Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UNIPROT:P01178 (oxytocin)
 15,767 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The effect of RU486, a synthetic progesterone receptor antagonist, on basal uterine prostaglandin (PG) release and release in response to oxytocin injection has been investigated in late-pregnant sheep (days 135-140 of gestation). Fifteen hours after i.m. injection of RU486 (50 mg; n = 5) or vehicle alone (n = 4), bolus injections of oxytocin (50, 500 and 5000 mU) were administered via a uterine artery ipsilateral to the pregnant uterine horn at 2-hourly intervals. Utero-ovarian vein concentrations of 13,14-dihydro-15-keto PGF2 alpha (PGFM) and PGE2 were determined before and during oxytocin stimulation. Basal concentrations of both PGFM and PGE2 were significantly (P < 0.001) increased in ewes 15 h after RU486 administration compared with ewes receiving vehicle alone. Concentrations of PGFM, but not PGE2, increased significantly (P < 0.001) following injection of each dose of oxytocin in both treated and untreated animals. The response to oxytocin, measured both as the area under the curve and as the peak height of PGFM release, was significantly (P < 0.05) greater in RU486-treated ewes. There was no significant effect of oxytocin on the area or peak height of PGE2 response in either RU486-treated or control animals. These results demonstrate that treatment of late-pregnant ewes with RU486 results in an increase in basal uterine PGFM and PGE2 as well as oxytocin-stimulated PGFM release.
J Endocrinol 1992 Sep
PMID:Effect of the antiprogestin RU486 on uterine sensitivity to oxytocin in ewes in late pregnancy. 140 45

The effects of acute and chronic cocaine treatments on the levels of the neurohypophyseal hormones oxytocin (OXT) and vasopressin (AVP) in the plasma and in different brain structures in rats were measured by radioimmunoassay (RIA). Acute cocaine treatment had no effect on the level of OXT in the plasma or in the amygdala, but increased OXT contents were measured in the hypothalamus and in the hippocampus. The OXT levels in the basal forebrain structures (including the septum and the nucleus accumbens) were decreased by a single dose of cocaine. The acute injection of cocaine increased the level of AVP in the plasma, and decreased contents of OXT were measured in the amygdala and in the basal forebrain. Repeated treatment with cocaine decreased the level of OXT in the plasma, hypothalamus and hippocampus. The AVP contents were decreased in all of the brain structures investigated, but no change was caused in the plasma level of AVP by repeated injections of cocaine. These results demonstrate complex, region-specific interactions between cocaine and the neurohypophyseal hormones in the brain and in the periphery underlying the alteration in behavioral and autonomic functions caused by acute and chronic cocaine exposure.
Neuropeptides 1992 Sep
PMID:Effects of cocaine on the contents of neurohypophyseal hormones in the plasma and in different brain structures in rats. 140 14

The development of cross-tolerance to an analgesic effect has been observed between a mu-receptor agonist, heroin, and a delta-receptor agonist, Met2-Pro5-enkephalinamide. Repeated treatments with heroin twice a day for 4 days resulted in a decreased nociceptive effect to enkephalin on day 5. The enkephalin dose-response line was shifted to the right, considered a sign of the development of cross-tolerance. Peripheral treatment with oxytocin blocked the development of heroin-enkephalin cross-tolerance. A similar effect was observed after intracerebroventricular administration of oxytocin, supporting our assumption that oxytocin blocks the development of heroin-enkephalin cross-tolerance via CNS mechanisms.
Pharmacol Biochem Behav 1992 Sep
PMID:Oxytocin blocks the development of heroin-enkephalin cross-tolerance in mice. 140 3

Oxytocin (OT) prohormone processing was studied in fetal sheep. Using specific antisera that recognize the amidated and the COOH-terminal extended forms of OT, we measured arterial and venous levels of the OT peptides in fetal sheep plasma at 94 and 138 days of gestation. Plasma levels of the COOH-terminal extended forms, OT-X, were highest early in development, 35.7 +/- 9.8 vs. 14.3 +/- 5.7 pg/ml (94 vs. 138 days). The ratio of the plasma peptides, OT-X to OT, was higher in the young fetus (35 +/- 11.6 vs. 3.1 +/- 1.3, 94 vs. 138 days). There were also developmental changes in the umbilical artery-umbilical vein differences, with positive values noted in late gestation. These results demonstrate that the changes in the processing of the OT precursor that occur during fetal development are reflected by alterations in the relative amounts of prohormone and amidated hormone found in fetal plasma.
Am J Physiol 1992 Sep
PMID:Alterations in oxytocin prohormone processing during early development in the fetal sheep. 141 65

Human urine samples, purified on octadecasilyl-silica cartridges, contained immunoreactive angiotensin I, II, arginine vasopressin and oxytocin. The daily excretion of these peptides in healthy volunteers was 190.00 +/- 38.43 (n = 12), 17.48 +/- 3.09 (n = 12), 63.43 +/- 14.84 (n = 8) and 13.52 +/- 1.42 (n = 7) pmol/24 hr, respectively (mean +/- s.e.m.). Patients with a history of anaphylactoid reactions to drugs or food additives showed clinical symptoms such as urticaria, flush, nausea, dizziness and hypotension after oral provocation with cyanocobalamine, propyphenazone, acetylsalicylic acid and sodium benzoate. In five of the seven patients, angiotensin I and II were increased several fold in the urine fractions after symptoms were reported. The average increase in the urine concentration of both peptides was fourfold and 5.5-fold. In three out of five patients, the mean excretion of arginine vasopressin and oxytocin immunoreactive material was also elevated by a factor of 5.7 and 4.4, respectively. Oral provocation with a placebo failed to elicit anaphylactoid symptoms or an increase in the urine levels of angiotensin I or angiotensin II. Angiotensin I and angiotensin II-like immunoreactivity could be characterized on HPLC as Ile5-angiotensin I, Ile5-angiotensin II and angiotensin II metabolites. HPLC characterization of immunoreactive arginine vasopressin and oxytocin in two different gradient systems showed retention times different than the retention times of the corresponding synthetic standard peptides indicating that both peptides are not authentic AVP and OXT. These results suggest that angiotensin I and angiotensin II may be involved in the clinical events observed during some forms of anaphylactoid reactions.
Clin Exp Allergy 1992 Sep
PMID:Urinary excretion of angiotensin I, II, arginine vasopressin and oxytocin in patients with anaphylactoid reactions. 142 42

Magnocellular neurones in the supraoptic nuclei of normal Long Evans and homozygous Brattleboro rats were examined electron-microscopically after intracisternal injections of tunicamycin, puromycin, or brefeldin A. Moderate (50 micrograms) or high (200 micrograms) doses of tunicamycin caused the formation of electron-dense filamentous accretions in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) cisterns of vasopressin neurones, but only the high dose of tunicamycin also caused accretions to form in the ER of some oxytocin neurones. Immunogold labelling of ultrathin sections from tunicamycin-treated rats revealed that, in about 5% of vasopressin neurones, the accretions could be immunogold-labelled for vasopressin and its associated neurophysin. However, in the majority of vasopressin neurones, the sections required trypsinisation before immunolabelling of the accretions could be detected. Small accretions in the ER of oxytocin neurones did not label for oxytocin or its neurophysin without prior trypsinisation, whereas larger accretions in other oxytocin cells could be labelled without prior trypsin treatment. Administration of puromycin resulted in the formation of small ER accretions in both vasopressin and oxytocin neurones. These accretions were immunolabelled with antisera, respectively, to vasopressin and oxytocin, but neurophysin-immunoreactivity was in most cases absent and was not revealed by treatment with trypsin, suggesting that neurophysin-immunoreactive epitopes were absent from truncated peptides forming the accretions. Brefeldin A caused dilatation of ER cisterns and disruption of the Golgi apparatus in both oxytocin and vasopressin neurones, but did not cause accretions to form in the ER.
Cell Tissue Res 1992 Sep
PMID:Tunicamycin, puromycin and brefeldin A influence the subcellular distribution of neuropeptides in hypothalamic magnocellular neurones of rat. 142 14

Vanadate, 30 microM, contracts uterine smooth muscle of estrogen-dominated non-pregnant rats in Ca(2+)-free medium after preincubation with 3 mM EGTA. In spite of the phosphorylation of the myosin light chain during this contraction, studies with fura-2 suggested that this contraction was not accompanied by an increase in the cytosolic Ca2+ level. Inhibitors of the myosin light chain kinase and protein kinase C partly inhibited this contraction. Vanadate seems to enter the cell through anion channels to inhibit phosphatases, resulting in phosphorylation via basal activities of the myosin light chain kinase and protein kinase C. An increase in the cytosolic free Ca2+ level resulted in relaxation of the contracting muscle in the same manner as in the oxytocin-induced Ca(2+)-free contraction.
Eur J Pharmacol 1992 Sep 10
PMID:Ca(2+)-independent contraction of uterine smooth muscle induced by vanadate and its inhibition by Ca2+. 142 86

The effect of insulin-like growth factors (IGFs) and insulin on the release of progesterone and oxytocin from bovine corpus luteum was investigated at early (days 5-7), mid- (days 8-12) and late (days 15-18) luteal phases of the oestrous cycle in an in vitro microdialysis system. The expression of specific receptors was evaluated in bovine corpora lutea of the respective luteal stages. A 30 min infusion of IGF-1, IGF-2 (1.3, 13 and 130 nmol l-1) or insulin (13, 130 and 1300 nmol l-1) caused a stimulation of the release of progesterone (P < 0.05). IGF-1 was most effective in releasing progesterone. Oxytocin release from corpora lutea was stimulated by insulin at all doses tested (13-1300 nmol l-1), whereas the IGFs were only effective at the highest dose (130 nmol l-1) applied. The high doses of IGFs (130 nmol l-1) and insulin (1300 nmol l-1) stimulated the release of progesterone and oxytocin throughout the luteal phase (P < 0.05). For all three peptides, greatest stimulation was seen during the late luteal phase (days 15-18 of the oestrous cycle) with the peak of progesterone release directly related to peptide infusion (P < 0.05). In addition, IGF-1 stimulated total release of progesterone (units in 4 h) after the beginning of the stimulation during this phase (P < 0.05). IGF-1 caused a gradual increase of progesterone even beyond the time of peptide perfusion, whereas IGF-2 and insulin stimulated progesterone release only during the peptide perfusion. Distinct receptors for IGF-1 and IGF-2 were present in corpora lutea membrane preparations at all stages investigated. Specific binding for insulin was also seen in all stages of the cycle without any cycle-dependent changes in the amount of binding. The displacement of labelled insulin by unlabelled IGF-1 and IGF-2 did not show the rank of order that has been described as typical for insulin receptors (i.e. insulin > IGF-1 > IGF-2), but comparable binding affinities were observed for the three unlabelled ligands. Specific binding of IGF-2 was markedly higher than that of IGF-1 or insulin throughout the cycle (1.9- and 4.9-fold higher compared with IGF-1 and insulin, respectively). Receptor specificity did not change during luteal development. Binding affinity and capacity of IGF-1 receptor was constant throughout the oestrous cycle. Specific IGF-2 binding increased and showed a positive co-operativity towards the end of the cycle. Specific binding of insulin was not significantly different in the three luteal stages examined.
J Reprod Fertil 1992 Sep
PMID:Binding and action of insulin-like growth factors and insulin in bovine luteal tissue during the oestrous cycle. 143 41

Oxytocin was measured in incubates and perifusates of neurosecretosomes prepared from sow neural lobes (n = 50) and in incubates of isolated neural lobes (n = 5). In none of these preparations was oxytocin output affected by exposure to purified porcine relaxin (at concentrations up to 10(-7) mol l-1). Moreover, in lactating sows (n = 9), 6-10 days post partum, the administration of porcine relaxin (1.5 or 3.0 mg) intravenously, immediately before a suckling episode, did not affect the plasma oxytocin profile compared with saline treatments (within sow) nor did it alter suckling behaviour or the weight gain of the litter. In all sows, a spike (25-75 pg ml-1) of oxytocin was measured during milk ejection coincident with suckling. These results suggest that porcine relaxin does not affect oxytocin release in suckling sows in contrast to reported findings in rats. The data also support the view that porcine relaxin could be used at farrowing without adverse effects on suckling.
J Reprod Fertil 1992 Sep
PMID:Lack of effect of relaxin on oxytocin output from the porcine neural lobe in vitro or in lactating sows in vivo. 143 57

Reduction in concentration of prostaglandins in plasma by administration of sodium meclofenamate to pregnant sheep failed to alter the frequency or duration of electromyographic activity bursts or the response to oxytocin of myometrial tissue transplanted to the omentum. However, a significant (P < 0.05) delay (8.6 +/- 3.8 versus 1.3 +/- 0.3 min) in the myometrial response to oxytocin was observed when the hormone was administered 1 min after a spontaneous burst of electromyographic activity compared with 15 min after a burst, indicating a period of refractoriness. Similarly, the myometrial threshold for electrical stimulation was higher at 10-25% of the interval between contractions than close to the expected time of the next contraction. Stimulation of the myometrium at intervals of 30 s revealed a cycling of the electrical stimulation threshold: significantly higher voltages were required to elicit responses between spontaneous bursts of electromyographic activity (18.0 +/- 2.2 V) than during bursts (11.3 +/- 1.6 V). In contrast, there was no voltage differential in animals close to labour (< 24 h). These data provide no evidence to support a role for prostaglandins in the generation of contractions during pregnancy, but suggest that periodicity of contractions is associated with inherent changes in myometrial responsiveness to stimulation, which could occur as a result of a cycling of the resting membrane potential.
J Reprod Fertil 1992 Sep
PMID:Evidence for an intrinsic control of myometrial contractile periodicity in sheep during pregnancy. 143 66


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