UNIPROT:P01178 - FACTA Search

Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts: Target Concepts:

Query: UNIPROT:P01178 (oxytocin)
15,767 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

A dose of apomorphine or oxytocin that induces penile erection and yawning increases nitric oxide production in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus, as determined by the increase in NO2- and NO3- concentration induced by these substances in the paraventricular dialysate obtained from male rats. All the above responses were prevented by a dose of omega-conotoxin-GVIA as low as 5 ng. This potent inhibitor of N-type Ca2+ channels was injected into the paraventricular nucleus 15 min before apomorphine (50 ng) or oxytocin (10 ng). In contrast, omega-conotoxin was ineffective when the above responses were induced by N-methyl-D-aspartic acid (50 ng). The peptide toxin (5 ng) was also ineffective on the penile erection and yawning induced by the nitric oxide donors sodium nitroprusside (50 microg) or hydroxylamine (50 microg), injected into the paraventricular nucleus. The present results suggest that omega-conotoxin-sensitive Ca2+ channels are involved in the activation of nitric oxide synthase, penile erection and yawning induced by apomorphine and oxytocin, but not by N-methyl-D-aspartic acid, at the paraventricular level.
...
PMID:Different effects of omega-conotoxin on penile erection, yawning and paraventricular nitric oxide in male rats. 983 Dec 88

The gas nitric oxide (NO) is an important messenger in brain signaling. Along with many other functions, NO is thought to influence the expression and/or release of various hypothalamic hormones (corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH), gonadotropin-releasing hormone (GnRH) and vasopressin). To learn more about the role of NO in neuroendocrine mechanisms, we studied in mutant mice lacking neuronal isoform of NO synthase (nNOS) the cellular expression of CRH, neurophysin (the carrier protein of vasopressin/oxytocin) and pro-opiomelanocortin (POMC), as well as of the POMC-derived peptides beta-endorphin (beta-END), alpha-melanocyte-stimulating hormone (alpha-MSH) and corticotropin (ACTH) by use of immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. Additionally, the remaining NO-generating capacities of the nNOS minus mice were investigated by NADPH-diaphorase histochemistry and citrulline immunohistochemistry as well as by immunohistochemical localization and Western blot analysis of endothelial NOS (eNOS) and nNOS isoforms. Amongst all hypothalamic peptides under investigation, only beta-END was found to be altered in mutant mice. A morphometric analysis of beta-END producing neurons of the arcuate nucleus revealed that significantly less cells were immunoreactive in mutant mice, whereas the expression of the precursor POMC as well as of other POMC-derived peptides was found to be unchanged. In addition to that, fewer beta-END-immunoreactive fibers were found in the paraventricular nucleus of nNOS minus mice in comparison to wild-type animals. Hence, the reduction of hypothalamic beta-END is probably a posttranslational event that might reflect a disturbed endorphinergic innervation of those hypothalamic neurons which normally express nNOS.
...
PMID:Expression of hypothalamic peptides in mice lacking neuronal nitric oxide synthase: reduced beta-END immunoreactivity in the arcuate nucleus. 987 4

Our hypothesis is that oxytocin (OT) causes natriuresis by activation of renal NO synthase that releases NO followed by cGMP that mediates the natriuresis. To test this hypothesis, an inhibitor of NO synthase, L-nitroarginine methyl ester (NAME), was injected into male rats. Blockade of NO release by NAME had no effect on natriuresis induced by atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP). This natriuresis presumably is caused by cGMP because ANP also activates guanylyl cyclase, which synthesizes cGMP from GTP. The 18-fold increase in sodium (Na+) excretion induced by OT (1 microgram) was accompanied by an increase in urinary cGMP and preceded by 20 min a 20-fold increase in NO3- excretion. NAME almost completely inhibited OT-induced natriuresis and increased NO3- excretion; however, when the dose of OT was increased 10-fold, a dose that markedly increases plasma ANP concentrations, NAME only partly inhibited the natriuresis. We conclude that the natriuretic action of OT is caused by a dual action: generation of NO leading to increased cGMP and at higher doses release of ANP that also releases cGMP. OT-induced natriuresis is caused mainly by decreased tubular Na+ reabsorption mediated by cGMP. In contrast to ANP that releases cGMP in the renal vessels and the tubules, OT acts on its receptors on NOergic cells demonstrated in the macula densa and proximal tubules to release cGMP that closes Na+ channels. Both ANP- and OT-induced kaliuresis also appear to be mediated by cGMP. We conclude that cGMP mediates natriuresis and kaliuresis induced by both ANP and OT.
...
PMID:Atrial natriuretic peptide and oxytocin induce natriuresis by release of cGMP. 987 9

Staining for nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate diaphorase (NADPH-d), a histochemical marker for nitric oxide synthase (NOS), is increased in the supraoptic (SON) and paraventricular (PVN) nuclei in late pregnant rats. To determine whether increases in staining were evident at other times during pregnancy and lactation the number of cells that stained for NADPH-d in the SON and PVN in rats on days 4, 12, 16, and 22 of pregnancy and on days 4, 12, and 20 of lactation was compared to that in virgin females. In a second experiment the influence of ovarian hormones on NADPH-d staining was assessed by comparing staining in the SON and PVN among ovariectomized animals exposed to either a steroid hormone replacement schedule that mimics late pregnancy (oestrogen and progesterone with progesterone removal), oestrogen alone, oestrogen and progesterone, or cholesterol alone. In the last experiment of this series staining was compared among ovariectomized animals given either oestrogen or cholesterol priming accompanied by oxytocin (OT) or vehicle infusion into the third ventricle for 7 days. The number of cells showing dense staining for NADPH-d in both the SON and PVN increased on days 12 and 22 of pregnancy and 4 and 12 of lactation compared to that observed in virgins. NADPH-d staining in these areas was also increased by both the steroid treatment that mimicked late pregnancy and chronic central OT infusion in oestrogen-primed animals. These data suggest that NADPH-d staining in the SON and PVN is increased at times when oxytocinergic cells are known to be active and that the hormonal state associated with late pregnancy is sufficient to increase NADPH-d staining.
...
PMID:Changes in NADPH-d staining in the paraventricular and supraoptic nuclei during pregnancy and lactation in rats: role of ovarian steroids and oxytocin. 991 29

This brief review emphasizes the importance of three novel discovered factors produced by fetal membranes, placenta and/or by the fetus itself in regulating uterine contractility. We have shown that, as reported for other hormones and substances, nitric oxide and endothelin may influence myometrial activity in an autocrine/paracrine manner interacting with other well-known agents such as prostaglandins, oxytocin and hormones. We also demonstrated that different isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) may play different roles throughout gestation and during labor. We have suggested that another peptide produced by trophoblast cells, adrenomedullin, may affect, directly or indirectly, myometrial contractility during pregnancy, although much remains to be learned about the mechanisms controlling adrenomedullin expression by the feto-placental tissues cells during pregnancy. Continued research is necessary to better define the complex interactions that result in parturition, both at term and preterm, and to allow a more rational approach to management of the premature labor, exploring new possible pharmacological solutions.
...
PMID:New peptides, hormones and parturition. 1006 69

Male rats show four to six penile erection episodes when put for 80 min in the presence of an inaccessible receptive female. These non-contact penile erections were reduced dose-dependently by d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)2-Orn8-vasotocin, a potent and selective oxytocin receptor antagonist, when given into the lateral ventricles (0.1, 0.5 and 1 microg), but not when given into the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (0.1 and 1 microg). In contrast, non-contact erections were reduced by N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, a competitive inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, given into the lateral ventricles (50, 100 and 200 microg), or into the paraventricular nucleus (10 and 20 microg). The present results show that central oxytocin is involved in the expression of penile erection induced not only by drugs but also by sexual physiological stimuli.
...
PMID:The oxytocin antagonist d(CH2)5Tyr(Me)2-Orn8-vasotocin reduces non-contact penile erections in male rats. 1032 58

The investigation was performed on the medial (MMS) and lateral (LMS) magnocellular subdivisions of the hypothalamic paraventricular nuclei (HPN). The histochemical activity NO synthesizing enzyme nitric oxide synthase or NOS whose histochemical marker is NADPH-diaphorase (NADPH-D), immunocytochemical content of oxytocin (OXY), vasopressin (VP) and nucleoli sizes (squares) were studied in the mature male rats under experimental reconstruction of the both micro- and macrogravity, which are factors of the gravity field changes acting to the body during the space flight. Two experimental effects were used: B--tail suspending (imitation of the microgravity effects), C--centrifugation at 2 G (imitation of the macrogravity effects). The effect durations were designed as a time period when body is mostly affected by (1 day) and adapted (15 days) to the stress. There were 6 animal groups. 1--B(15 days), 2--B(15 days) succeeded by C(1 day), 3--B(15 days) succeeded by C(15 days), 4--C(1 day), 5--C(15 days), 6--intact animals. The histochemically and immuno-cytochemically stained neurons developing the high, moderate and small reaction intensity were counted in serial HPN sections under the light microscope and the results obtained were transformed to percent neuron contents. The nucleoli squares were examined by using the TV analyser. The histochemical staining intensity of NADPH-D in MMS is enhanced in the animals of the groups 1-4; the number of NADPH-D staining neurons with high enzyme activity was increased in 8-14 times. In the animals of group 5 the NADPH-D activity did not differ from the intact animals. The number of MMS neurons with high OXY immunoreactivities was increased up to 1.5-1.7 times in groups 1-5 if compared to those of intact controls. VP-positive neurons of LMS developed the similar increase in number of the high staining neurons in experimental animals as well as OXY-positive neurons of MMS. The nucleoli enlargement was observed in MMS (in 1.3-1.5 times) of groups 1-5 (insignificantly in group 5) and in the most magnocellular neurons LMS (in 1.5-1.7 times) of group 2-5 except group 1 where nucleoli were insignificantly decreased. The nucleoli sizes of group 4 were more than group 5. So the hypothalamo-neurohypophyseal system was activated in the animals subjected of the earthly correlates of micro- and macrogravity. The data obtained suggest involvement both the nonconventional neurotransmitter NO and stress-related peptides OXY and VP in the mechanisms subserving adaptation to the extreme factors by what a human has to be faced with during the space flight.
...
PMID:[The participation of the nontraditional neuromediator nitric oxide in the mechanisms of adaptation to extreme conditions]. 1042 Apr 74

Magnocellular neurones in the supraoptic nucleus and paraventricular nucleus express mRNA for nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and the expression becomes more prominent when the release of vasopressin or oxytocin is stimulated. It has also been reported that NO donors inhibit the electrical activity of supraoptic nucleus neurones, but the mechanism involved in the inhibition remains unclear. In the present study, to know whether modulation of synaptic inputs into supraoptic neurones is involved in the inhibitory effect of NO, we measured spontaneous excitatory and inhibitory postsynaptic currents (EPSCs and IPSCs) from rat supraoptic nucleus neurones in slice preparations identified under a microscope using the whole-cell mode of the slice-patch-clamp technique. The NO donor, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), reversibly increased the frequency of spontaneous IPSCs mediated by GABAA receptors, without affecting the amplitude, indicating that NO potentiated IPSCs via a presynaptic mechanism. The NO scavenger, haemoglobin, suppressed the potentiation of IPSCs by SNAP. On the other hand, SNAP did not cause significant effects on EPSCs mediated by non-NMDA glutamate receptors. The membrane permeable analogue of cGMP, 8-bromo cGMP, caused a significant reduction in the frequency and amplitude of both IPSCs and EPSCs. The results suggest that NO preferentially potentiates the inhibitory synaptic inputs into supraoptic nucleus neurones by acting on GABA terminals in the supraoptic nucleus, possibly via a cGMP-independent mechanism. The potentiation may, at least in part, account for the inhibitory action of NO on the neural activity of supraoptic neurones.
...
PMID:Preferential potentiation by nitric oxide of spontaneous inhibitory postsynaptic currents in rat supraoptic neurones. 1071 23

Tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNFalpha) has been shown to be a potent stimulator of prostaglandin (PG) F(2alpha) secretion in the bovine endometrium. The aims of the present study were to determine the cell types in the endometrium (epithelial or stromal cells) responsible for the secretion of PGF(2alpha) in response to TNFalpha, and the intracellular mechanisms of TNFalpha action. Cultured bovine epithelial and stromal cells were exposed to TNFalpha (0.006-6 nM) or oxytocin (100 nM) for 4 h. TNFalpha resulted in a dose-dependent increase of PGF(2alpha) production in the stromal cells (P < 0.001) but not in the epithelial cells. On the other hand, oxytocin stimulated PGF(2alpha) output in the epithelial cells but not in the stromal cells. When the stromal cells were incubated for 24 h with TNFalpha and inhibitors of phospholipase (PL) C or PLA(2), only PLA(2) inhibitor completely stopped the actions of TNFalpha (P < 0.001). When the stromal cells were exposed to TNFalpha and arachidonic acid, the action of TNFalpha was augmented (P < 0.001). When the stromal cells were incubated for 24 h with a nitric oxide (NO) donor (S-NAP), S-NAP stimulated the PGF(2alpha) production dose-dependently. Although an NO synthase (NOS) inhibitor (L-NAME) reduced TNFalpha-stimulated PGF(2alpha) production, an inhibitor of phosphodiesterase augmented the actions of TNFalpha and S-NAP (P < 0. 05). The overall results indicate that the target of TNFalpha for stimulation of PGF(2alpha) production in cattle is the endometrial stromal cells, and that the actions of TNFalpha are mediated via the activation of PLA(2) and arachidonic acid conversion. Moreover, TNFalpha may exert a stimulatory effect on PGF(2alpha) production via the induction of NOS and the subsequent NO-cGMP formation.
...
PMID:Production of prostaglandin f(2alpha) by cultured bovine endometrial cells in response to tumor necrosis factor alpha: cell type specificity and intracellular mechanisms. 1077 56

To test the role of nitric oxide (NO) in secretory functions of bovine corpora lutea (CL), two groups of four Holstein heifers each were treated as follows: Group 1, Nomega-Nitro-L-Arginine Methyl Ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), on Day 11 or 12 of the cycle and Group 2, L-NAME on Days 17 and 18 of the cycle. All treatments were administered by an intraluteal microdialysis system (MDS). Drugs were infused for 4-hr periods on the designated days, and the treatment periods were preceded and followed by 4-hr control periods. Perfusate and jugular blood samples were collected at half-hour intervals. Perfusate samples were analyzed for progesterone (P4), oxytocin (OT), prostaglandin F2alpha (PGF2alpha), and leukotriene C4 (LTC4); jugular plasma samples were analyzed for P4, OT, and LH. Perfusion of L-NAME on Day 11 or 12 consistently increased P4 concentration in the perfusate, but had no effect on the life span of the CL. Perfusion of L-NAME on Days 17-18 also elevated P4 levels in the perfusate, and in addition, maintained P4 levels in the plasma of three of the four treated animals through Day 25 of the cycle. L-NAME perfusion also increased OT release concomitant with P4 into the perfusate at both the mid- and late-luteal phase treatments. For the most part, concentrations of LH, OT, and P4 in the jugular plasma samples collected during the perfusions were unaffected by treatments. L-NAME perfusion caused small, but significant (P < 0.05) increases in perfusate PGF2alpha and LTC4 at Days 17 and 18 and in LTC4 on Day 11 or 12. These data indicate that NO plays a direct luteolytic role in regression of the bovine CL.
...
PMID:Intraluteal administration of a nitric oxide synthase blocker stimulates progesterone and oxytocin secretion and prolongs the life span of the bovine corpus luteum. 1078 47

<< Previous 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Next >>