Search results for "CALCIUM"
showing 10 items of 1740 documents
Mechanism of vascular relaxation by thaligrisine
2000
Abstract In the present study we examine the mechanism by which thaligrisine, a bisbenzyltetrahydroisoquinoline alkaloid, inhibits the contractile response of vascular smooth muscle. The work includes functional studies on rat isolated aorta and tail artery precontracted with noradrenaline or KCl. In other experiments rat aorta was precontracted by caffeine in the presence or absence of extracellular Ca 2 +. In order to assess whether thaligrisine interacts directly with calcium channel binding sites or with α-adrenoceptors we examined the effect of the alkaloid on [ 3 H]-(+)- cis diltiazem, [ 3 H]-nitrendipine and [ 3 H]-prazosin binding to cerebral cortical membranes. The functional studi…
Opposite vascular activity of (R)-apomorphine and its oxidised derivatives. Endothelium-dependent vasoconstriction induced by the auto-oxidation meta…
2003
We have synthetised a series of oxidised apomorphine derivatives (orto and para quinones 2-5), in order to analyse their vascular activity. We have performed radioligand binding assays on rat cortical membranes and functional studies on rat aortic rings. Instead the relaxant activity exhibited by (R)-apomorphine, o-quinones 2, 4, show contractile activity dependent on endothelium in rat aortic rings. Compound 2, the main metabolite of (R)-apomorphine auto-oxidation, was the product which showed enhanced contractile activity by a complex mechanism related to activation of Ca(2+) channels through release and/or inhibition of endothelial factors. Moreover, this compound disrupts the endothelia…
Superoxide Flux in Endothelial Cells via the Chloride Channel-3 Mediates Intracellular Signaling
2007
Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in both cell signaling and pathology. A major source of ROS in endothelial cells is NADPH oxidase, which generates superoxide (O2.−) on the extracellular side of the plasma membrane but can result in intracellular signaling. To study possible transmembrane flux of O2.−, pulmonary microvascular endothelial cells were preloaded with the O2.−-sensitive fluorophore hydroethidine (HE). Application of an extracellular bolus of O2.−resulted in rapid and concentration-dependent transient HE oxidation that was followed by a progressive and nonreversible increase in nuclear HE fluorescence. These fluorescence changes were inhibited by superoxide dism…
Vascular Activity of (-)-Anonaine, (-)-Roemerine and (-)-Pukateine, Three Natural 6a(R)-1,2-Methylenedioxyaporphines with Different Affinities for α1…
2004
We have studied the mechanism of action of three 6a( R)-1,2-methylenedioxyaporphines as vasorelaxant compounds. The alkaloids assayed showed different affinities for the three human cloned alpha (1)-adrenoceptor (AR) subtypes stably expressed in rat-1 fibroblasts, showing lower affinity for alpha(1B)-AR with regard to the alpha(1A)- or alpha(1D)-subtypes. These three natural compounds are more potent inhibitors of [ (3)H]-prazosin binding than of [ (3)H]-diltiazem binding to rat cerebral cortical membranes. As all these alkaloids inhibited noradrenaline (NA)-induced [ (3)H]-inositol phosphate formation in cerebral cortex and rat tail artery, they may be safely viewed as alpha (1)-AR antagon…
Toxicological Impact of Rare Earth Elements (REEs) on the Reproduction and Development of Aquatic Organisms Using Sea Urchins as Biological Models
2022
The growing presence of lanthanides in the environment has drawn the attention of the scientific community on their safety and toxicity. The sources of lanthanides in the environment include diagnostic medicine, electronic devices, permanent magnets, etc. Their exponential use and the poor management of waste disposal raise serious concerns about the quality and safety of the ecosystems at a global level. This review focused on the impact of lanthanides in marine organisms on reproductive fitness, fertilization and embryonic development, using the sea urchin as a biological model system. Scientific evidence shows that exposure to lanthanides triggers a wide variety of toxic insults, includi…
Anhydrous Amorphous Calcium Oxalate Nanoparticles from Ionic Liquids: Stable Crystallization Intermediates in the Formation of Whewellite
2015
The mechanisms by which amorphous intermediates transform into crystalline materials are not well understood. To test the viability and the limits of the classical crystallization, new model systems for crystallization are needed. With a view to elucidating the formation of an amorphous precursor and its subsequent crystallization, the crystallization of calcium oxalate, a biomineral widely occurring in plants, is investigated. Amorphous calcium oxalate (ACO) precipitated from an aqueous solution is described as a hydrated metastable phase, as often observed during low-temperature inorganic synthesis and biomineralization. In the presence of water, ACO rapidly transforms into hydrated whewe…
Solubility of Zn(II) in Association with Calcium Silicate Hydrates in Alkaline Solutions
1999
The binding of Zn(II) to the cement mineral calcium silicate hydrate (CSH) was investigated in a well-defined laboratory system. CSH (Ca:Si = 1:1) was synthesized by coprecipitation with varying contents of Zn(II). Zn(II) was added in the proportions 0, 0.1, 1.0, 5.0, and 10% in exchange for Ca. The resulting CSH was characterized by X-ray diffraction. The solid phases were then equilibrated in aqueous suspensions, and the solubilities of Ca, Si, and of Zn(II) were determined as a function of pH and Zn(II) content in the solid phase. The solubility of Ca and Si in equilibrium with the CSH phases was in agreement with that predicted by thermodynamic calculations. Dissolved Zn(II) concentrati…
Triple-Quantum Two-Dimensional 27Al Magic Angle Nuclear Magnetic Resonance Study of the Aluminum Incorporation in Calcium Silicate Hydrates
1998
Triple-quantum two-dimensional 27Al magic angle spinning nuclear magnetic resonance (27Al 3Q-MAS NMR) was used to characterize the substitution of Si4+ by Al3+ into the Te−Oc−Te structure of calcium silicate hydrates (C−S−H). This substitution was studied with C−S−H having an Oc/Te ratio of 1 and in equilibrium with Al(OH)3 in aqueous suspensions. In the absence of NaOH, no substitution into the C−S−H structure occurred. Addition of NaOH in the preparation increased the concentration of Al(OH)4- and favored substitution. The deficit of charge resulting from this substitution was compensated by the accommodation of sodium in the interlayer space of the C−S−H. Increasing levels of substituted…
Zeta-Potential Study of Calcium Silicate Hydrates Interacting with Alkaline Cations
2001
An investigation into the interaction between alkaline cations and calcium silicate hydrates (CSH) was conducted by electrokinetic measurements, which provided information on the nature of the interface between the solid and its equilibrium solution. Calcium constitutes for the CSH surface a potential-determining cation. A model of the CSH surface could be proposed, accounting for the experimental evolution of the CSH zeta potential. The necessity of studying the zeta-potential evolution of the system as a function of the calcium activity, instead of its concentration, was underlined. The results obtained suggest a specific interaction between cesium and the CSH surface, whereas sodium and …
Primary Cell Culture of Fresh Water Hyriopsis cumingii Mantle/Pearl Sac Tissues and Its Effect on Calcium Carbonate Mineralization
2014
Primary cell cultures of the fresh water Hyriopsis cumingii mantle and pearl sac tissues were produced in this study, and the influence of the tissue, cells, and secreted protein on calcium carbonate crystal nucleation and growth was studied. The study contributes to a further understanding of the influence of organic matrices on CaCO3 crystal formation. This research started from the protein level to the tissue/cell level, which is crucial for understanding the inorganic deposition process. The new data also add relevant theoretical approaches to an overall understanding of biomineralization processes. In the experimental groups with mantle or pearl sac tissue, the growth patterns of arago…