoe 694 and Hoe 642 possess cardioprotective effects in ischaemia/reperfusion. It is assumed that these effects are due to the prevention of intracellular sodium (Nai) and calcium (Cai) overload. The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effects of Hoe 642 on intracellular pH, Na+ and Ca2+ (pHi, Nai and Cai) in isolated rat ventricular myocytes under anoxic conditions or in cells in which oxidative phosphorylation had been inhibited by 1.5 mmol/l cyanide. In cells which were dually loaded with the fluorescent dyes 2, 7-biscarboxyethyl-5,6-carboxyfluorescein (BCECF) and Fura-2, anoxia caused acidification of the cells (from pHi 7.2 to pHi 6.8) and an increase in Cai from about 50 nmol/l to about 1 micromol/l. The decrease in pHi began before the cells underwent hypoxic (rigor) contracture, whereas Cai only began to rise after rigor shortening had taken place. After reoxygenation, pHi returned to its control value and Cai oscillated and then declined to resting levels. It was during this phase that the cells rounded up (hypercontracture). When 10 micromol/l Hoe 642 was present from the beginning of the experiment, pHi and Cai were not significantly different from control experiments. At reoxygenation, pHi did not recover, but Cai oscillated and returned to its resting level. To monitor Nai, the cells were loaded with the dye SBFI. After adding 1.5 mmol/l cyanide or 100 micromol/l ouabain, Nai increased from the initial 8 mmol/l to approximately 16 mmol/l. Hoe 642 or Hoe 694 (10 micromol/l) did not prevent the increase in Nai. In contrast, the blocker of the persistent Na+ current R56865 (10 micromol/l) attenuated the CN--induced rise in Nai. The substance ethylisopropylamiloride was not used because it augmented considerably the intensity of the 380 nm wavelength of the cell's autofluorescence. In conclusion, the specific NHE1 inhibitor Hoe 642 did not attenuate anoxia-induced Cai overload, nor CN--induced Nai and Cai overload. Hoe 642 prevented the recovery of pHi from anoxic acidification. This low pHi maintained after reoxygenation may be cardioprotective. Other possible mechanisms of NHE1 inhibitors, such as prevention of Ca2+ overload in mitochondria, cannot be ruled out. The increase in Nai during anoxia is possibly due to an influx of Na+ via persistent Na+ channels.

Amiloride↗