0000000000064374
AUTHOR
Bernard Muller
Glycyrrhetinic Acid Reverses the Lipopolysaccharide-Induced Hypocontractility to Noradrenaline in Rat Aorta: Implications to Septic Shock
Abstract.: Septic shock and associated vascular hyporeactivity to vasoconstrictor agonists remain a major problem of critical care medicine. Here we report that glycyrrhetinic acid (GA), the active component of licorice, effectively restores vascular contractility in the model of lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated rat aorta. GA was as effective as the NO synthase inhibitor NG-nitroarginine methylester. GA did not affect the vascular NO levels (measured by EPR spin trapping) and relaxations to l-arginine in LPS-treated rings as well as relaxation to S-nitroso-Nacetylpenicillamine in control rings. Thus, GA may represent an interesting alternative to NO synthase inhibitors in sepsis-associated …
Biopterin metabolism and eNOS expression during hypoxic pulmonary hypertension in mice.
International audience; Tetrahydrobiopterin (BH$_4$), which fosters the formation of and stabilizes endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) as an active dimer, tightly regulates eNOS coupling / uncoupling. Moreover, studies conducted in genetically-modified models demonstrate that BH$_4$ pulmonary deficiency is a key determinant in the pathogenesis of pulmonary hypertension. The present study thus investigates biopterin metabolism and eNOS expression, as well as the effect of sepiapterin (a precursor of BH$_4$) and eNOS gene deletion, in a mice model of hypoxic pulmonary hypertension. In lungs, chronic hypoxia increased BH$_4$ levels and eNOS expression, without modifying dihydrobiopterin (BH$_2$, t…