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)

Single-dose LD10S and LD50S were determined in male, Fischer-344 rats for acrylamide monomer, arsenic trioxide, chlordecone, lead acetate, methylmercury hydroxide, monosodium salicylate, tetraethyl tin, and triethyl lead chloride. Proportions of the single-dose LD10S were used in a subacute study to estimate the 28-day LD20S for each chemical. Proportions of the 28-day LD20S were used in a subchronic (105 days of dosing) study to determine the effectiveness of a battery of neurobehavioral tests for detecting and characterizing the neurotoxic effects of each chemical. The battery consisted of undifferentiated motor activity, forelimb and hindlimb grip strengths, rotation orientation, thermal sensitivity, startle responsiveness to acoustic and air-puff stimuli, and performance of a multisensory conditioned pole-climb avoidance response task; body weight and rectal temperature were also monitored. The battery of tests was administered on eight occasions, that is, before, at three-week intervals during dosing (PO or IP, five days each week for 15 weeks), and at three and six weeks after dosing. Normative data (controls from each experiment) indicated fair overall stability of the measures over the eight test sessions, but experiment-to-experiment variability in this regard was clearly evident. The inherent statistical sensitivity of the tests varied greatly as estimated by their coefficients of variation, which ranged from 1% (rectal temperature) to over 100% (rotation orientation). Intercorrelations among the various measures were low to moderate indicating relatively little redundancy. The various measures were differentially affected by the eight chemicals: body weight by all eight; rectal temperature by one; undifferentiated motor activity by three; forelimb grip strength by two; hindlimb grip strength by four; rotation orientation by one; thermal sensitivity by one; startle responsiveness by three; and CAR performance by five. A profile analysis using the slopes of the dose-response functions after 15 weeks of dosing indicated clearly different patterns of effect among the eight chemicals. A composite score derived from a multidimensional analysis of the data suggested that the eight chemicals could be ranked from most to least neurotoxic as defined by these tests as acrylamide greater than methylmercury greater than chlordecone greater than tetraethyl tin greater than triethyl lead greater than lead acetate greater than arsenic greater than monosodium salicylate. This ranking and the results in general are in good agreement with what is known about these chemicals from other experiments with animals and from human experience. This battery of tests, or subsets thereof, may therefore have utility in the assessment of the potential neurobehavioral toxicity of various chemicals.
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PMID:Assessment of chemicals using a battery of neurobehavioral tests: a comparative study. 619 97

Nitric oxide (NO), a gaseous mediator that accounts for the biological activity of endothelium-derived relaxing factor, has been shown to play an important role in the reduction of basal vascular tone in multiple vascular beds, including the hepatic circulation. On the other hand, recent studies have provided first evidence that endogenously generated carbon monoxide (CO) may exert vasodilatory effects in the hepatic portal vein and within sinusoids. Thus, we defined the differential role of NO and CO in the regulation of vascular resistance in the two inflows to the liver in the normal rat in vivo. Male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized with pentobarbital sodium and surgically instrumented in order to study the change in hepatic arterial (Rha) and portal venous vascular resistance (Rpv) in response to intravenous bolus administration of either the NO-synthase inhibitor N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (1 mg/kg; n = 7 animals) or of tin protoporphyrin-IX (SnPP-IX) (50 micromol/kg), a specific inhibitor of the CO-generating enzyme heme oxygenase (n = 8 animals). While L-NAME caused a substantial increase in Rha, Rpv increased only slightly under these conditions. In sharp contrast, SnPP-IX did not affect Rha, but caused a profound increase in Rpv. In conclusion, Rha and Rpv are differentially regulated by NO and CO in the normal rat liver in vivo, i.e., NO serves as a potent vasodilator in the hepatic arterial circulation, but exerts only a minor vasodilatory effect in the portal venous vascular bed. In contrast, while there is no intrinsic CO-mediated vasodilation in the hepatic artery, CO acts to maintain portal venous vascular tone in a relaxed state.
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PMID:Differential regulation of hepatic arterial and portal venous vascular resistance by nitric oxide and carbon monoxide in rats. 962 1

We determined whether the gas carbon monoxide (CO) altered the adrenocorticotropin hormone (ACTH) response to mild inescapable electrofootshocks, and whether it interacted with nitric oxide (NO). Peripheral injection of the NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor Nwnitro-L-arginine-methylester (L-NAME), a compound which readily crosses the blood-brain barrier, produced the expected blunting of the ACTH response to the shocks. This effect was mimicked by other arginine analogues such as L-nitroarginine (L-NNA) and NG-methyl-L-arginine (NMMA). The subcutaneous (s.c.) administration of the heme oxygenase (HO) blockers tin mesoporphyrin (SnMP) or tin protoporphyrin (SnPP) significantly decreased brain HO levels, indicating that both compounds had penetrated the brain. Blood pressure showed a modest increase in response to SnMP, and no change after SnPP. SnMP and SnPP both decreased shock-induced ACTH release, though the magnitude of this effect was slightly less than that of L-NAME. The influence of SnPP was further augmented in rats with concomitant blockade of NO formation, which suggests that both NO and CO are necessary for the full response of this axis to electrofootshocks. Finally, the ability of SnPP to significantly blunt the expression of the mRNA for the immediate early gene NGFI-B in the paraventricular nucleus (PVN) of rats exposed to shocks, indicates that the influence of CO was exerted on hypothalamic neuronal activity. Collectively, our results show that NO and CO exert a stimulatory effect on the HPA axis response to mild electrofootshocks, and that at least part of this influence takes place on hypothalamic neurons and/or their afferents.
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PMID:Influence of carbon monoxide, and its interaction with nitric oxide, on the adrenocorticotropin hormone response of the normal rat to a physico-emotional stress. 979 31

We tested the hypothesis that nitric oxide and carbon monoxide, which are produced in the brain by nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and heme oxygenase (HO), modulate the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response to physico-emotional stressors by acting at the hypothalamus. Accordingly, we determined 1) whether the intracerebroventricular (icv) injection of NOS or HO inhibitors at doses that were confined to the brain attenuated electroshock-induced ACTH release; and 2) whether the decreases in this ACTH response were concurrent with decreases in NOS or HO activity levels at the hypothalamus. Icv injection of the NOS inhibitor Nomega-nitro-L-arginine-methylester (L-NAME; 50 microg) or the HO inhibitor tin protoporphyrin (SnPP; 20-25 microg) significantly blunted the plasma ACTH response to a 45-min session of intermittent electroshocks. Importantly, in these same animals there were concurrent decreases in hypothalamic NOS or HO activities, respectively. There were little or no effects of these inhibitors on anterior pituitary NOS or HO activities, indicating that there was only minimal leakage of the drug from the brain after icv administration. The specificity of action of these inhibitors was confirmed by the fact that SnPP did not affect NOS activity, and L-NAME did not affect HO activity. Finally, L-NAME produced no effect, whereas SnPP produced only transient increases in blood pressure, suggesting that these inhibitors do not affect activity indirectly through alterations in blood pressure. These data support the hypothesis that in the whole animal, both NO and CO exert a stimulatory influence on the acute ACTH response to physico-emotional stressors, and that the hypothalamus is the critical site of their actions.
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PMID:Nitric oxide and carbon monoxide have a stimulatory role in the hypothalamic-pituitary-adrenal response to physico-emotional stressors in rats. 1083 Mar 14

Controversies surround the possible long-term physiological and psychological consequences of opioid use. Analgesic tolerance and addiction are commonly at the center of these controversies, but other concerns exist as well. A growing body of evidence suggests that hyperalgesia caused by the chronic administration of opioids can occur in laboratory animals and in humans. In these studies we describe a murine model of opioid-induced hyperalgesia (OIH). After the treatment of mice for 6 days with implanted morphine pellets followed by their removal, both thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia were documented. Additional experiments demonstrated that prior morphine treatment also increased formalin-induced licking behavior. These effects were intensified by intermittent abstinence accomplished through administration of naloxone during morphine treatment. Experiments designed to determine if the mu-opioid receptor mediated OLH in our model revealed that the relatively-selective mu-opioid receptor agonist fentanyl induced the thermal hyperalgesia and mechanical allodynia characteristic of OIH when administered in intermittent boluses over 6 days. In complimentary experiments we found that CXBK mice which have reduced mu-opioid receptor binding displayed no significant OIH after morphine treatment. Finally, we explored the pharmacological sensitivities of OIH. We found that the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptor antagonist MK-801, the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and the heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitor tin protoporphyrin (Sn-P) dose-dependently reduced OIH in this model while the NSAID indomethacin had no effect. Thus we have characterized a murine model of OIH which will be useful in the pursuit of the molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon.
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PMID:A murine model of opioid-induced hyperalgesia. 1116 71

The effects of heme oxygenase (HO) inhibitors, zinc-protoporphyrin-IX (ZnPP-IX), and tin protoporphyrin-IX (SnPP-IX) and their interactions with L-arginine/nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and cyclooxygenase (COX) pathways were investigated in postoperative ileus in rats. Intestinal transit was measured as Evans blue migration after skin incision, laparotomy or laparotomy plus gut evisceration and handling. Laparotomy and small intestinal manipulations increased blood plasma nitrites/nitrates level 1.88-fold. N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, indomethacin, a selective COX-1 blocker (resveratrol) and COX-2 antagonists (nimesulide, DuP-697, NS-398) reversed the additional inhibitory effects of gut manipulation subsequent to laparotomy. In contrast, N-(3-(aminomethyl)benzyl)acetamidine or S-methylisothiourea, highly selective inducible NOS blockers, remained ineffective. ZnPP-IX and SnPP-IX overturned the effects of laparotomy on dye propulsion, but were only partially effective after laparotomy and gut handling attenuating the additional inhibitory influences of gut manipulation, the intestinal transit reaching 89.21%, 92.87%, 53.46%, and 48.56% of respective controls transit. Salutary effects of L-NAME, ZnPP-IX, and SnPP-IX were dose-dependent, L-arginine or hemin (HO substrate) sensitive. Administration of indomethacin and resveratrol subsequent to SnPP-IX reversed the inhibitory effects of laparotomy and manipulation, amounting to 93.91% and 87.43% of controls. On the other hand, L-NAME injected after SnPP-IX abolished the salutary effects of the latter, study dye migration reached 25.18% of control rat. Therefore we demonstrated that nitric oxide, carbon monoxide, and prostanoids play a role in the pathogenesis of postoperative ileus albeit in different mechanisms. Laparotomy stimulated HO activity, whereas gut manipulation led to an excessive constitutive NOS stimulation accompanied by augmented prostanoid synthesis by COX-1. Unaffected synthesis of either NO or CO enables a return of gastrointestinal transit during postoperative period, whereas a pharmacological blockade of two complementary metabolic pathways provides a most effective measure against postoperative ileus development.
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PMID:The role and interactions of nitric oxide (NO), carbon monoxide (CO), and prostanoids in the pathogenesis of postoperative ileus in rats. 1501 33

Pregnancy is associated with attenuated vascular reactivity to a variety of contractile agonists. Heme oxygenases are expressed in the placenta, and it has been suggested that the heme oxygenase/carbon monoxide (HO/CO) pathway plays a significant role in regulating blood flow through the feto-placental unit. In this study we investigated the possible involvement of heme oxygenases in the reduced vascular reactivity associated with pregnancy. Arginine vasopressin (AVP) (10(-10)-3x10(-7) M) induced concentration-dependent contraction of aortic ring segments from non-pregnant and pregnant (16-19 days) rats. Pregnancy did not alter the sensitivity to AVP (pD2=8.5+/-0.1 and pD2=8.4+/-0.2 in non-pregnant and pregnant rats, respectively) but significantly reduced the maximum response (107.9+/-12.7% and 38.6+/-7.4%, respectively, relative to noradrenaline-induced contraction). Western blot analysis revealed the expression of HO-2 but not HO-1 isoform in both groups. There was a significant increase in the expression and activity of HO-2 protein in aortic tissues from pregnant rats compared with those from age-matched non-pregnant rats. In the presence of L-NAME to inhibit nitric oxide (NO) synthesis, tin protoporphyrin IX (SnPP-IX, 10(-5) M), an inhibitor of heme oxygenase, did not significantly affect AVP-induced contraction in aorta segments from pregnant and non-pregnant rats. It was concluded that, though pregnancy increased the expression and activity of HO-2 in the aorta, HO-2 was not involved in the attenuated response to AVP.
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PMID:Increased expression and activity of heme oxygenase-2 in pregnant rat aorta is not involved in attenuated vasopressin-induced contraction. 1627 49

The neurotransmitters mediating relaxation of lower esophageal sphincter (LES) were studied using circular LES strips from adult pigs in organ baths. LES relaxation by sodium nitroprusside (1 nM-3 microM), vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) and pituitary adenylate cyclase-activating peptide (PACAP; 1 nM-1 microM), ATP (10 microM-30 mM), and tricarbonyldichlororuthenum dimer (1 microM-1 mM) was unaffected by tetrodotoxin (1 microM) or l-N(G)-nitroarginine methyl ester (l-NAME; 100 microM). Calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP; 1 nM-1 microM) did not affect LES tone. ATP relaxation was blocked by 1 microM apamin and the P2Y(1) antagonist MRS 2179 (N6-methyl 2'-deoxyadenosine 3',5'-bisphosphate; 10 microM). Apamin inhibited PACAP relaxation. VIP and PACAP relaxation was blocked by 10 U/ml alpha-chymotrypsin. L-NAME (-62.52 +/- 13.13%) and 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazole-[4,3-alpha]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ; 10 microM, -67.67 +/- 6.80%) similarly inhibited electrical LES relaxation, and apamin blocked non-nitrergic relaxation. Nicotine relaxation (100 microM) was inhibited by L-NAME (-60.37 +/- 10.8%) and ODQ (-41.90 +/- 7.89%), and apamin also blocked non-nitrergic relaxation. Non-nitrergic and apamin-sensitive LES relaxation by electrical stimulation or nicotine was strongly inhibited by MRS 2179, slightly inhibited by alpha-chymotrypsin and the P2X(1,2,3) receptor antagonist NF 279 (8,8 cent-[carbonylbis(imino-4,1-phenylenecarbonylimino-4,1-phenylenecarbonylimino)]bis-1,3,5-naphthalenetrisulfonic acid hexasodium salt; 10 microM), and unaffected by tin protoporphyrin IX (100 microM). Porcine LES relaxation after stimulation of intrinsic inhibitory motor neurons is mediated by two main neuromuscular pathways: nitric oxide through guanylate cyclase signaling and apamin-insensitive mechanisms and by non-nitrergic apamin-sensitive neurotransmission mainly mediated by ATP, ADP, or a related purine acting on P2Y1 receptors and a minor contribution of purinergic P2X1,2,3 receptors and PACAP. Nitrergic and purinergic co-transmitters show parallel effects of similar magnitude without major interplay. Our study shows no role for CGRP and only a minor one for VIP and carbon monoxide in porcine LES relaxation.
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PMID:Pharmacologic characterization of intrinsic mechanisms controlling tone and relaxation of porcine lower esophageal sphincter. 1630 17

The development of carbon monoxide-releasing molecules (CO-RMs) in recent years helped to shed more light on the diverse range of anti-inflammatory and cytoprotective activities of CO gas. In this study, we examined the effect of a ruthenium-based water-soluble CO carrier (CORM-3) on lipopolysaccharide (LPS)- and interferon-gamma (INF-gamma)-induced inflammatory responses in BV-2 microglial cells and explored the possible mechanisms of action. BV-2 microglial cells were stimulated with either LPS or INF-gamma in the presence of CORM-3 and the inflammatory response evaluated by assessing the effect on nitric oxide production (nitrite levels) and tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha) release. Similar experiments were also performed in the presence of inhibitors of guanylate cyclase (ODQ), NO synthase (L-NAME), heme oxygenase activity (tin protoporphyrin IX) or various mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibitors. CORM-3 significantly attenuated the inflammatory response to LPS and INF-gamma as evidenced by a significant reduction (p < 0.001) in nitrite levels and TNF-alpha production (P < 0.05). Such effect was maintained in the presence of ODQ, L-NAME or tin protoporphyrin without showing any cytotoxicity. The use of an inactive form of CORM-3 that does not contain carbonyl groups (Ru(DMSO)(4)Cl(2) failed to inhibit the increase in inflammatory markers suggesting that liberated CO mediates the observed effects. In addition, inhibition of phosphatidylinositol-3-phosphate kinase (PI3K) and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathways seemed to amplify the anti-inflammatory effect of CORM-3, particularly in cells stimulated with INF-gamma. These results suggest that the anti-inflammatory action of CORM-3 could be exploited to mitigate microglia activation in neuro-inflammatory diseases.
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PMID:A carbon monoxide-releasing molecule (CORM-3) attenuates lipopolysaccharide- and interferon-gamma-induced inflammation in microglia. 1733 83

Acute intravenous Tempol reduces mean arterial pressure (MAP) and heart rate (HR) in spontaneously hypertensive rats. We investigated the hypothesis that the antihypertensive action depends on generation of hydrogen peroxide, activation of heme oxygenase, glutathione peroxidase or potassium conductances, nitric oxide synthase, and/or the peripheral or central sympathetic nervous systems (SNSs). Tempol caused dose-dependent reductions in MAP and HR (at 174 micromol/kg; DeltaMAP, -57+/- 3 mmHg; and DeltaHR, -50 +/- 4 beats/min). The antihypertensive response was unaffected by the infusion of a pegylated catalase or by the inhibition of catalase with 3-aminotriazole, inhibition of glutathione peroxidase with buthionine sulfoximine, inhibition of heme oxygenase with tin mesoporphyrin, or inhibition of large-conductance Ca(2+)-activated potassium channels with iberiotoxin. However, the antihypertensive response was significantly (P < 0.01) blunted by 48% by the activation of adenosine 5'-triphosphate-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels with cromakalim during maintenance of blood pressure with norepinephrine and by 31% by the blockade of these channels with glibenclamide, by 40% by the blockade of nitric oxide synthase with N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), and by 40% by the blockade of ganglionic autonomic neurotransmission with hexamethonium. L-NAME and hexamethonium were additive, but glibenclamide and hexamethonium were less than additive. The central administration of Tempol was ineffective. The acute antihypertensive action of Tempol depends on the independent effects of potentiation of nitric oxide and inhibition of the peripheral SNS that involves the activation of K(ATP) channels.
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PMID:Acute antihypertensive action of Tempol in the spontaneously hypertensive rat. 1793 67


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