Search results for "Contraction"
showing 10 items of 1092 documents
Inhibitory effects of okadaic acid on rat uterine contractile responses to different spasmogens
1997
In the present study, we examined the effects of okadaic acid, a selective inhibitor of type I and 2A protein phosphatases, on the mechanical responses evoked by oxytocin, K + - and Na + -modified solutions and ouabain in estrogen-primed rat myometrium. Oxytocin elicited a rapid, phasic contraction followed by rhythmic oscillations. The phasic response was partially resistant to the absence of external Ca 2+ . Okadaic acid (1 μM) and the L-type calcium channel blocker nifedipine (1 μM) abolished the oscillatory component and reduced the initial, phasic response to about 80% of the control response. High K + (60 mM) solution, ouabain (1 mM), K + -free medium and low Na + (25 mM) solution ind…
Calcium Dependence of the Mechanical Response Evoked by Okadaic Acid in Smooth Muscle
1995
The effects of okadaic acid (OA), obtained from a culture of the marine dinoflagellate Prorocentrum Lima were studied on isolated strips of rat myometrium. The contractile response evoked by OA at 5, 10, and 20 μM in normal physiological solution was unaffected in the presence of tetrodotoxin (10 μM), indomethacin (3 μM), or a cocktail of antagonists which blocked muscarinic, adrenergic, histaminergic, serotonergic, and opioid receptors. Similarly, the response to OA was unaffected in the presence of nifedipine at a concentration (1 μM) which completely or highly blocked the response to KCl (60 mM), oxytocin (1 μM), or acetylcholine (100 μM). In a Ca 2+ -free 1 mM EGTA-containing solution, …
Selective inhibition of calcium entry induced by benzylisoquinolines in rat smooth muscle.
1992
Abstract The mechanism of relaxant activity of six benzylisoquinolines was examined in order to determine the minimal structural requirements that enable these compounds to have either a non-specific action like papaverine or an inhibitory activity on calcium entry via potential-operated channels. All the alkaloids tested totally or partially relaxed KCl-depolarized rat uterus and inhibited oxytocin-induced rhythmic contractions. Only glaucine and laudanosine inhibited K+-induced uterine contractions more than oxytocin-induced uterine contractions. In Ca+-free medium, sustained contractions induced by oxytocin or vanadate were relaxed by the alkaloids tested except for glaucine and laudanos…
Effects of dopamine in isolated rat colon strips.
2005
The aim of the present work is to investigate the effects of dopamine on isolated rat colon strips, and whether dopamine receptors are involved in these effects. Experiments on spontaneous motility and under potassium contraction were performed with dopamine and isoprenaline, both in the absence and presence of antagonists (distal colon strips, isotonic recording, Tyrode solution, 31 °C, 1 g of resting tension). At higher concentration (10–4mol/L), dopamine abolished spontaneous motility of the rat colon and this effect was not modified by antagonists. In isolated rat colon strips that were depolarized with potassium, dopamine produced concentration-dependent relaxation, without significant…
Changes induced by eccentric training on force-velocity relationships of the elbow flexor muscles.
1995
The aim of this study was to examine the effects of a short term eccentric training period on force-velocity relationships of the elbow flexor muscles. From a muscle model, the maximal shortening velocity Vo(x) and the af parameter which varies according to the curvature of the force-velocity relationship of the muscle were determined. Sixteen volunteer subjects divided into 2 groups participated in this study (Group Eccentric GE, n = 8; Group Control GC, n = 8). The subjects performed, on an isokinetic ergometer, 2 maximal concentric elbow flexions at different angular velocities (60, 120, 180, 240, 300, 360 degrees s-1) and held maximal and submaximal isometric actions at an elbow flexion…
Substance P inactivation by transglutaminase in vitro.
1992
Gamma(glutamyl5)spermine derivative of substance P (Spm-SP) was synthesized in vitro in the presence of purified guinea pig liver transglutaminase and Ca2+. The spermine adduct of the neuropeptide was purified by HPLC on a reversed-phase column and characterized by fast atom bombardment mass spectrometry. The biological activities of Spm-SP were tested by assaying, in comparison with substance P, its ability to induce both the contractions of smooth muscle in vitro and the edema formation in vivo. Spm-SP was shown not to elicit contractile responses in the isolated rat stomach strip and duodenum and not to antagonize the spasmogenic effect evoked by the native neuropeptide. Furthermore, Spm…
Knee extension strength and walking speed in relation to quadriceps muscle composition and training in elderly women.
1994
Summary. Knee extension strength, walking speed, quadriceps muscle mass and composition of the muscle compartment were studied in 66 to 85-year-old female athletes and controls. Maximal voluntary knee extension force, force/body mass, extension torque, torque/body mass and walking speed were higher for the athletes than the controls. A muscle index indicating intramuscular fat and connective tissue measured using ultrasonography was lower for the athletes than the controls. There were no differences between the study groups in knee extension force related either to cross-sectional area (CSA) or lean tissue area (CSAL) of the quadriceps. Within the subgroups, there was no significant correla…
Effects of intermittent high frequency electrical stimulation on denervated EDL muscle of rabbit.
1990
This study was performed to determine whether electrical stimulation can retard denervation-induced changes. The denervated extensor digitorum longus of the rabbit, a fast-twitch muscle, was stimulated at a rate mimicking its motoneuron firing pattern. The 100-Hz stimulation given intermittently subjected the muscle to a low mean total daily frequency of 1.6 Hz. Four weeks of stimulation resulted in no effect upon the denervated stimulated muscle. This stimulation protocol, therefore, is unable to substitute for the lost neuronal influence of the nerve. The muscle contralateral to the stimulated side showed physiological changes making it unsuitable to serve as a control.
Neuromuscular electrical stimulation: a new therapeutic option for chronic diseases based on contraction-induced myokine secretion
2019
Myokines are peptides known to modulate brain neuroplasticity, adipocyte metabolism, bone mineralization, endothelium repair and cell growth arrest in colon and breast cancer, among other processes. Repeated skeletal muscle contraction induces the production and secretion of myokines, which have a wide range of functions in different tissues and organs. This new role of skeletal muscle as a secretory organ means skeletal muscle contraction could be a key player in the prevention and/or management of chronic disease. However, some individuals are not capable of optimal physical exercise in terms of adequate duration, intensity or muscles involved, and therefore they may be virtually deprived…
Combination of hormone replacement therapy and high physical activity is associated with differences in Achilles tendon size in monozygotic female tw…
2009
Estrogen concentration has been suggested to play a role in tendon abnormalities and injury. In physically active postmenopausal women, hormone replacement therapy (HRT) has been suggested to decrease tendon diameter. We hypothesized that HRT use and physical activity are associated with Achilles tendon size and tissue structure. The study applied cotwin analysis of fourteen 54- to 62-yr-old identical female twin pairs with current discordance for HRT use for an average of 7 yr. Achilles tendon thickness and cross-sectional areas were determined by ultrasonography, and tendon structural organization was analyzed from the images using linear discriminant analysis (LDA). Maximal voluntary and…