Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0403608 (ureter)
 9,655 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Electrical and mechanical activities in high-K-induced contracture of guinea pig ureter and taenia coli were studied using the sucrose-gap method. Ureter immersed in high-K solution showed a contracture consisting of three components as well as twitch contractions evoked by a few spikes which were observed during the depolarizing phase. Reapplication of high-K solution after a short washing procedure with normal solution induced a contracture composed of only the first and the third components. No action potential was observed during the course of membrane depolarization by this procedure. High-K-induced contracture was highly sensitive to extracellular Ca: no tension development of the ureter despite the membrane depolarization was observed in Ca-free high-K solution. The addition of Ca to Ca-free high-K solution caused a contracture similar to that by high-K solution in the presence of Ca. Verapamil (10(-5) M) blocked all three components, leaving only slightly depressed twitch contractions initiated by action potentials. The possibility that all of these components of high-K-induced contracture were initiated by influxed Ca from extracellular space was also strengthened.
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PMID:The role of membrane electrical activities and extracellular calcium in high-K-induced contracture of guinea pig ureter. 66 Oct 11

1. The effects of Na-free and K-free solutions, tetraethyl ammonium (TEA), Mn2+, verapamil and ouabain on the electrophysiological properties of the smooth muscle cells of guinea-pig ureter have been studied, using the double sucrose-gap method. 2. TEA (5 mM) increased the amplitude and duration of both the initial spike component and the subsequent plateau of the action potential. The repetitive spike discharge on the plateau was abolished. The amplitude and duration of the phasic contraction was increased. The threshold for excitation was lowered while the resting potential and membrane resistance were unaffected. 3. In Na-free solution the duration of the action potential decreased mainly due to the suppression of the plateau. A similar effect was produced by exposure to K-free solution and also by ouabain. 4. Mn2+ (2 mM) suppressed the spike component and raised the threshold for excitation. The amplitude of the remaining part of the action potential was markedly increased but the contraction was rapidly abolished. The resting potential and membrane resistance were unchanged. When Mn2+ was added to Na-free solution it produced an increase in the amplitude and duration of the remaining part of the action potential but the phasic contraction was abolished. 5. Verapamil did not specifically block the fast component of the action potential but initially increased the amplitude of the spike and shortened the plateau. Subsequently, both the action potential and the phasic contraction became smaller. 6. The observations indicate that the phasic contractions are triggered by the initial spike component of the action potential, whereas the plateau is associated with the amplitude and particularly the duration of the contraction.
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PMID:The effect of sodium-free and potassium-free solutions, ionic current inhibitors and ouabain on electrophysiological properties of smooth muscle of guinea-pig ureter. 84 26

The effects of verapamil, a calcium antagonist agent, were studied on smooth muscle preparations of the lower urinary tract of horses. Verapamil (2 X 10(-4) to 2 X 10(-8) M) relaxed the ureter, urethra and urinary bladder preparations contracted by potassium (127 mM), L-noradrenaline (2 X 10(-5) M), histamine (2 X 10(-5) M) and acetylcholine (2 X 10(-5) M). These results allow the conclusion that verapamil has a dose-dependent relaxing effect on smooth muscle of the lower urinary tract.
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PMID:Effects of verapamil on the smooth muscle of the horse urinary tract. 408 36