Search results for "technique"

Calcium inhibits ovarian steroidogenesis in the blowfly Phormia regina.

2002

1479-6805 0022-0795; Calcium is frequently involved in the stimulation of steroidogenesis in gonads and endocrine glands, generally in association with cAMP. However, our present observations show that it has the opposite effect in the ovary of the blowfly Phormia regina. Our in vitro experiments first showed that extracellular calcium does not play a role during the stimulation of steroidogenesis in fly ovaries; indeed steroidogenesis was activated in vitro as efficiently in a medium with or without calcium, either by pharmacological compounds mimicking cAMP signaling or by active brain extracts. When calcium was experimentally introduced into biosynthetic cells by ionophores or liberated …

Release of non-neuronal acetylcholine from the isolated human placenta is affected by antidepressants.

2007

Non-neuronal acetylcholine (ACh) is released from the human placenta into the extracellular space via organic cation transporters (OCTs). The present experiments investigated whether ACh release from epithelial cells is affected by drugs which are substrates of OCTs. The antidepressant drugs amitriptyline and doxepine were tested as both substances are not approved for pregnant women but frequently used. Release of ACh was measured in 10 min intervals over a period of 100 min. Test substances were added from t=50 min of incubation onwards. The effect was calculated by comparing the ACh release of the last three samples (t=70-100 min; B2) with that immediately before the application of the t…

Interstitial washout and hydrolysis of acetylcholine in the perfused heart

1982

The efflux of acetylcholine, of radioactively labelled acetylcholine and choline, into the venous effluent of the perfused chicken heart was studied to determine the kinetics of both interstitial washout and hydrolysis of acetylcholine. Stimulation of both cervical vagus nerves (e.g., for 5 s at 40 Hz) caused a release of acetylcholine, which appeared partially unhydrolyzed in the venous effluent, and reduced force of contraction and heart rate. For comparison, labelled acetylcholine or choline was infused for 5 s into the heart and again the venous efflux of either substance was determined. It was found that the kinetics of efflux of acetylcholine or choline from the interstitial space wer…

Modulation by docosahexaenoic acid of the epinephrine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity of the bovine retina.

1988

This work shows that unsaturated fatty acids enhance the epinephrine-stimulated adenylate cyclase activity in bovine retina. The modulating effect on the epinephrine-stimulated formation of cyclic AMP seems to be linked to the degree of unsaturation of the fatty acid. Treatment of the intact retina with docosahexaenoic acid in the concentration range 0.5 X 10(-6)-1 X 10(-3) M does not affect the enzyme activity measured in the absence of the hormone but markedly increases the cyclase activity when the tissue is incubated in the presence of 0.1 mM epinephrine. Docosahexaenoic acid enhances the maximal response to epinephrine without affecting the apparent ED50 value for this effector. Docosa…

Control of ovarian steroidogenesis by insulin-like peptides in the blowfly (Phormia regina).

2004

0022–0795/04/0181–147; This study investigated the ability of insulin and of insect insulin-like peptides (ILPs) to stimulate ovarian steroidogenesis in the blowfly Phormia regina. Bovine insulin was active on ovaries isolated in vitro, which showed an age-dependent sensitivity; this peptide progressively stimulated steroidogenesis in ovaries isolated from the third day after adult molt, but not in younger ones, and had maximal activity after the fifth day. This stimulatory effect was observed equally from females reared in the presence or in the absence of males, excluding a regulatory effect of mating. The mode of action of insulin in blowflies did not involve cAMP, but triggered a specif…

Effect of CYP1A1 Gene Polymorphisms on Estrogen Metabolism and Bone Density

2004

UNLABELLED: In this study, we evaluated the effect of polymorphisms of the CYP1A1 gene, linked to hormone-related cancers, on estrogen metabolism and BMD. We found that variants carrying the A allele (CA and AA) for the C4887A polymorphism have a significantly higher degree of estrogen catabolism and lower femoral BMD. INTRODUCTION: Polymorphisms of the CYP1A1 gene, one of the key enzymes that metabolize estrogen, have been linked with hormone-related cancers. We investigated the impact of these polymorphisms on estrogen metabolism and BMD, which is another hormone-dependent health issue. MATERIALS AND METHODS: One hundred seventy postmenopausal women (mean age, 63.5 +/- 0.6 years) particip…

Characterization of choline efflux from the perfused heart at rest and after muscarine receptor activation.

1986

The resting efflux of choline from perfused chicken hearts varied from 0.4 to 2.6 nmol/g min, but was constant for at least 80 min in the individual experiments. The rate of choline efflux was found to be equal to the rate of choline formation in the heart, which, from the following reasons, was essentially due to hydrolysis of choline phospholipids. Cardiac content of choline phospholipids (7,200 nmol/g) was much higher than that of acetylcholine (5.5 nmol/g). Resting release of acetylcholine was 0.016 nmol/g min and, after inhibition of cholinesterase, only about 0.1 nmol/g min. Resting efflux of choline was reduced by mepacrine, a phospholipase A2 inhibitor, by perfusion with a Ca2+-free…

Home treatment of pulmonary embolism: are all the questions answered now after the HOME-PE trial?

2020

The induction of hepatic microsomal metabolism in rats following acute administration of a mixture of polybrominated biphenyls.

1976

Abstract Firemaster BP6, a mixture of polybrominated biphenyls (PBBs), was administered to female Sprague-Dawley rats (170–180 g) as a single ip injection at 25 and 150 mg/kg. Other animals received phenobarbital (PB), 3-methylcholanthrene (3MC), or PB and 3MC together. Animals were killed at intervals of 12, 24, 48, 192, and 336 hr after treatment with PBBs, or 24 hr after PB, MC, or PB-MC, and various hepatic microsomal parameters were measured. After 150 mg/kg of PBBs, cytochrome P450 concentrations reached a maximum by 48 hr (225% of control), then remained elevated through 336 hr. A similar pattern of induction was observed for epoxide hydratase and aniline hydroxylase activities. In c…

Stimulation of calcium uptake by norepinephrine or high external potassium in human calyces and renal pelvis.

1989

The effects of stimulation with either 10 mumol/l norepinephrine or 85 mmol/l extracellular potassium concentration on calcium uptake were studied in muscle strips from human renal calyces and from the renal pelvis. The apparent uptake of calcium under control conditions was essentially complete after 30 min. Stimulation of the muscle strips with norepinephrine or high external potassium significantly (P less than 0.05) increased the calcium uptake over the control values at 30 and 100 min, whereas 45Ca efflux was virtually not affected. It is concluded that the mechanical responses of the muscle strips to norepinephrine or high external potassium correspond with an increased uptake of calc…