Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
 77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The effects of administering reserpine (0.1 mg/kg) or 17alpha-ethinyloestradiol (2.5 mg/kg) to New Zealand White rabbits on low density lipoprotein receptors in liver, on plasma low density lipoprotein and fibrinogen and on plasma and tissue lipids were determined. Blood pressure and heart rate were also followed. The drugs were injected subcutaneously into conscious unrestrained rabbits for 5 days. On the 6th day homologous 125I-tyramine cellobiose labelled low density lipoprotein (125I-TC-LDL) was injected intravenously and 24 h later the animals were killed. Compared to controls, reserpine significantly increased LDL receptor expression in the liver by about threefold, and reduced total cholesterol in plasma, aorta and heart, without affecting plasma triglycerides. The reductions in plasma cholesterol and heart were due to decreases in both unesterified and esterified cholesterol. Similar effects were observed with oestrogen, except that there was no change in esterified cholesterol in aorta. In liver, a decrease of 24% in total cholesterol was due mainly to decreased esterified cholesterol. In adrenal glands total cholesterol increased by 25%. Reserpine significantly accelerated the plasma clearance of intravenously injected homologous 125I-TC-LDL and reduced its accumulation in aortic wall. Neither reserpine nor oestradiol affected blood pressure, haematocrit or plasma fibrinogen. The results suggest that reserpine is an affective anti-atherogenic drug capable of decreasing cholesterol in plasma, arteries and heart by increasing high affinity LDL receptors in the liver.
Atherosclerosis 2000 Apr
PMID:Effects of reserpine on expression of the LDL receptor in liver and on plasma and tissue lipids, low density lipoprotein and fibrinogen in rabbits in vivo. 1072 76

The effects were determined in rats of single injections of reserpine at increasing doses (0.5, 1.58, and 5.0 mg/kg) on low-density lipoprotein (LDL) and cholesterol in aortic wall, heart, liver, kidney, and adrenal gland. Catecholamine levels in plasma, heart, and liver, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate were also monitored. Reserpine was injected intraperitoneally, followed immediately by the administration of [3H]cholesterol by gavage. Twelve hours later, homologous 125I-tyramine cellobiose-labeled LDL (125I-TC-LDL) was injected intravenously. Twenty-four hours later, the rats were killed, and the radioactivities of aortic walls, heart, liver, kidney, and adrenal glands were determined. The results showed that after reserpine treatment the accumulation of both the 125I-TC label derived from LDL and total [3H]cholesterol was significantly reduced in aortic wall and heart, increased in liver, and unchanged in the kidney and adrenal gland. At higher doses (1.58 and 5.0 mg/kg), reserpine significantly accelerated the plasma clearance of radiolabelled LDL. Plasma noradrenaline in reserpine-treated animals decreased maximally (86%) by 12 h and by 61-71% at 36 h compared with the control. Plasma adrenaline increased transiently after injection of reserpine and then returned to the basal levels. Reserpine greatly decreased noradrenaline and adrenaline levels in heart and liver. Arterial blood pressure was decreased significantly (0.001 < p < 0.05) at 12 h by the two lower doses of reserpine and then returned to normal values over the next 24 h. The results indicate that reserpine decreases LDL cholesterol in artery wall and heart and increases it in liver. These findings suggest that reserpine could find a new use as a cholesterol-lowering drug for the prevention of atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Effect of reserpine treatment on low-density lipoproteins in arterial wall and internal organs of rats. 1081 68