OBJECTIVE To investigate intestinal motility changes due to uremia, and the effect of pretreatment with erythropoietin. METHODS This randomized control study was conducted in the Department of Physiology, Faculty of Medicine, Ain Shams University, Cairo, Egypt from September 2010 to July 2011. Forty adult female Wistar albino rats were allocated into 3 groups: control group, gentamicin-treat...

AIMS Following sinoaortic denervation (SAD), isolated rat aortas present oscillatory contractions and demonstrate a heightened contraction for alpha-adrenergic agonists. Our aim was to verify the effects of SAD on connexin43 (Cx43) expression and phenylephrine-induced contraction in isolated aortas. METHODS AND RESULTS Three days after surgery (SAD or sham operation), isolated aortic rings we...

To determine whether extraluminal or intraluminal hemoglobin inhibits endothelium-dependent relaxation, we measured the vascular responsiveness of rabbit basilar artery in an in vitro perfusion system and we performed immunohistochemical staining for hemoglobin. In the in vitro study, we applied agents from either the intraluminal or the extraluminal side of excised basilar arteries. KCl-induce...

BACKGROUND The loop diuretic frusemide has been shown to inhibit the bronchoconstrictor response to exercise, inhaled allergen, distilled water, adenosine, and sodium metabisulphite. Toluene diisocyanate contracts smooth muscle by activating capsaicin sensitive nerves and causes asthma that shares many features with allergen induced asthma. METHODS The study was designed to assess the effect ...

Proinflammatory stimuli produce expression of inducible NO-synthase (iNOS) within blood vessels and are associated with impaired endothelium-dependent relaxation. Gene transfer of iNOS was used to test the hypothesis that expression of iNOS in blood vessels produces impairment of NO-dependent relaxation as well as contraction. An adenoviral vector containing cDNA for murine iNOS, AdCMViNOS, and...

OBJECTIVE The present study was to investigate the antiasthmatic potential from the flavonoid fraction of Apium leptophyllum fruit (FFALF) to validate its traditional claim. MATERIALS AND METHODS The antiasthmatic activity of FFALF was evaluated by histamine or acetylcholine-induced bronchospasm model in guinea pigs, compound 48/80 induced mast cell degranulation in albino rats and histamine-...

Effects of an aqueous extract of orthosiphon thymiflorus on acetyl choline induces contraction on isolated frog rectus abdominis muscle were studies. The aqueous extract of orthosiphon thymiflorus produced significant inhibitory effect on the dose response curve of acetyl choline. It is concluded that the aqueous extract of orthosiphon thymiflorus  may exert an inhibitory effect on the skeletal...

ELIC, the pentameric ligand-gated ion channel from Erwinia chrysanthemi, is a prototype for Cys-loop receptors. Here we show that acetylcholine is a competitive antagonist for ELIC. We determine the acetylcholine-ELIC cocrystal structure to a 2.9-Å resolution and find that acetylcholine binding to an aromatic cage at the subunit interface induces a significant contraction of loop C and other st...