We have investigated the effects of L-arginine, D-arginine and L-lysine on airway smooth muscle responsiveness to spasmogens in vitro. Both L-arginine and D-arginine (100 mM) significantly reduced the contractile potency and maximal contractile response to histamine but not to methacholine or potassium chloride in guinea-pig epithelium-denuded isolated trachea. Similarly, the contractile respon...

To determine whether nitric oxide (NO) is involved in classic preconditioning (PC), the effect of NO donors as well as inhibition of the L-arginine-NO-cGMP pathway were evaluated on 1) the functional recovery during reperfusion of ischemic rat hearts and 2) cyclic nucleotides during both the PC protocol and sustained ischemia. Tissue cyclic nucleotides were manipulated with NO donors [S-nitroso...

PURPOSE To evaluated the effects of L-arginine (a NO donor) and L-NAME (Nw-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester - a NOS inhibitor) on ischemia-reperfusion in rat livers. METHODS One hundred fifty two male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control (simulated surgery); hepatic IR; pretreatment with L-arginine plus hepatic IR; and L-NAME plus hepatic IR. The hepatocellular damage was evaluated...

OBJECTIVES We examined whether the adenosine triphosphate (ATP)-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channel openers (KCOs) block myocardial hypertrophy and whether the 70-kDa S6 kinase (p70S6K) or extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK)-dependent pathway is involved. BACKGROUND Long-term inhibition of nitric oxide (NO) synthesis induces cardiac hypertrophy independent of blood pressure, by incre...

OBJECTIVE In this study, the antiarrhythmic and anti-ischemic effects of a 6 μg kg(-1) min(-1) infusion dose of remifentanil are investigated in a central sympathetic hyperactivity model in rabbits. METHODS In this study, 18 New Zealand rabbits were used. The subjects were randomly divided into three groups (n=6) and received 10 μmol L(-1) glutamate intracerebroventricularly to provide the ce...

To explore the effect of Panax notoginseng saponins on atherosclerosis with type 2 diabetes mellitus in Goto-Kakizaki rats by nuclear factor-kappa B signaling pathway. fed high fat diet and injected N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester for 8 w, were randomized into model group (400 mg/kg/d). Another Wistar selected as control which normal saline. Serum lipid inflammatory factors measured. There no s...

In addition to its effects on vascular tone, nitric oxide (NO) has been suggested to function as a participant in fluid homeostasis affecting interactions between the endothelium and circulating inflammatory cells. The role of NO in the increased microvascular permeability of acute lung injury, however, remains controversial. We investigated the hypothesis that NO opposes increases in pulmonary...

The purpose of this study was to determine whether short-term exposure to clinically relevant concentrations of Pseudomonas aeruginosa lipopolysaccharide (LPS) impairs vasoreactivity of resistance arterioles in the intact spinotrapezius muscle microcirculation and, if so, to determine the mechanisms mediating this response. Using intravital microscopy, we found that 60-min suffusion of P. aerug...

NO produced by NO synthase type 3 (NOS3) in medullary thick ascending limbs (mTHALs) inhibits Cl(-) reabsorption. Acutely, angiotensin II stimulates thick ascending limb NO production. In endothelial cells, NO inhibits NOS3 expression. Therefore, we hypothesized that angiotensin II decreases NOS3 expression via NO in mTHALs. After 24 hours, 10 and 100 nmol/L of angiotensin II decreased NOS3 exp...

Nitric oxide (NO) is synthesized from L-arginine by nitric oxide synthase (NOS). NOS can be inhibited by NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) and stimulated by supplementing the diet with L-arginine. The aim of this study was to investigate the influence of NOS activity on the response of rabbits to chronic partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO). Surgical PBOOs (2 and 8 wk) were perform...