Search results for "A2"
showing 10 items of 1101 documents
Effects of Quinine and Quinidine on the Transient Outward and on the L-Type Ca<sup>2+</sup> Current in Rat Ventricular Cardiomyocytes
2002
The effects of the enantiomers quinine and quinidine on the transient outward current (I<sub>to</sub>) and on the L-type Ca<sup>2+</sup> current (I<sub>Ca</sub>) were investigated in rat ventricular cardiomyocytes using the patch-clamp technique. At a stimulation frequency of 2 Hz, both quinine and quinidine depressed the magnitude of I<sub>to</sub> and I<sub>Ca</sub>; the half-maximal effects on I<sub>to</sub> were achieved at 11 and 15 µmol/l, respectively, and those on I<sub>Ca</sub> at 14 and 10 µmol/l, respectively. At 0.2 Hz, both drugs depressed the magnitude of I<sub>to</sub>, but not tha…
Regio- and stereoselectivity in the metabolism of benzo[c]phenanthrene mediated by genetically engineered V79 Chinese hamster cells expressing rat an…
1998
Regio- and stereoselective metabolism mediated by cytochrome P450 (CYP) and metabolite-dependent cytotoxicity of benzo[c]phenanthrene (B[c]Ph) and its trans-3,4-dihydrodiol, the metabolic precursor of the carcinogenic fjord-region B[c]Ph-3,4-dihydrodiol 1,2-epoxides (B[c]PhDE), were investigated with V79 Chinese hamster cells genetically engineered for three rat and six human CYP isoforms. The order of the capabilities of the CYP isoforms to metabolize B[c]Ph was as follows: h1A1>r1A1>r1A2>h1B1>h1A2>r2B1>>h2E1>h2A6>h3A4. Regardless of the species, all individual CYP isoforms preferentially catalyzed the oxidation of B[c]Ph at the 5,6-position (K-region) except human CYP1A1 and human CYP1A2,…
Modulation of acute and chronic inflammatory processes by cacospongionolide B, a novel inhibitor of human synovial phospholipase A2
1999
Cacospongionolide B is a novel marine metabolite isolated from the sponge Fasciospongia cavernosa. In in vitro studies, this compound inhibited phospholipase A2 (PLA2), showing selectivity for secretory PLA2 (sPLA2) versus cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2), and its potency on the human synovial enzyme (group II) was similar to that of manoalide. This activity was confirmed in vivo in the 8 h zymosan-injected rat air pouch, on the secretory enzyme accumulating in the pouch exudate. Cacospongionolide B, that is bioavailable when is given orally, reduced the elevated levels of sPLA2 present in paw homogenates of rats with adjuvant arthritis. This marine metabolite showed topical anti-inflammatory activit…
Mangifera indica L. Extract and Mangiferin Modulate Cytochrome P450 and UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase Enzymes in Primary Cultures of Human Hepatocytes
2012
The aqueous stem bark extract of Mangifera indica L. (MSBE) has been reported to have antioxidant, anti-inflammatory and analgesic properties. In previous studies, we showed that MSBE and mangiferin, its main component, lower the activity of some cytochrome P-450 (P450) enzymes in rat hepatocytes and human liver microsomes. In the present study, the effects of MSBE and mangiferin on several P450 enzymes and UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs) in human-cultured hepatocytes have been examined. After hepatocytes underwent a 48-h treatment with sub-cytotoxic concentrations of the products (50-250 µg/mL), a concentration-dependent decrease of the activity of the five P450 enzymes measured (CYP1A…
Adenosine negatively regulates duodenal motility in mice: role of A1 and A2A receptors
2011
BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Adenosine is considered to be an important modulator of intestinal motility. This study was undertaken to investigate the role of adenosine in the modulation of contractility in the mouse duodenum and to characterize the adenosine receptor subtypes involved. EXPERIMENTAL APPROACH RT-PCR was used to investigate the expression of mRNA encoding for A1, A2A, A2B and A3 receptors. Contractile activity was examined in vitro as changes in isometric tension. KEY RESULTS In mouse duodenum, all four classes of adenosine receptors were expressed, with the A2B receptor subtype being confined to the mucosal layer. Adenosine caused relaxation of mouse longitudinal duodenal muscle; …
Hydrolytic action of phospholipase A2 in monolayers in the phase transition region: direct observation of enzyme domain formation using fluorescence …
1990
Phospholipase A2, a ubiquitous lipolytic enzyme highly active in the hydrolysis of organized phospholipid substrates, has been characterized optically in its action against a variety of phospholipid monolayers using fluorescence microscopy. By labeling the enzyme with a fluorescent marker and introducing it into the subphase of a Langmuir film balance, the hydrolysis of lipid monolayers in their liquid-solid phase transition region could be directly observed with the assistance of an epifluorescence microscope. Visual observation of hydrolysis of different phospholipid monolayers in the phase transition region in real-time could differentiate various mechanisms of hydrolytic action against …
Efficient light-induced phase transitions in halogen-bonded liquid crystals
2016
Here, we present a new family of light-responsive, fluorinated supramolecular liquid crystals (LCs) showing efficient and reversible light-induced LC-to-isotropic phase transitions. Our materials design is based on fluorinated azobenzenes, where the fluorination serves to strengthen the noncovalent interaction with bond-accepting stilbazole molecules, and increase the lifetime of the cis-form of the azobenzene units. The halogen-bonded LCs were characterized by means of X-ray diffraction, hot-stage polarized optical microscopy, and differential scanning calorimetry. Simultaneous analysis of light-induced changes in birefringence, absorption, and optical scattering allowed us to estimate tha…
Two-dimensional phononic thermal conductance in thin membranes in the Casimir limit
2011
We discuss computational analysis of phononic thermal conduction in the suspended membrane geometry, in the experimentally commonly appearing case where heat can flow out radially in two dimensions from a central source. As we are mostly interested in the low-temperature behavior where bulk scattering of phonons becomes irrelevant, we study the limit where all phonon scattering takes place at the membrane surfaces. Moreover, we limit the discussion here to the case where this surface scattering is fully diffusive, the so called Casimir limit. Our analysis shows that in the two-dimensional case, no analytic results are available, in contrast to the well known 1D Casimir limit. Numerical solu…
Modulation of neuronal phospholipase D activity under depolarizing conditions
1999
Neuronal phospholipase D (PLD) activity was hypothesized to be involved in vesicle trafficking and endocytosis and, possibly, transmitter release. We here report that prolonged depolarization of rat hippocampal slices by potassium chloride (KCl) or 4-aminopyridine inhibited PLD activity. Similarly, PLD activity in rat cortical synaptosomes was significantly inhibited by depolarizing agents including veratridine and ouabain. Inhibition of calcium/calmodulin kinase II (CaMKII) which positively modulates synaptosomal PLD activity [Sarri et al. (1998) FEBS Lett. 440, 287-290] by KN-62 caused a further reduction of PLD activity in depolarized synaptosomes. Depolarization-induced inhibition of PL…
Membrane breakdown in acute and chronic neurodegeneration: focus on choline-containing phospholipids.
2000
Breakdown of cellular membranes is a characteristic feature of neuronal degeneration in acute (stroke) and chronic (senile dementia) neurological disorders. The present review summarizes recent experimental and clinical work which concentrated on changes of choline-containing phospholipids as indicators of neuronal membrane breakdown. Experimental studies identified glutamate release, calcium influx, and activation of cellular phospholipase A2 (PLA2) as important steps initiating membrane breakdown in cultured neurons or brain slices under hypoxic or ischemic conditions. Proton NMR studies have shown an elevation of choline-containing compounds in the brain of Alzheimer patients while neuro…