Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0243026 (sepsis)
52,417 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

It has been suggested that inhibitors of nitric oxide synthesis are of value in the treatment of hypotension during sepsis. In this pilot study, we examined the effects of inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis by continuous infusion of N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) at 1.5 mg/kg/h in a patient with severe septic shock. L-NAME produced a rise in mean arterial blood pressure and systemic vascular resistance; catecholamine infusion could be reduced. Parallel to these findings, there was a 50% reduction in cardiac output and a 5-fold rise in pulmonary vascular resistance, which resulted in severe pulmonary hypertension after 3 h of L-NAME infusion, for which the infusion had to be stopped. Following the termination of L-NAME infusion, pulmonary artery pressure and blood pressure returned to baseline values, although pulmonary and systemic vascular resistance remained elevated for several hours. We conclude that nitric oxide appears to play a role in the cardiovascular derangements during human sepsis. Inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis with L-NAME can increase blood pressure and systemic vascular resistance. However, reduced cardiac output and pulmonary hypertension are possible side effects of continuous NO synthase inhibition. These side effects necessitate careful monitoring and may hinder the clinical application of NO synthase inhibitors.
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PMID:Pulmonary hypertension and reduced cardiac output during inhibition of nitric oxide synthesis in human septic shock. 964 98

The vasodilator nitric oxide (NO) is involved in the regulation of systemic blood pressure and local organ blood flow. Inhibitors of the constitutively expressed nitric oxide synthase in endothelial cells (eNOS), e.g., Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME), aggravated liver injury in a variety of models. On the other hand, inhibitors of the inducible NOS (iNOS), e.g., 2-aminoethyl-isothiourea (AET), were found to be beneficial during endotoxemia. The aim of this investigation was to study the effect of AET compared with L-NAME on liver microvascular blood flow and injury in more complex models with multiple insults, i.e., ischemia (20 min)-reperfusion (8 h) in combination with .5 mg/kg endotoxin (IRE). Male Fisher rats were treated with 10 mg/kg AET or L-NAME and subjected to IRE. At 8 h, liver injury (plasma ALT: 1320+/-164 U/L) was significantly increased in AET-treated (5,018+/-1,379 U/L) and L-NAME-treated groups (2,429+/-228 U/L). Each inhibitor attenuated microvascular blood flow (assessed by laser Doppler flowmetry) to a similar degree. In striking contrast, AET completely reversed the endotoxin-induced impairment of the microvascular blood flow and significantly protected against an endotoxin-induced liver injury (plasma ALT: 3,007+/-268 U/L (ET); 460+/-39 U/L (ET+AET)). Infusion of endothelin-1 reduced microvascular blood flow by 50-60% and caused liver injury. Our data demonstrated that an inhibitor of eNOS (L-NAME) has a consistent detrimental effect on liver injury during ischemia-reperfusion and endotoxemia mainly because it can cause additional ischemia by reducing the microvascular blood flow. However, selective inhibitors of iNOS (AET) can impair hepatic blood flow and aggravate the injury or improve blood flow and attenuate organ injury depending on the experimental model. These results suggest that iNOS inhibitors may not be universally beneficial and should be tested in a variety of experimental models of sepsis/endotoxemia before used in clinical settings.
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PMID:Differential effect of 2-aminoethyl-isothiourea, an inhibitor of the inducible nitric oxide synthase, on microvascular blood flow and organ injury in models of hepatic ischemia-reperfusion and endotoxemia. 968 86

Excess production of nitric oxide contributes to the refractory hypotension associated with sepsis and is dependent upon precursor availability, L-arginine. Endothelial uptake of L-arginine by the y+ transporter can be inhibited by another cationic amino acid, L-lysine. This study was undertaken to determine the effects of L-lysine in an anaesthetized ovine model of endotoxaemia in which nitric oxide production is known to be limited by L-arginine availability. The haemodynamic effects of i.v. L-lysine (500 mg kg-1) were compared with those of a known inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, NG-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester, L-NAME (25 mg kg-1) and with control animals (n = 6 per group). Serum nitrates, the stable end metabolite of nitric oxide production, were also measured. L-NAME administration caused a significant increase in systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance (P < 0.0001), mean arterial pressure (P < 0.0001) and a reduction in serum nitrate concentrations (P < 0.0001). The administration of L-lysine had no effect on systemic or pulmonary vascular resistance, mean arterial pressure or serum nitrate concentrations. We conclude that the administration of L-lysine does not inhibit nitric oxide production in this model.
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PMID:Effect of L-lysine on nitric oxide production in ovine endotoxaemia. 981 21

To study whether a sepsis-induced increase in des-Arg9-bradykinin (des-Arg9-BK) and bradykinin (BK) B1-receptor activity participates in the observed increase in pulmonary vascular resistance in neonatal group B streptococcal sepsis (GBS), isometric force bioassays of pulmonary artery (PA) rings were studied, after 4-h exposure to either Krebs or GBS, by using the following protocols: 1) BK dose-response curve, 2) vascular response to BK with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), and 3) response to des-Arg9-BK (BK metabolite and B1 agonist). PA rings exposed to BK resulted in contraction in the GBS group and a decrease in resting tension in the Control group (P = 0.034) at a concentration of 10(-5) M. GBS-treated PA rings contracted more to des-Arg9-BK than did Controls (P < 0.001). BK (10(-6) M) relaxed preconstricted PA rings incubated in GBS less than BK relaxed Controls (P < 0.001), and preincubation with L-NAME decreased relaxation in both. These results suggest that GBS decreased endothelium-dependent BK relaxation and increased contractile response to des-Arg9-BK. We speculate that this occurs secondary to upregulation of B1 receptors reflected by B1-agonist-mediated PA contraction.
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PMID:Influence of group B streptococci on piglet pulmonary artery response to bradykinin. 988 13

Experimental sepsis induces disturbances in microcirculatory flow and nutrient exchange that may result in impaired tissue oxygenation. Volume resuscitation is a principal clinical intervention in patients with sepsis. Nitric oxide (NO) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of endotoxemia, but few data exist concerning the effects of either NO synthase inhibition (NOSi) or volume resuscitation on microvascular regulation and tissue oxygenation. Amperometric measurements were made of skeletal muscle (tissue) oxygen tension (PtO2) and its response to changes in fraction of inspired oxygen (FIO2) in rats rendered endotoxemic. Simultaneous measurements were made of systemic hemodynamic indices and arterial blood gas tensions. At normal PaO2, PtO2 in endotoxemic animals was significantly lower than in control animals, with marked attenuation of the response to increasing FIO2. These changes were associated with significant metabolic acidemia. In volume-resuscitated endotoxemic rats, PtO2 and blood pH were unchanged. A significant reduction in the PtO2 response to hyperoxia was observed in animals treated with the NOS inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an effect not reversed by fluid resuscitation. These data suggest that significant tissue hypoxia and abnormal microvascular control occur in endotoxemia. Volume resuscitation can reverse the changes in PtO2, whereas nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibition has deleterious effects on muscle PtO2 in both control and endotoxemic animals.
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PMID:Abnormal tissue oxygenation and cardiovascular changes in endotoxemia. 1035 8

Since there is increasing evidence indicating nitric oxide [NO] would play a role in sepsis, we decided to investigate whether this multifaceted mediator is directly implicated in the process of bacterial translocation. A total of 48 rats received intraperitoneal either Zymosan A (group Z) for systemic inflammation production or sodium chloride solution (controls); they were then further subdivided into three groups of eight animals each, being given, through the tail vein: L-NAME (N-nitro-L-arginine] for inhibition of NO production; SNP (sodium nitroprusside) as NO donor; or sodium chloride as control. After 2 h, the mesenteric lymph node complex was excised, under sterile conditions, and, using standard bacteriological techniques, bacterial translocation was assessed as colony forming units per gram of tissue (CFU/g). Statistical evaluation of the bacteriological data revealed a significant increase of bacterial translocation in all rats subjected to systemic inflammation (group Z) versus controls (P = 0.01) Control rats that were subjected to L-NAME treatment exhibited a statistically significant increase (P = 0.001) in CFU/g compared to sodium chloride treated rats, while SNP treatment revealed no difference in relation to sodium chloride treated rats. Group Z rats, subjected to L-NAME treatment, similarly exhibited a statistically significant increase (P = 0.01) in CFU/g compared to sodium chloride treated rats, while SNP treatment led to a statistical increase of bacterial translocation in relation to sodium chloride treated rats (P = 0.05). The results of this study lead us to suggest that NO appears to participate in the process of bacterial translocation.
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PMID:The implication of nitric oxide in the process of bacterial translocation. 1081 26

Sepsis is characterized by increased microvascular permeability and regional variations in capillary perfusion, which may be modulated by nitric oxide (NO) and reversed by fluid resuscitation (FR). The effects of saline FR and NO synthase blockade [by N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME)] on microvascular albumin transport and perfused capillary density were assessed in anaesthetized Wistar rats with acute normodynamic endotoxaemia. Separate dual-isotope techniques were employed to measure the permeability index (PI(A)) and the permeabilityxsurface area product index (PI(B)), which provide different and complementary information regarding blood-tissue albumin exchange. PI(A) represents the tissue/blood distribution volume ratio of albumin. PI(B) is a composite measure of endothelial permeability and the vascular surface area available for albumin exchange, and therefore takes into account the effect of altered blood volume. Capillary density was quantified by fluorescence microscopy following circulation of Evans Blue-labelled albumin. Compared with controls, PI(A) was reduced significantly in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-treated animals in skeletal muscle and skin, probably due to blood volume redistribution rather than to changes in permeability. PI(B) was increased significantly in LPS-treated animals in the kidney, mesentery, skeletal muscle, skin and lung, and in the small bowel following FR. FR also improved the LPS-induced metabolic base deficit, but did not alter capillary density. L-NAME significantly attenuated the LPS-induced rise in PI(B) in the lung. In conclusion, acute endotoxaemia induces tissue-dependent variations in microvascular albumin exchange. FR improves acid-base disturbance in endotoxaemia, through mechanisms other than microvascular recruitment. NO appears to increase microvascular permeability in endotoxaemia, an effect that may be attenuated by L-NAME, particularly in the lung.
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PMID:Regional transcapillary albumin exchange in rodent endotoxaemia: effects of fluid resuscitation and inhibition of nitric oxide synthase. 1111 22

Recent studies indicate that sepsis is associated with enhanced generation of several free radical species (nitric oxide, superoxide, hydrogen peroxide) in skeletal muscle. While studies suggest that free radical generation causes uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation in sepsis, no previous report has examined the role of free radicals in modulating skeletal muscle oxygen consumption during State 3 respiration or inhibiting the electron transport chain in sepsis. The purpose of the present study was to examine the effects of endotoxin-induced sepsis on State 3 diaphragm mitochondrial oxygen utilization and to determine if inhibitors/scavengers of various free radical species would protect against these effects. We also examined mitochondrial protein electrophoretic patterns to determine if observed endotoxin-related physiological derangements were accompanied by overt alterations in protein composition. Studies were performed on: (a) control animals, (b) endotoxin-treated animals, (c) animals given endotoxin plus PEG-SOD, a superoxide scavenger, (d) animals given endotoxin plus L-NAME, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, (e) animals given only PEG-SOD or L-NAME, (f) animals given endotoxin plus D-NAME, and (g) animals given endotoxin plus denatured PEG-SOD. We found: (a) no alteration in maximal State 3 mitochondrial oxygen consumption rate at 24 h after endotoxin administration, but (b) a significant reduction in oxygen consumption rate at 48 h after endotoxin, (c) no effect of endotoxin to induce uncoupling of oxidative phosphorylation, (d) either PEG-SOD or L-NAME (but neither denatured PEG-SOD nor D-NAME) prevented endotoxin-mediated reductions in State 3 respiration rates, (e) some mitochondrial proteins underwent tyrosine nitrosylation at 24 h after endotoxin administration, and (f) SDS-page electrophoresis of mitochondria from endotoxin-treated animals revealed a selective depletion of several proteins at 48 h after endotoxin administration (but not at 24 h); (g) administration of L-NAME or PEG-SOD prevented this protein depletion. These data provide the first evidence that endotoxin-induced reductions in State 3 mitochondrial oxygen consumption are free radical-mediated.
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PMID:Free radicals alter maximal diaphragmatic mitochondrial oxygen consumption in endotoxin-induced sepsis. 1113 3

Recent studies have indicated that sepsis is associated with enhanced generation of several free-radical species (nitric oxide [NO], superoxide, hydrogen peroxide) in skeletal muscle. It is also known that this enhanced free-radical generation results in reductions in skeletal muscle force-generating capacity, but the precise mechanism(s) by which free radicals exert this effect in sepsis has not been determined. We postulated that free radicals might react directly with the contractile proteins in this condition, altering contractile protein force-generating capacity. To test this theory, we compared the force generation of single Triton-skinned diaphragmatic fibers (Triton skinning exposes the contractile apparatus, permitting direct assessment of contractile protein function) from the following groups of rats: (1) control animals; (2) endotoxin-treated animal; (3) animals given endotoxin plus polyethylene glycol- superoxide dismutase (PEG-SOD), a superoxide scavenger; (4) animals given endotoxin plus N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME), a NO synthase inhibitor; (5 ) animals given only PEG-SOD or L-NAME; and (6 ) animals given endotoxin plus denatured PEG-SOD. We found that endotoxin administration produced both a reduction in the maximum force-generating capacity (Fmax) (i.e., a decrease in Fmax) of muscle fibers and a reduction in fiber calcium sensitivity (i.e., an increase in the Ca2+ concentration required to produce half-maximal activation [Ca50]). L-NAME and PEG-SOD administration preserved Fmax and Ca50 in endotoxin-treated animals; neither drug affected these parameters in non-endotoxin treated animals. Denatured PEG-SOD failed to inhibit endotoxin-related alterations in contractile protein function. Sodium dodecyl sulfate polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis of skinned fibers from endotoxin-treated animals revealed a selective depletion of several proteins; administration of L-NAME or PEG-SOD to endotoxin-treated animals prevented this protein depletion, paralleling the effect of these two agents to prevent a reduction in contractile protein force-generating capacity. These data indicate that free radicals (superoxide, NO, or daughter species of these radicals) play a central role in altering skeletal muscle contractile protein force-generating capacity in endotoxin-induced sepsis.
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PMID:Free radical-induced contractile protein dysfunction in endotoxin-induced sepsis. 1115 56

Tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), a crucial mediator in sepsis, elicits multiple biologic effects, including intravascular thrombosis and circulatory shock. TNF-alpha exerts its biologic effects through two distinct cell surface receptors, TNF-R1 and TNF-R2. The pathophysiologic interaction between TNF-alpha and nitric oxide (NO) in glomerular thrombosis caused by endotoxemia in rats and wild-type mice (C57BL6) as well as in knockout mice that are deficient in TNF-R1 (R1 -/-), TNF-R2 (R2 -/-), or both receptors (R1R2 -/-) was studied. Administration of lipopolysaccharide (LPS; Escherichia coli endotoxin) resulted in increased NO and TNF-alpha production but failed to induce glomerular thrombosis. Concomitant administration of LPS + NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; an NO synthesis inhibitor) resulted in glomerular thrombosis in rats and in wild-type mice. Intraperitoneal administration of pentoxifylline before LPS inhibited TNF-alpha synthesis and prevented glomerular thrombosis in rats given LPS + L-NAME. In contrast to the results observed in rats and wild-type mice, administration of LPS + L-NAME did not result in glomerular thrombosis in knockout mice with either single or double TNF-alpha receptor deletion. Thus, during endotoxemia, (1) TNF-alpha fosters glomerular thrombosis if there is deficiency of NO synthesis and (2) both TNF-alpha receptors are necessary for TNF-alpha's prothrombogenic action. Clinically, these novel studies suggest that in gram-negative endotoxemia, inhibition of NO synthesis and selective blockade of TNF-alpha receptors may provide unique therapeutic approaches for mitigation of glomerular thrombosis and restitution of vascular tone.
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PMID:Countervailing influence of tumor necrosis factor-alpha and nitric oxide in endotoxemia. 1137 43


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