Affinity of different organs for verapamil is highly variable and organ-specific. For example, the drug exhibits high levels of accumulation in lung tissues. A transporter recognising verapamil as a substrate has previously been identified in human retinal pigment epithelial (RPE) and in rat retinal capillary endothelial (TR-iBRB2) cells. This transporter is distinct from any of the cloned or...

A complex sensitivity of afferent nerves in the mesentery of the rat jejunum to systemic administration of histamine has recently been demonstrated. In the present study, we aimed to characterize subpopulations of mesenteric afferents that mediate this afferent nerve response. Multi-unit afferent discharge was recorded from mesenteric nerves supplying the proximal jejunum in anesthetized rats. ...

BACKGROUND The present study was aimed to provide ethnopharmacological basis for the medicinal use of Viola betonicifolia whole plant in indigestion and constipation. METHODS Mice were used in in-vivo prokinetic and laxative studies while in-vitro experiments were conducted on isolated tissues of rabbit and guinea-pig gut preparations suspended in a tissue bath to measure isotonic contraction...

Early partial maternal deprivation causes long-lasting neurochemical, behavioral and brain structural effects. In rats, it causes a deficit in memory consolidation visible in adult life. Some of these deficits can be reversed by donepezil and galantamine, which suggests that they may result from an impairment of brain cholinergic transmission. One such deficit, representative of all others, is ...

OBJECTIVES Croton nepetaefolius is a medicinal plant useful against intestinal disorders. In this study, we elucidate the effects of its essential oil (EOCN) on sympathetic neurons, with emphasis on the interaction of EOCN- and histamine-induced effects. METHODS The effects of EOCN and histamine were studied in guinea-pig celiac ganglion in vitro. KEY FINDINGS Histamine significantly altere...

PURPOSE Previously, retinopetal axons containing histamine and dopaminergic neurons expressing histamine H(1)-receptor had been localized in mouse retinas using anatomic techniques. The goal of these experiments was to demonstrate that these receptors are functional. METHODS Dopaminergic cells were acutely isolated from retinas of transgenic mice expressing red fluorescent protein under contr...

Fluoroquinolone antibacterial agents have been reported to induce tendon lesions in juvenile rats. In the present study, we characterized fluoroquinolone-induced Achilles tendon lesions by comparing the effects of 10 fluoroquinolones and examining the potential of one of these antimicrobial agents, pefloxacin, to induce tendon lesions when coadministered with one of nine anti-inflammatory compo...

BACKGROUND Repeated administration of certain drugs could result in an enhancement of the behavioral effects of those drugs. In the present study, the effect of repeated administration of histamine on amnesia induced by post-training administration of the drug was examined. METHODS A single trial step-down inhibitory (passive) avoidance task was used for memory assessment in male NMRI mice. ...

Mechanisms mediating the increase in gastric mucosal blood flow (GMBF) induced by the stable thyrotropin-releasing hormone (TRH) analog RX-77368 injected intracisternally at a gastric acid secretory dose (30 ng) were investigated using hydrogen gas clearance in urethan-anesthetized rats. The histamine H1 receptor antagonist pyrilamine (intravenously), capsaicin (subcutaneously, -10 days), and N...