Search results for "acetylcholine."
showing 10 items of 620 documents
Cardiovascular control and time domain granger causality: Insights from selective autonomic blockade
2013
We studied causal relations among heart period (HP), systolic arterial pressure (SAP) and respiration (R) according to the definition of Granger causality in the time domain. Autonomic pharmacological challenges were used to alter the complexity of cardiovascular control. Atropine (AT), propranolol and clonidine (CL) were administered to block muscarinic receptors, β-adrenergic receptors and centrally sympathetic outflow, respectively. We found that: (i) at baseline, HP and SAP interacted in a closed loop with a dominant causal direction from HP to SAP; (ii) pharmacological blockades did not alter the bidirectional closed-loop interactions between HP and SAP, but AT reduced the dominance of…
Cellular distribution of nicotinic acetylcholine receptor subunit mRNAs in the human cerebral cortex as revealed by non-isotopic in situ hybridizatio…
1994
The pharmacology of telencephalic nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) has become an important issue in recent years. While in the human brain a direct pharmacological assessment is difficult to achieve the visualization of nAChRs has been enabled by histochemical techniques providing an ever increasing and improving resolution. Receptor autoradiography was used to visualize binding sites on the level of cortical layers whereas immunohistochemistry has allowed for the cell type-specific and ultrastructural localization of receptor protein. Further investigations have to elucidate the cellular sites of NAChR biosynthesis by visualizing subunit-specific transcripts. Using autopsy sample…
Determination of acetylcholine, nitrostigmine and acetylcholinesterase activity in four patients with severe nitrostigmine (E 605 forte) intoxication.
1974
Concentrations of acetylcholine and nitrostigmine as well as acetylcholinesterase activity were determined in 4 patients with severe nitrostigmine intoxication. In the acute phase of the intoxication, acetylcholine levels up to 36 and 55 ng/ml were found in blood plasma and cerebrospinal fluid, respectively. At the same time no activity of acetylcholinesterase in plasma and erythrocytes was detected. Acetylcholinesterase activity gradually recovered at the end of the second week. In the first 3 days after the ingestion plasma nitrostigmine concentrations ranged from 409 to 86 ng/ml. At the end of the third week nitrostigmine was still found in a concentration of about 1 ng/ml plasma. Redist…
Intoxication with a tropenol ester.
2012
BACKGROUND While the effects of medicinal products are investigated in depth before approval, often very little is known about the intermediates occurring during synthesis. The pharmacological properties of these intermediates can differ substantially from those of the end product. AIMS To describe a work accident involving intoxication with such an intermediate, tropenol ester. CASE REPORT A healthy 40-year-old chemical-technical operative erroneously used a scrubbing brush that had just been used to clear up tropenol ester, contaminating his work clothes. Presumably, contact was made with his skin when removing his work clothes later. Shortly thereafter, he developed signs of anticholiner…
In vivo release of non-neuronal acetylcholine from human skin by dermal microdialysis: Effects of sunlight, UV-A and tactile stimulus
2007
Non-neuronal acetylcholine (ACh) is expressed in epithelial, endothelial and immune cells. For example, the in vivo release of ACh from the human skin pretreated with botulinum toxin has recently been demonstrated. In the present experiments the effects of light (sunlight and solar radiation by a commercial UV-A applier) and of a tactile stimulus on the release of non-neuronal ACh were investigated. Release of ACh from the proximal and distal shin, i.e. anterior tibial region, was measured by dermal microdialysis in 20 min samples over a time period of at least 140 min. Control experiments were performed in a dark room throughout. In some experiments volunteers were exposed to sunshine (80-…
Inhibition of neuropeptide degradation suppresses sweating but increases the area of the axon reflex flare.
2013
The neuropeptides CGRP (calcitonin gene-elated peptide) and substance P (SP) mediate neurogenic inflammation. Both are degraded by the neutral endopeptidase (NEP) which can be blocked by phosphoramidon. The aim was to evaluate the effect of NEP inhibition on sweating and vasodilatation. Dermal microdialysis was performed on the skin of 39 subjects. Two fibres were perfused with phosphoramidon (0.01%, 0.02% or 0.2%), two with saline. Acetylcholine (ACh) was either added to the microdialysis perfusate (n = 30, 10(-2) m) or thermoregulatory sweating was induced (n = 9). Co-application of phosphoramidon reduced cholinergic and thermoregulatory sweating. However, the flare size - a localized in…
Effects of Some Guanidino Compounds on Human Cerebral Arteries
1999
Background and Purpose —Accumulation of endogenous guanidino-substituted analogues of l -arginine in chronic renal failure might contribute to some of the vascular and neurological disorders of this pathology. We tested the hypothesis that in human cerebral arteries, some guanidino compounds may increase vascular tone, through nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibition, and impair endothelium-dependent relaxation. Methods —Rings of human middle cerebral artery were obtained during autopsy of 26 patients who had died 3 to 12 hours before. The rings were suspended in organ baths for isometric recording of tension. We then studied the responses to N G -monomethyl- l -arginine (L-NMMA), N G , N G -…
End-plate dysfunction in acute organophosphate intoxication.
1989
Acute organophosphate intoxication resulting from suicide attempts in 14 patients produced a series of electrophysiologic abnormalities that correlated with the clinical course. Spontaneous repetitive firing of single evoked compound muscle action potentials (CMAP) was the earliest and most sensitive indicator of the acetylcholinesterase inhibition. A decrement of evoked CMAP following repetitive nerve stimulation was the most severe abnormality. At the height of the intoxication no CMAP was evoked after the first few stimuli. The decrement-increment phenomenon occurred only at milder stages of intoxication and its features are characteristic of acetylcholinesterase inhibition. These electr…
Association of a variant in the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor 2 gene (CHRM2 ) with nicotine addiction
2009
Genetic factors contribute to the overall risk of developing nicotine addiction, which is the major cause of preventable deaths in western countries. However, knowledge regarding specific polymorphisms influencing smoking phenotypes remains scarce. In the present study we provide evidence that a common single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) in the 5′ untranslated region of CHRM2, the gene coding for the muscarinic acetylcholine receptor 2 is associated with nicotine addiction. CHRM2 was defined as a candidate gene for nicotine addiction based on previous evidence that linked variations in CHRM2 to alcohol and drug dependence. A total of more than 5,500 subjects representative of the German po…
Increased acetylcholine levels in skin biopsies of patients with atopic dermatitis.
2003
Recent experimental evidence indicates that non-neuronal acetylcholine is involved in the regulation of basic cell functions. Here we investigated the cholinergic system in the skin of healthy volunteers and patients with atopic dermatitis (AD). The synthesizing enzyme, choline-acetyltransferase (ChAT), was studied by anti-ChAT immunohistochemistry and enzyme assay. Skin biopsies taken from healthy volunteers and from AD patients were separated into the 2 mm superfical (epidermis and upper dermis) and 3 mm underlying portion (deeper dermis and subcutis). ChAT enzyme activity was detected in homogenized skin and subcutaneous fat (about 13 nmol/mg protein/h). ChAT immunoreactivity was express…