The alpha1-adrenergic agonist phenylephrine stimulated phospholipase D (PLD) activity in Rat 1 fibroblasts transfected to express either the wild-type hamster alpha1B-adrenoceptor or a constitutively active mutant (CAM) form of this receptor. The EC50 for agonist stimulation of PLD activity was substantially lower at the CAM receptor than at the wild-type receptor as previously noted for phenyl...

Effect of YM-12617, a selective and potent alpha 1-adrenoceptor antagonist on dose-response curves of alpha 1-adrenoceptor agonists, norepinephrine, phenylephrine and naphazoline, was tested in isolated rabbit vascular smooth muscles such as the femoral vein, portal vein and aorta. YM-12617 shifted the dose-response curves for norepinephrine and phenylephrine to the right and also declined the ...

The ability of scoring functions to correctly select and rank docking poses of small molecules in protein binding sites is highly target dependent, which presents a challenge for structure-based drug discovery. Here we describe a virtual screening method that combines an energy-based docking scoring function with a molecular interaction fingerprint (IFP) to identify new ligands based on G prote...

For the pharmacological treatment of frequency, urgency and/or urge incontinence due to bladder overactivity, anticholinergics have been used as first-choice drugs. However, these drugs can exert severe side effects (accommodation paralysis, constipation, tachycardia, dry mouth and blurred vision) and some patients are refractory to their actions. Thus there is a need for new drug therapies wit...

1 The beta-adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline normally causes only a small and inconsistent increase in the membrane potential of cells in guinea-pig liver slices, in contrast to the large hyperpolarizations seen with alpha-agonists. However, after a selective alpha-adrenoceptor agonist has been applied, the response to isoprenaline becomes greatly enhanced. 2 Simultaneous application of small d...

Chronic treatment with β 2 adrenoceptor agonists is recommended as a first-line maintenance therapy for chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD). However, a potential consequence of long-term treatment may be the loss of functional response (tachyphylaxis) over time. In this study, we have investigated the tendency of such agonists, with a range of efficacies, to develop functional desensit...