Numerous endogenous vasoactive agents have been shown to cause lymphatic smooth muscle contraction. In this study, we assessed the ability of serotonin (5-HT) to alter lymphatic smooth muscle activity and elucidated the receptor mechanisms of 5-HT's actions. Both intralymphatic and intra-arterial administration of 5-HT significantly increased lymphatic smooth muscle activity in lymphatics perfu...

Brain extracellular space (ECS) is an interconnected channel that allows diffusion-mediated transport of signaling molecules, metabolites, and drugs. We tested the hypothesis that β-adrenergic receptor (βAR) activation impacts extracellular diffusion-mediated transport of molecules through alterations in the morphology of astrocytes. Two structural parameters of ECS-volume fraction and tortuosi...

A gastroprotective effect occurs when α(2) receptors are innervated. The dextro isomer of medetomidine, dexmedetomidine, is a highly selective α(2)-adrenoreceptor agonist. The aim of this study was to investigate whether dexmedetomidine has an antiulcerative effect and to show whether the antiulcer mechanism of dexmedetomidine is linked with oxidant/antioxidant parameters. The antiulcerative ef...

Nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are ligandgated ion channels in the central nervous system and consist of α and β subunits. Twelve subtypes of the nAChR have been identified; the α4β2 subunit combination is the most common.1 nAChRs are found in thalamus, basal ganglia, cerebral cortex, hippocampus, and cerebellum.2 Acetylcholine (Ach) is the endogenous ligand of the nAChR. Nicotine i...

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to assess the potential involvement of a specific subtype of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), 5HT2 receptors in neurally-induced contractions of the human detrusor. METHODS Contractile responses to electrical field stimulation (EFS) were examined in human isolated urinary bladder muscle strips. The potentiation of EFS-induced detrusor contraction was examined by a...

Alpha-Synuclein (α-Syn) accumulation is considered a major risk factor for the development of synucleinopathies such as Parkinson's disease (PD) and dementia with Lewy bodies. We have generated mice overexpressing full-length human α-Syn fused to a membrane-targeting signal sequence under the control of the mouse Thy1-promotor. Three separate lines (L56, L58 and L62) with similar gene expressio...

ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channels play a regulatory role in hormone-secreting pancreatic islet α-, β- and δ-cells. Targeted channel deletion would assist analysis and dissection of the intraislet regulatory network. Toward this end Abcc8/Sur1 flox mice were generated and tested by crossing with glucagon-(GCG)-cre mice to target α-cell KATP channels selectively. Agonist resistance was used to qua...

Introduction: The ginger rhizome has been widely used in traditional medicine for treatment of gastrointestinal diseases. In the present study the effect of ginger alcoholic extract on mechanical activity of isolated jejunum of male rats and also its interaction with cholinergic, adrenergic and Nitrergic systems were investigated. Methods: Seven adult male Wistar rats were anesthetized by et...