Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0406810 (NAME)
 13,345 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The ability of five agents (dizocilpine [MK-801], 2,3-dihydroxy-6-nitro-7-sulfamoyl-benzo(F)-quinoxaline [NBQX], enadoline [CI-977], L-nitroarginine methyl ester [L-NAME] and BW 1003c87) with well defined, distinct pharmacological profiles and with established anti-ischemic efficacy, to modify neuronal damage has been examined in a simple in vivo model of glutamate excitotoxicity. Cortical lesions were produced in physiologically-monitored halothane-anesthetised rats by reverse dialysis of glutamate. The volume of the lesion was quantified histologically by image analysis of approximately 20 sections taken at 200 microm intervals throughout the lesion. The AMPA and NMDA receptor antagonists (NBQX and MK-801) and the inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (L-NAME) significantly reduced the lesion volume by a similar extent (by approximately 30% from vehicle). Two agents (the kappa opioid agonist, CI-977 and the sodium channel blocker, BW 1003c87) which putatively inhibit the release of endogenous glutamate presynaptically, had dissimilar effects on lesion size. CI-977 failed to alter the amount of damage produced by exogenous glutamate, whereas BW 1003c87 reduced the lesion size by approximately 50%. Using this model, the neuroprotective effects of anti-ischemic drugs can be explored in vivo, uncomplicated in contrast to experimental ischemia by reduced oxygen delivery, drug effects on tissue blood flow and compromised energy generation. In consequence, additional mechanistic insight into anti-ischemic drug action in vivo can be obtained.
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PMID:Pharmacological modification of glutamate neurotoxicity in vivo. 750 85

Veratridine blocks Na(+)-channel inactivation and causes a persistant Na(+)-influx. Exposure of hippocampal slices to 10 microM veratridine led to a failure of synaptic transmission, repetitive spreading depression (SD)-like depolarizations of increasing duration, loss of Ca(+)-homeostasis, a large reduction of membrane potential, spongious edema and metabolic failure. Normalization of the amplitude of the negative DC shift evoked by high K+ ACSF 80 min after veratridine exposure was taken as the primary endpoint for neuroprotection. Compounds whose mechanisms of action includes Na(+)-channel modulation were neuroprotective (IC50-values in microM): tetrodotoxin 0.017, verapamil 1.18, riluzole 1.95, lamotrigine > or = 10, and diphenylhydantoin 16.1. Both NMDA (MK-801 and PH) and non-NMDA (NBQX) excitatory amino acid antagonists were inactive, as were NOS-synthesis inhibitor (nitro-L-arginine and L-NAME) Ca(2+)-channel blockers (cadmium, nimodipine) and a K(+)-channel blocker (TEA). Lubeluzole significantly delayed in time before the slices became epileptic, postponed the first SD-like depolarization, allowed the slices to better recover their membrane potential after a larger number of SD-like DC depolarizations, preserved Ca2+ and energy homeostasis, and prevented the neurotoxic effects of veratridine (IC50-value 0.54 microM). A concentration of lubeluzole, which was 40 x higher than its IC50-value for neuroprotection against veratridine, had no effect on repetitive Na(+)-dependent action potentials induced by depolarizing current in normal ACSF. The ability of lubeluzole to prevent the pathological consequences of excessive Na(+)-influx, without altering normal Na(+)- channel function may be of benefit in stroke.
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PMID:Altered Na(+)-channel function as an in vitro model of the ischemic penumbra: action of lubeluzole and other neuroprotective drugs. 903 12

Central nervous system dysfunction continues to represent significant morbidity and associated mortality in patients undergoing cardiac surgery. Neurological dysfunction is most exaggerated in patients undergoing hypothermic circulatory arrest (HCA). Although surgical techniques, anesthetic management, and postoperative care have significantly improved over the past two decades, the incidence of stroke and other neurocognitive deficits remains problematic. Understanding the mechanisms of cell death associated with HCA may provide information that is germane to all types of cerebral injury involved in cardiac surgery. Using a closed-chest cardiopulmonary bypass model, dogs underwent 2 hours of circulatory arrest at 18 degrees C followed by resuscitation and recovery for 3 days. Animals were assessed functionally by a species-specific behavioral scale, histologically for patterns of selective neuronal necrosis and receptor autoradiography for NMDA glutamate receptor subtype expression. Using a selective NMDA (-glutamate) receptor antagonist (MK801), an AMPA-antagonist (NBQX) and a nonspecific neuroprotectant (GM1-ganglioside), the role of glutamate excitotoxicity in the development of HCA-induced brain injury was documented and validated. Using a similar canine preparation, a microdialysis technique was used to evaluate the role of nitric oxide in neuronal death. Arginine plus oxygen is converted to nitric oxide plus citrulline by the action of nitric oxide synthase. Simultaneous infusion of artificial cerebrospinal fluid containing L-[14C] arginine or L-[14C] arginine and L-NAME (a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor) was performed in contralateral hemispheres. Citrulline recovery in the cerebrospinal fluid, citrulline production in vitro from canine cortical homogenates, and nitric oxide metabolites in the serum were all significantly increased during HCA and reperfusion. These studies demonstrated that neurotoxicity following HCA involves a significant and early induction of neuronal NOS expression and neuronal processes leading to widespread augmented NO production in the brain. Continued research into the pathophysiologic mechanisms involved in cerebral injury will undoubtedly yield a safe and reliable neuroprotectant strategy.
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PMID:Pathophysiology of cerebral injury and future management. 927 60

1. Rats develop tactile allodynia to stimulation of the plantar surface of the hindpaw with von Frey filaments within days of the onset of streptozotocin-induced diabetes. This is prevented by insulin and alleviated by systemic lignocaine, but the aetiology is unknown. 2. Using indwelling lumbar intrathecal catheters to deliver pharmacological agents, we have investigated whether tactile allodynia in streptozotocin-diabetic rats is dependent on mechanisms associated with spinal sensitization, by assessing the efficacy of agents that inhibit specific components of spinal nociceptive processing. 3. Dose-dependent inhibition of tactile allodynia in diabetic rats was noted with the N-type calcium channel antagonist SNX 239, the alpha2-adrenoceptor agonist dexmedetomidine, the mu-opioid receptor agonist morphine, the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist AP5 and the non-NMDA receptor antagonist NBQX. 4. No effect on tactile allodynia was noted after intrathecal administration of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), the cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor ketorolac, the L-type calcium channel inhibitor diltiazem or any vehicle. 5. These data suggest that the tactile allodynia of diabetic rats involves spinal glutamatergic pathways but is not associated with spinal release of nitric oxide or prostaglandins.
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PMID:Spinal pharmacology of tactile allodynia in diabetic rats. 942 Dec 98

Ghrelin is a 28-amino-acid peptide, with an essential n-octanoyl modification at Ser3, that elicits growth-hormone (GH) secretion in rats and humans. At present, the mechanisms of ghrelin action and its interactions with other systems controlling GH secretion remain poorly characterized. In this context, the present study was undertaken to obtain information about ontogeny and possible gender differences in the GH-releasing activity of ghrelin, and to delineate its primary site(s) of action at the hypothalamus and/or pituitary. In addition, the interactions between ghrelin and other relevant signals in the control of GH secretion, such as excitatory amino acids (EAAs), nitric oxide (NO) and serotonin, were assessed. Experiments were carried out in infantile-prepubertal animals, when GH pulsatility is not yet established. Systemic administration of ghrelin (25 nmol/rat, i.p.) to 5-, 10- and 23-day-old male and female rats increased plasma GH levels from day 10 onwards. This action was NO dependent, since it disappeared in 23-day-old males after pretreatment with an inhibitor of NO synthase (NAME). Similarly, central infusion of ghrelin (3 nmol/rat, i.c.v.) elicited GH responses in 10- and 23-day-old animals significantly higher than after systemic administration. By contrast, in vitro challenge of pituitary tissue with increasing doses of ghrelin (10(-9)-10(-7) M) failed to enhance GH release into the incubation medium, whereas stimulation with GH-releasing hormone (GHRH; 10(-7) M) or GHRP-6 (10(-7) M) was effective. Finally, effects of ghrelin were blocked by pretreatment with MK-801 and NBQX antagonists of EAA ionotropic receptors and after manipulation of endogenous serotoninergic tone. In addition, the potent releasing activity of EAA agonists NMDA and AMPA was blunted by pretreatment with D-Lys3-GHRP-6, a selective antagonist of the cognate ghrelin receptor, i.e. the GH-secretagogue receptor. In conclusion, our results demonstrate that GH-releasing activity of ghrelin appears early in the infantile period, is NO dependent and involves a primary hypothalamic site of action. The data also demonstrate for the first time the existence of a cross-talk between ghrelin and other neurotransmitter systems, such as EAAs and serotonin, in precise control of GH secretion.
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PMID:Role of ghrelin in the control of growth hormone secretion in prepubertal rats: interactions with excitatory amino acids. 1262 29

In this work, we investigated the role of nitric oxide (NO) in neurotoxicity triggered by alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methylisoxazole-4-propionate (AMPA) receptor activation in cultured hippocampal neurons. In the presence of cyclothiazide (CTZ), short-term exposures to kainate (KA; 5 and 15 min, followed by 24-h recovery) decreased cell viability. Both NBQX and d-AP-5 decreased the neurotoxicity caused by KA plus CTZ. Long-term exposures to KA plus CTZ (24 h) resulted in increased toxicity. In short-, but not in long-term exposures, the presence of NO synthase (NOS) inhibitors (l-NAME and 7-NI) decreased the toxicity induced by KA plus CTZ. We also found that KA plus CTZ (15-min exposure) significantly increased cGMP levels. Furthermore, short-term exposures lead to decreased intracellular ATP levels, which was prevented by NBQX, d-AP-5 and NOS inhibitors. Immunoblot analysis revealed that KA induced neuronal NOS (nNOS) proteolysis, gradually lowering the levels of nNOS according to the time of exposure. Calpain, but not caspase-3 inhibitors, prevented this effect. Overall, these results show that NO is involved in the neurotoxicity caused by activation of non-desensitizing AMPA receptors, although to a limited extent, since AMPA receptor activation triggers mechanisms that lead to nNOS proteolysis by calpains, preventing a further contribution of NO to the neurotoxic process.
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PMID:Neuronal nitric oxide synthase proteolysis limits the involvement of nitric oxide in kainate-induced neurotoxicity in hippocampal neurons. 1269 5

An organotypic cell culture (OCC) model of the rat hypothalamic paraventricular nucleus (PVN) was established to monitor intracellular calcium levels ([Ca(2+)](i)) of magnocellular neurons in response to glutamate and nitric oxide (NO). The histoarchitectural organization of these cultures was characterized either by immunohistochemical labeling of vasopressin, neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) and the neuronal marker NeuN or by the enzyme histochemical NADPH-diaphorase staining. A distinct NeuN positive cell population in 14-days old OCC's was confirmed as being the PVN by its vasopressin- and nNOS-immunostained neurons as well as by its NADPH-diaphorase labeling. Life cell imaging was performed using the [Ca(2+)](i) sensor Fluo-4 to measure [Ca(2+)](i) transients in response to bath applications of glutamate, high potassium (60 mM), and ATP. The glutamate-induced [Ca(2+)](i) response was mimicked by AMPA but not NMDA in the PVN. NMDA, however, elicited a [Ca(2+)](i) transient in a different area of the OCC that corresponds to the suprachiasmatic nucleus indicating the potential effectiveness of the stimulus. The AMPA-receptor blocker NBQX abolished the glutamate-induced response in the PVN. An inhibition of endogenous NO production by the NOS inhibitor L-NAME decreased the amplitude of AMPA- and glutamate-induced [Ca(2+)](i) rises. Taken together, these data suggest that AMPA mediates the glutamate-induced [Ca(2+)](i) rises within the PVN, where endogenous NO is able to modulate such glutamate signaling in OCC.
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PMID:AMPA receptor-induced intracellular calcium response in the paraventricular nucleus is modulated by nitric oxide: calcium imaging in a hypothalamic organotypic cell culture model. 1644 20

We have reported that l-glutamate (l-glu) microinjections into ventral portion of medial prefrontal cortex (vMPFC) caused tachycardia and blood pressure increase in unanesthetized rats. In the present study, we report the subtype of vMPFC glutamatergic receptor mediating the response as well as the possible involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in these cardiovascular responses. Microinjection of 200nL of l-glu (81nmol) into the vMPFC of unanesthetized rats caused long-lasting pressor and tachycardic responses which were abolished by pretreatment with 4nmol of the specific NMDA receptor antagonist AP7. The response was not affected by 4nmol of the non-NMDA receptor antagonist NBQX. Local pretreatment with 80nmol of the unspecific nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) or 0.08nmol of the specific neuronal NOS (nNOS) inhibitor N(omega)-Propyl-l-arginine (N-Propyl) blocked l-glu effects. Microinjection of the NO donor sodium nitroprusside (SNP: 3, 9, 27 or 81nmol) in the vMPFC caused dose-related long-lasting pressor and tachycardic responses in unanesthetized rats, which were similar to those caused by l-glu. These results suggest that cardiovascular responses evoked by local injection of l-glu into the vMPFC of unanesthetized rats are caused by activation of a local NMDA receptor-NO pathway.
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PMID:Injection of l-glutamate into medial prefrontal cortex induces cardiovascular responses through NMDA receptor - nitric oxide in rat. 1667 63

The bed nucleus of the stria terminalis (BST) plays a tonic role modulating the baroreflex bradycardiac response. In the present study, we verified whether local BST glutamatergic receptors and nitric oxide (NO) system modulate baroreflex bradycardiac responses. Bilateral BST- N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor inhibition by treatment with the selective NMDA receptor antagonist LY235959 increased bradycardiac response to mean arterial pressure increases. Treatment with the selective non-NMDA antagonist NBQX did not affect reflex bradycardia. These results suggest an involvement of local NMDA receptors in the BST-related tonic inhibitory modulation of baroreflex bradycardiac response. BST treatment with the nonselective NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor L-NAME or the selective neuronal NOS (nNOS) inhibitor N(omega)-propyl-L-arginine increased bradycardiac response, indicating that NO generated by nNOS activation modulates baroreflex. The NO involvement was further reinforced by observation that BST treatment with the NO scavenger carboxy-PTIO caused an effect similar to that observed after NMDA receptor blockade or treatment with NOS inhibitors. Additionally, it was observed that LY235959 effects on baroreflex bradycardiac response were reverted by BST treatment with the NO-donor sodium nitroprusside, suggesting an NMDA receptor-NO interaction. Baroreflex bradycardiac responses observed before and after BST treatment with LY235959 or N(omega)-propyl-L-arginine were no longer different when animals were pretreated intravenously with the anticholinergic drug homatropine methyl bromide. These results indicate that parasympathetic activation accounts for the effects observed after BST pharmacological manipulation. In conclusion, our data point out that local NMDA and nNOS interaction mediates the tonic inhibitory influence of the BST on the baroreflex bradycardiac response, modulating the parasympathetic cardiac activity.
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PMID:Bed nucleus of the stria terminalis N-methyl-D-aspartate receptors and nitric oxide modulate the baroreflex cardiac component in unanesthetized rats. 1915 61

In the present study, we investigated the effects of mebudipine and dibudipine, two new Ca(2+) channel blockers, on primary murine cortical neurons exposed to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion. The experiments were performed on cells after 11-16 days of culture. To initiate oxygen-glucose deprivation /reperfusion, the culture medium was replaced by glucose-free medium, and the cells were transferred to a humidified incubation chamber in a mixture of 95% N(2) and 5% CO(2) at 37 degrees C for 30 min. The cultures were pretreated with mebudipine and dibudipine 3 h prior to oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion, in order to explore their effects on neurons under oxygen-glucose deprivation conditions. Cell viability and nitric oxide (NO) production were assessed by MTT assay and the modified Griess method, respectively. Exposure of murine cortical neuronal cells to 30 min oxygen-glucose deprivation significantly decreased cell viability and increased NO production. Pretreatment of the cultures with mebudipine and dibudipine significantly increased cell viability and decreased NO generation in a dose-dependent manner. However, the drugs had no protective effect in cells subjected to oxygen-glucose deprivation for 60 min. Pretreatment of cultures with MK-801 (10 microM), a non-competitive NMDA antagonist, decreased neuronal death after 30-min oxygen-glucose deprivation, while application of NBQX (30 microM), a selective AMPA-kainate receptor antagonist, partially attenuated the cell injury. oxygen-glucose deprivation -induced cytotoxicity and NO production were also inhibited by N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor and MK-801. We conclude that mebudipine and dibudipine could protect cortical neurons against oxygen-glucose deprivation /reperfusion-induced cell injury in a dose-dependent manner, and that this could be mediated partially by decreased NO production.
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PMID:Neuroprotective effects of mebudipine and dibudipine on cerebral oxygen-glucose deprivation/reperfusion injury. 1928 96


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