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)

Injection of N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an L-arginine analogue and a potent inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, in dorsolateral periaqueductal gray (PAG) area of freely moving rats at doses from 0.1 to 1 mumol per rat, dose-dependently increased arterial blood pressure (BP). Endothelin-1 (ET-1) injected in the same area at doses from 0.1 to 1 pmol per rat also induced pressor effects. Administration of L-NAME (1 mumol per rat) in the PAG area 10 min before ET-1 significantly (p < 0.01) potentiated ET-1-induced hypertension. Pretreatment with L-arginine (1 mumol per rat), precursor of NO, significantly (p < 0.01) decreased L-NAME-induced potentiation of ET-1 pressor effects. L-Arginine also prevented the ET-induced increase in arterial BP and reversed L-NAME-induced hypertensive effect. Prazosin and propranolol, adrenergic blocking agents, and reserpine, a depletor of catecholamine stores, reduced either ET-1 or L-NAME pressor effects. Our data suggest the presence of NO synthase in the PAG area, considered an important cerebral area in coordinating physiologic responses such as cardiovascular and respiratory adjustment. Moreover, our results suggest that even at the PAG area level, functional antagonism exists between NO and ET-1, possibly contributing, through sympathetic outflow, to central regulation of arterial BP.
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PMID:Relation between L-arginine-nitric oxide pathway and endothelin-1 effects in periaqueductal gray area of rats. 789 82

The purposes of this study were to investigate the level of the sympathetic nervous system in which nitric oxide (NO) mediates regional sympathetic vasoconstriction and to determine whether neural mechanisms are involved in vasoconstriction after NO inhibition. Ganglionic blockade (hexamethonium), alpha1-receptor blockade (prazosin), and spinal section at T1 were used to study sympathetic involvement. NO was blocked with Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Regional blood flow in the mesenteric and renal arteries and terminal aorta was monitored by electromagnetic flowmetry in conscious rats. L-NAME (3-5 mg/kg iv) increased arterial pressure and peripheral resistance. Ganglionic blockade (25 mg/kg iv) significantly reduced the increase in resistance in the mesentery and kidney in intact and spinal-sectioned rats. Ganglionic blockade significantly decreased hindquarter resistance in intact rats but not in spinal-sectioned rats. Prazosin (200 micrograms/kg iv) significantly reduced the increased hindquarter resistance. We concluded that NO suppresses sympathetic vasoconstriction in the mesentery and kidney at the spinal level, whereas hindquarter tone is mediated at supraspinal and synaptic levels.
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PMID:Nitric oxide mediates sympathetic vasoconstriction at supraspinal, spinal, and synaptic levels. 1007 75

The effect of chronic inflammation induced by Freund's Complete Adjuvant (FCA) on rat articular blood vessels and knee joint diameter was investigated. Blood flow changes in response to phenylephrine (an 1-adrenoceptor agonist) in FCA-treated and contralateral knee joints were studied over a 40 day period, using the laser Doppler flowmetery (LDF) technique. Unilateral injection of FCA (0.2 ml) increased the injected knee diameter on all days examined post-injection (P < 0.001) and its maximum increase (53 +/- 2 %) was reached on day 3. After this, the diameter decreased gradually but did not return to its initial value. In control animals, topical application of 10-13-10- 7 mol phenylephrine onto the exposed joint capsule decreased blood flow dose dependently (11. 1 +/- 4.4 to 58.2 +/- 4.5 %, respectively, P < 0.001). Unilateral injection with FCA attenuated the phenylephrine response in both ipsilateral and contralateral knees compared with the response of control animals (5.2 +/- 1.6 to 48.3 +/- 6.1 % and 1.9 +/- 2.2 to 45. 3 +/- 5.6 %, respectively, P < 0.05). The reduction persisted for 3 weeks after FCA injection (ipsilateral for 21 days; contralateral for 30 days, P < 0.001). Subsequently the response returned towards normal. To avoid the influence of 2-adrenoceptors, yohimbine (an 2-adrenoceptor antagonist) was injected (0.5 mg kg-1, I.P.) 30 min before phenylephrine application. Yohimbine blocked the vasoconstrictor effect of 10-10-10-7 mol clonidine (an 2-adrenoceptor agonist, topical application) by 44-67.7 % inhibition, respectively (P < 0.001). Prazosin (an 1-adrenoceptor antagonist, 0.1 mg kg-1, I.P.) blocked the vasoconstrictor effect of phenylephrine (10-10-10-7 mol, topical application) effectively (42 to 69.8 % inhibition, respectively, P < 0.001). To assess the role of nitric oxide (NO) on the observed responses, N G-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, NO synthase inhibitor) was applied topically (0.2 micromol) 5 min before phenylephrine application. L-NAME application at 7 and 14 days after FCA injection potentiated the vasoconstrictor response in the FCA-treated knee (P < 0.001) but had no significant effect on the contralateral knee. Blood pressure monitoring during phenylephrine, clonidine and L-NAME administration indicated that topical application of the drugs had no significant effect on the systemic blood pressure. These findings indicate that the vasoconstrictor response to phenylephrine was decreased in chronic inflammation and increased NO production could be involved.
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PMID:Decreased response of rat knee joint blood vessels to phenylephrine in chronic inflammation: involvement of nitric oxide. 1066 92

The contribution of NO-cGMP dependent pathway to phentolamine mesylate-evoked nonadrenergic, noncholinergic relaxation of rabbit corpus cavernosum was investigated in vitro. Stimulation of nonadrenergic, noncholinergic neurons of the rabbit corpus cavernosum elicited frequency-related relaxation that was significantly attenuated by L-NAME (NO synthase inhibitor) or ODQ (an inhibitor of guanylate cyclase). Moreover, tetrodotoxin, a sodium channel blocker, abolished the electrical field stimulation-induced relaxation of rabbit corpus cavernosum, suggesting that neuronal release of NO mediates relaxation to electrical field stimulation. Phentolamine mesylate (30 and 100 nM) dose-dependently enhanced electrical field stimulation-induced relaxation of the rabbit corpus cavernosum. Prazosin (30 microM) and yohimbine (30 microM) failed to affect phentolamine mesylate-mediated nonadrenergic, noncholinergic rabbit penile smooth muscle relaxation, suggesting that phentolamine relaxes rabbit corpus cavernosum independent of alpha-adrenergic receptor blockade. In contrast, pretreatment of the rabbit cavernosal strips with L-NAME significantly-attenuated electrical field stimulation produced relaxations to phentolamine mesylate, suggesting that phentolamine mesylate relaxes rabbit corpus cavernosum by activating NO synthase. The data suggest that phentolamine mesylate relaxes nonadrenergic noncholinergic neurons of the rabbit corpus cavernosum by activating NO synthase and is independent of alpha-adrenergic receptor blockade.
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PMID:Phentolamine mesylate relaxes rabbit corpus cavernosum by a nonadrenergic, noncholinergic mechanism. 1146 7

The renin-angiotensin (RAS) and the alpha1 sympathetic nervous system (SNS) interact at different levels in cardiovascular regulation. Concurrent use of angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors and alpha1 receptor antagonists result in a synergistic antihypertensive action and is of wide utility in cardiovascular therapy. We examined the impact of concurrent inhibition of RAS (captopril or losartan) and the SNS (prazosin) before and after acute nitric oxide (NO) synthase inhibition with L-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on renal cortical perfusion (RCF) and blood pressure (MAP) in healthy and acute ischemic renal failure (ARF) rats (n = 6). Captopril or losartan reduced MAP and increased RCF more in healthy (p < 0.001) and ARF rats (p < 0.02). Prazosin alone reduced both MAP and RCF (p < 0.001). The combination of prazosin with captopril or losartan caused an additive fall in MAP, and mitigated the fall in RCF. Captopril + prazosin caused a profound fall in RCF following L-NAME, in healthy but not ARF rats (p < 0.001). Acetylcholine (Ach), a vasodilator which stimulates endogenous NO production caused a profound paradoxical fall in RCF in ARF, but not in healthy rats (p < 0.001 ANOVA). These results indicate a significant interaction between angiotensin II and phenylephrine in renal vasomotion. It establishes that endogenous NO homeostatically opposes angiotensin II-alpha1-mediated renal vasoconstriction, and that the vasodilator role of NO is diminished in ARF. The paradoxical fall in RCF induced by Ach in ARF is speculated to result, at least in part, from the formation of peroxynitrite (ONOO-), which acts as a renal vasoconstrictor, following the combination of ischemia-generated super oxide anion (O-2), with endothelial NO released by Ach.
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PMID:Interactions of the renin-angiotensin system and alpha-1 adrenoceptors on renal hemodynamics in healthy and acute renal failure rats: the role of nitric oxide. 1180 63

The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of high concentrations of KCl in releasing noradrenaline from sympathetic nerves and its actions on postsynaptic alpha-adrenoceptors. We measured the isotonic contractions induced by KCl in the isolated rat anococcygeus muscle under different experimental conditions. The contractile responses induced by KCl were inhibited by alpha-adrenoceptor antagonists in 2.5 mM Ca2+ solution. Prazosin reduced the maximum effect from 100 to 53.9 +/- 10.2% (P<0.05) while the pD2 values were not changed. The contractile responses induced by KCl were abolished by prazosin in Ca2+-free solution (P<0.05). Treatment of the rats with reserpine reduced the maximum effect induced by KCl as compared to the contractile responses induced by acetylcholine from 339.5 +/- 157.8 to 167.3 +/- 65.5% (P<0.05), and increased the pD2 from 1.57 +/- 0.01 to 1.65 +/- 0.006 (P<0.05), but abolished the inhibitory effect of prazosin (P<0.05). In contrast, L-NAME increased the contractile responses induced by 120 mM KCl by 6.2 +/- 2.3% (P<0.05), indicating that KCl could stimulate the neurons that release nitric oxide, an inhibitory component of the contractile response induced by KCl. Our results indicate that high concentrations of KCl induce the release of noradrenaline from noradrenergic neurons, which interacts with alpha1-adrenoceptors in smooth muscle cells, producing a contractile response in 2.5 mM Ca2+ (100%) and in Ca2+-free solution, part of which is due to a direct effect of KCl on the rat anococcygeus muscle.
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PMID:High concentrations of KCl release noradrenaline from noradrenergic neurons in the rat anococcygeus muscle. 1253 32

The increase of wall shear stress in capillaries by oral administration of the alpha1-adrenergic receptor antagonist prazosin induces angiogenesis in skeletal muscles. Because endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is upregulated in response to elevated wall shear stress, we investigated the relevance of eNOS for prazosin-induced angiogenesis in skeletal muscles. Prazosin and/or the NOS inhibitor Nomega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) were given to C57BL/6 wild-type mice and eNOS-knockout mice for 14 days. The capillary-to-fiber (C/F) ratio and capillary density (CD; no. of capillaries/mm2) were determined in frozen sections from extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles of these mice. Immunoblotting was performed to quantify eNOS expression in endothelial cells isolated from skeletal muscles, whereas VEGF (after precipitation with heparin-agarose) and neuronal NOS (nNOS) concentrations were determined in EDL solubilizates. In EDL muscles of C57BL/6 mice treated for 14 days, the C/F ratio was 28% higher after prazosin administration and 11% higher after prazosin and L-NAME feeding, whereas the CD increased by 21 and 13%, respectively. The C/F ratio was highest after day 4 of prazosin treatment and decreased gradually to almost constant values after day 8. Prazosin administration led to elevation of eNOS expression. VEGF levels were lowest at day 4, whereas nNOS values decreased after day 8. In EDL muscles of eNOS-knockout mice, no significant changes in C/F ratio, CD, or VEGF and nNOS expression were observed in response to prazosin administration. Our data suggest that the presence of eNOS is essential for prazosin-induced angiogenesis in skeletal muscle, albeit other signaling molecules might partially compensate for or contribute to this angiogenic activity. Furthermore, subsequent remodeling of the capillary system accompanied by sequential downregulation of VEGF and nNOS in skeletal muscle fibers characterizes shear stress-dependent angiogenesis.
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PMID:Endothelial NOS is main mediator for shear stress-dependent angiogenesis in skeletal muscle after prazosin administration. 1523 96

The aims of the present study were to investigate the pharmacological effects induced by Tityus serrulatus venom (TsV) and its fractions and to compare with the effects induced by pure alpha (TsTX-V) and beta (TsTX-I) toxins isolated from TsV on rat retractor penis muscle (RPM). TsV, fractions X, XI, XIIa, XIIb (0.01-100 microg/ml) and TsTX-V (1 nmol/l-10 micromol/l) induced concentration-dependent contractions. Prazosin and guanethidine or tetrodotoxin (TTX, 5 micromol/l, 30 min) completely abolished these contractions, suggesting complete dependence on sympathetic nerves. TsV or fractions X, XI, XIIa, XIIb (0.01- 100 microg/ml), TsTX-I and TsTX-V (1 nmol/l-10 micromol/l) induced concentration-dependent relaxations in the precontracted RPM. TTX or N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 100 micromol/l, 30 min) completely abolished the relaxations. Our results suggest that most of TsV-derivated toxins induce contraction and relaxation on RPM by sympathetic and NANC nitrergic nerve stimulation. Noteworthy, TsTX-I only induces relaxation on RPM suggesting that this protein selectively acts on inhibitory nerves.
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PMID:Effects induced by Tityus serrulatus scorpion venom and its toxins TsTX-I and TsTX-V on the rat isolated retractor penis muscle. 1560 40

The role of adrenergic receptors in the reflex diuresis in response to pulmonary lymphatic drainage was examined in anaesthetized, artificially ventilated New Zealand White rabbits. Pulmonary lymphatic drainage was obstructed by raising the pressure in a pouch created from the right external jugular vein. This pulmonary lymphatic obstruction results in a reflex increase in urine flow and sodium excretion. This reflex is abolished by renal denervation and by administration of L-NAME, a non-selective inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase. Also, infusion of the relatively selective neuronal nitric oxide synthase blocker, 7-nitroindazole sodium salt, into the renal medulla abolished the reflex diuresis. In this study the effects of adrenergic receptor antagonists on the reflex increase in urine were observed. Both ureters were cannulated in order to determine urine flow from both kidneys separately. Prazosin, an alpha1 adrenergic receptor antagonist, was infused into the renal medulla of the right kidney, while the left kidney acted as control. Administration of prazosin in this manner did not block the reflex diuresis in response to pulmonary lymphatic obstruction in either kidney. However, rauwolscine, an alpha2 adrenergic receptor antagonist, abolished the reflex increase in urine and sodium excretion in the ipsilateral kidney while preserving it in the contralateral kidney. These findings suggest that the increase in urine flow in rabbits caused by pulmonary lymphatic obstruction is dependent upon activation of alpha2 adrenergic receptors within the renal medulla.
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PMID:Role of adrenergic receptors in the reflex diuresis in rabbits during pulmonary lymphatic obstruction. 1565 15

In cirrhosis, despite augmented blood volume, effective circulating volume is decreased. This implies abnormal regulation of blood volume, i.e., venous pooling. Because gut veins are the main blood reservoir, we studied mesenteric venous capacitance and compliance in a rat model of cirrhosis. Cirrhosis was induced by bile duct ligation (4 wk). Controls were sham operated. Changes in first-order mesenteric vein diameters induced by drugs, hemorrhage, and stepwise increases in portal pressure (inflatable cuff) were directly observed by intravital microscopy. Effects of nitric oxide on responses to acute graded hemorrhage were studied by use of selective NO synthase (NOS) isoform inhibitors. Pressures were related to diameters to assess capacitance and compliance. Compared with controls, cirrhotic rats demonstrated increased mesenteric venous capacitance and decreased compliance. Norepinephrine induced venoconstriction but did not affect compliance. Prazosin markedly diminished compliance in controls but not cirrhotics. Conversely, the nonspecific NOS inhibitor N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) decreased compliance in cirrhotics, but not controls. Tetrodotoxin venodilated controls, venoconstricted cirrhotics, and markedly decreased compliance in both groups. When hemorrhaged, controls rapidly venoconstricted to compensate for initial hypotension, whereas cirrhotic rats remained hypotensive because venoconstriction was severely blunted. Pretreatment with l-NAME or the selective neuronal NOS inhibitors S-methyl-l-thiocitrulline and 7-nitroindazole normalized the homeostatic responses of cirrhotic rats, whereas the selective endothelial-constitutive NOS inhibitor N-iminoethyl-l-ornithine did not affect the response. In conclusion, mesenteric veins of cirrhotic rats showed enhanced capacitance, attenuated compensatory constrictive response to hemorrhage, and decreased compliance. The first two abnormalities were caused by neuronal NOS-derived nitric oxide.
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PMID:Altered mesenteric venous capacitance and volume pooling in cirrhotic rats are mediated by nitric oxide. 1855 20


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