Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: EC:3.4.21.1 (chymotrypsin)
 10,938 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

In anesthetized and ventilated guinea pigs, intravenous injection of ET-1, ET-2, or ET-3 induced similar rapid and dose-related increases in pulmonary inflation pressure (PIP) and mean arterial blood pressure (MABP). Indomethacin inhibited the increase in PIP evoked by ET-1, ET-2, or ET-3, whereas the changes in MABP following injection of the various ET isotypes were not significantly affected. Injection of ET-1, ET-2, or ET-3 via the pulmonary artery of isolated guinea pig lungs induced similar dose-dependent increases in PIP and pulmonary perfusion pressure (PPP), thromboxane B2 (TxB2) release, and formation of lung edema. Indomethacin (5 microM), added to the perfusion medium, significantly inhibited the alterations of PIP, PPP, TxB2 release, and lung edema formation evoked by the three ET isoforms. Intravenous injection of 1 nmol/kg of big ET-1 to guinea pigs did not induce significant changes in PIP and MABP. When administered at a dose of 10 nmol/kg, big ET-1 provoked marked slow-developing and sustained increases in PIP and MABP. When big ET-1 was incubated in vitro with either alpha-chymotrypsin or pepsin and injected into guinea pigs at a dose of 1 nmol/kg, marked rapid bronchoconstrictor and pressor responses were observed. The present results demonstrate that ET-1, ET-2, and ET-3 exert comparable bronchopulmonary and pressor activities in the guinea pig. On the contrary, big ET-1 exhibits moderate direct bronchoconstrictor and pressor effects and its hydrolysis by proteases appears to be essential for expression of its full activity.
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PMID:Bronchopulmonary and pressor activities of endothelin-1 (ET-1), ET-2, ET-3, and big ET-1 in the guinea pig. 172 70

1. We studied the effect of hyperosmolarity on human isolated airways because a better understanding of the effect of hyperosmolarity on the human airway wall may improve insight into the pathophysiology of hyperosmolarity-induced bronchoconstriction in asthma. 2. In cartilaginous bronchial rings dissected from fresh human lung tissue, hyperosmolar krebs-Henseleit buffer (450 mosM, extra sodium chloride added) evoked a biphasic response: a rapid relaxation phase (peak after 5.0 +/- 0.3 min) followed by a slow contraction phase (peak after 25.4 +/- 0.8 min). 3. With the histamine (H1) receptor antagonist mepyramine, the contraction phase was reduced to 41.2% of the control value (P less than 0.001), with atropine to 50.0% (P less than 0.01), with the local anaesthetic lignocaine to 48.7% (P less than 0.05) and with mepyramine together with atropine to 19.2% (P less than 0.001). 4. With the inhibitor of neutral metalloendopeptidase, phosphoramidon, the contraction phase increased to 128.0% of the control value (P less than 0.05) and after removal of the epithelium to 131.8% (P less than 0.05). 5. Indomethacin, the leukotriene C4/D4 (LTC4/D4) antagonist FPL 55712 or the blocker of nerve conduction, tetrodotoxin, had no effect on the contractile phase. 6. The relaxation phase was not altered by any of these drugs nor by epithelial denudation. The relaxation phase was also unchanged in the presence of alpha-chymotrypsin, which degrades muscle relaxing peptides such as vasoactive intestinal peptide. 7. Hyperosmolar buffer slightly increased the sensitivity and maximal response to methacholine as well as the cholinergic twitch to electric field stimulation. 8. We conclude that hyperosmolarity releases acetylcholine, histamine and neuropeptides in the human airway wall in sufficient quantities to contract airway smooth muscle. This release itself or its effect on airway muscle is modulated by the airway epithelium. The mechanism of the relaxation phase may be an unknown smooth muscle relaxing substance or a direct effect on the airway muscle, related to ion fluxes.
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PMID:Effects of hyperosmolarity on human isolated central airways. 185 21

Thrombin and certain prostaglandins are both capable of stimulating the proliferation of cultured cells. Since thrombin stimulates the release and metabolism of arachidonic acid, the precursor of prostaglandins, we examined the relationship between this release and metabolism and the stimulation of cell division in cultured fibroblasts. We also examined the role of prostaglandin synthesis in thrombin-stimulated phosphatidylinositol synthesis. The data in this report demonstrate that the release and metabolism of arachidonic acid are not necessary for thrombin-stimulated cell division. The presence of a low concentration of chymotrypsin prevented thrombin-stimulated arachidonic acid release and metabolism without affecting the stimulation of cell division. Furthermore, thrombin-stimulated cell division occurred in the presence of indomethacin concentrations that prevented cyclooxygenase-mediated metabolism of arachidonic acid. The following experiments showed that thrombin-stimulated phosphatidylinositol synthesis was brought about by a cyclooxygenase-mediated metabolite(s) of arachidonic acid. Indomethacin inhibited the cyclooxygenase-mediated metabolism of arachidonic acid without affecting the thrombin-stimulated release of arachidonic acid. Indomethacin also inhibited thrombin-stimulated phosphatidylinositol synthesis. The dose dependence of this inhibition paralleled the inhibition by indomethacin of cyclooxygenase-mediated metabolism of arachidonic acid. In addition, prostaglandin F2 alpha stimulated phosphatidylinositol synthesis in the presence of indomethacin concentrations which prevented thrombin-stimulated phosphatidylinositol synthesis.
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PMID:Relationship of thrombin-stimulated arachidonic acid release and metabolism to mitogenesis and phosphatidylinositol synthesis. 310 53

Chemotactic activity of protein origin was demonstrated in carrageenan-induced pleural exudates by the chemotactic response of neutrophils in the modified Boyden chamber. The activity was partly neutralized by monospecific antisera to complement component 5 and was destroyed by trypsin and chymotrypsin treatment but it differed from that in rat serum or plasma in that it was stable for 30 min at 56 degrees C. Indomethacin (5 mg/kg i.v.) reduced equally protein content (56%) and total chemotactic activity (58%); i.e., chemotactic activity/mg of exudate protein was unchanged. Intrapleural injection of autologous or homologous serum also induced an infiltration of neutrophils; the protein content of the pleural fluid decreased by 60-70% in 4 h, whereas with carrageenan there was a progressive increase in exudate protein. When serum was injected in two doses to maintain protein levels comparable to those found following carrageenan injection, the number of neutrophils in the exudates was also comparable. In contrast to carrageenan, the response to serum was not inhibited by indomethacin. From these and other data we suggest that the exudate chemotactic activity is generated from plasma protein and that indomethacin acts primarily to reduce extravasation of plasma and consequently generation of chemotactic activity.
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PMID:Effect of indomethacin on generation of chemotactic activity in inflammatory exudates induced by carrageenan. 637 11

The actions of NO synthase inhibitors and indomethacin, a cyclooxygenase inhibitor, on the nonadrenergic noncholinergic (NANC) mechanical responses of cat distal colon were studied in vitro using muscle strips orientated in the axis of the longitudinal muscle layer with pelvic nerves attached. Electrical field stimulation (EFS) or pelvic nerve stimulation (PNS) caused inhibition of spontaneous contractions followed by off-contractions. Indomethacin (10-30 microM) caused concentration-dependent reductions in amplitude and duration of EFS- and PNS-evoked off-contractions but not latency. The NO synthase inhibitors, N omega-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA), N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (L-NMMA) (each at 100 microM) significantly reduced latency, amplitude, and duration of off-contractions evoked by EFS and PNS. This inhibition was partially reversed by L-arginine (120 microM) but not by D-arginine. Incubation of colonic strips with alpha-chymotrypsin (2 U/ml) decreased latency, amplitude, and duration of NANC off-contractions. L-NNA reduced amplitude, duration, and latency of off-contractions in preparations pretreated with alpha-chymotrypsin. Hydroquinone (10-30 microM), a generator of superoxide anions, caused significant depression of amplitude, duration, and latency of off-contractions which was completely reversed by superoxide dismutase (200 U/ml). These data suggest that the components of NANC off-contractions evoked by EFS and PNS involve peptides, NO, and prostaglandins.
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PMID:A nitric oxide and prostaglandin-dependent component of NANC off-contractions in cat colon. 750 99

We have studied the effects of various angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors on intraocular pressure (IOP) of rabbits with experimentally induced ocular hypertension and their mechanism of action. Acute ocular hypertension was induced by infusion of 5% glucose (15 ml/kg) through marginal ear vein, whereas chronic glaucoma was induced by injection of alpha-chymotrypsin into the posterior chamber of the eye. IOP was measured by tonometer. All ACE inhibitors were instilled topically in the eye in a sterile solution. The effect of ACE inhibitors also was studied on serum cholinesterase (true and pseudo) and the enzyme ACE in vitro. Enalaprilat, ramiprilat, and fosinopril produced a time-dependent decrease of IOP in both acute and chronic models of ocular hypertension in rabbits. The decrease in IOP was observed for >4 h, and the extent of decrease was comparable to that with both pilocarpine and betaxolol. Prodrugs enalapril and ramipril failed to produced any change in IOP. Losartan also produced a significant decrease in IOP in the chronic model of ocular hypertension in rabbits. All the three ACE inhibitors were found to inhibit ACE activity in aqueous humor. The enzyme cholinesterase was found to be inhibited by enalaprilat, ramiprilat, and fosinopril. However, atropine did not alter the IOP-lowering effect of enalaprilat in rabbits. Indomethacin pretreatment produced slight but significant inhibition of the IOP-lowering effect of enalaprilat in rabbits. Our data suggest that ACE inhibitors enalaprilat, ramiprilat, and fosinopril produce a significant ocular hypotensive effect in acute and chronic models of ocular hypertension in rabbits. Inhibition of ACE in aqueous humor, and in ocular tissues, resulting in reduced angiotensin II formation, could be one of the major mechanisms responsible for the IOP reduction by ACE inhibitors in rabbits.
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PMID:Oculohypotensive effect of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors in acute and chronic models of glaucoma. 1094 57