Inhibition by hydrocortisone of prostacyclin synthesis by rat aorta and its reversal with RU486

A rat aortic explant culture system was developed for the investigation of the effects of hydrocortisone (HC) and the glucocorticoid antagonist, RU486, on prostacyclin (PGI2 synthesis. HC, but not aldosterone, progesterone, 17 beta-estradiol, or testosterone, inhibited spontaneous, epinephrine-stimulated and U46619 (an analog of thromboxane A2)-stimulated PGI2 synthesis by cultured aortic explants in a concentration- and time-dependent manner. Adequate inhibition of aortic explant PGI2 synthesis by physiological concentrations of HC was achieved after an 18-h culture. An 18-h time course was employed in subsequent experiments. In contrast, HC had no effect on arachidonic acid-stimulated PGI2 synthesis. Protein synthesis inhibitors, actinomycin D and cycloheximide, had no effect on the inhibitory action of HC on epinephrine- and U46619-induced release of PGI2. They exerted a direct inhibitory effect on aortic PGI2 synthesis. Arachidonic acid stimulated PGI2 release by the explants and was unaffected either by HC or by treatment with cycloheximide or actinomycin D. RU486 blocked the inhibitory action of HC on aortic PGI2 synthesis in a dose-dependent manner. Thus, the inhibitory effect of HC on vascular PGI2 synthesis is probably mediated through an inhibition of phospholipase A2 and not cyclooxygenase or other PGI2 synthase systems; furthermore, this inhibitory effect is not dependent upon de novo protein synthesis. RU486 antagonizes the inhibitory effect of HC. The inhibition of vascular PGI2 by hydrocortisone has implications in the pathogenesis of steroid-related hypertension and atherosclerosis and the antiinflammatory effect of steroids.     

Appetitive learning by old mice

Groups of C57BL/6J (B6) and DBA/2J (D2) mice, aged 100 to 700 days, were trained on 7 appetitive learning tasks in order to determine which tasks might be suitable for studies of learning by old mice. Old B6 and D2 mice were both deficient in learning a discrimination reversal and two complex maze tasks; age did not affect performance on a simple spatial discrimination by subjects from either strain. Three tasks yielded strain-specific results. Old B6, but not old D2, animals were impaired on a visual discrimination problem. On a test of latent learning, old B6 animals were superior to younger mice, but the reverse trend characterized the D2 mice. Older D2 mice were retarded on a food-seeking task; B6 mice of all ages failed this test. The deficits observed in learning by old mice are thus strain- as well as task-specific. However, the deprivation procedures of this experiment resulted in excessive mortality in the oldest groups of mice, indicating that appetitive learning is contraindicated as a method for investigating learning by old mice.     

Liver injury induced by lipopolysaccharide is mediated by TNFR-1 but not by TNFR-2 or Fas in mice.

Endotoxemia causes liver injury in which tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha plays a significant role by inducing hepatic apoptosis. We here examined if such apoptosis is strictly dependent on TNF-alpha and which type of TNF receptor (TNFR) is involved, employing TNFR-1- and -2-knockout mice. Lipopolysaccharide (LPS) dose-dependently induced liver injury in both wild-type (WT) and TNFR-2-knockout mice as indicated by plasma ALT activities, whereas the injury was absent in TNFR-1-knockout mice. Similarly, apoptotic hepatocyte death was observed in WT and TNFR-2-knockout mice after LPS-injection, but not in TNFR-1-knockout mice. Plasma levels of TNF-alpha, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-10 and interferon-gamma as well as hepatic TNF-alpha levels increased equally in mice with either genotype after LPS-injection. LPS also enhanced equally the mRNA expression of Fas but not Fas ligand irrespective of either genotype, as measured by RNase protection assay. These findings suggest that apoptotic liver injury induced by LPS depends on TNF-alpha signaling through TNFR-1 but not via TNFR-2 or Fas-Fas ligand pathway.     

Gastric protection by meciadanol

Flavonoids reportedly inhibit histidine decarboxylase and reduce gastric mucosal histamine content. We studied the effects of acute and chronic intragastric administration to rats of meciadanol, a new synthetic flavonoid (Zyma S.A., Nyon, Switzerland). The action of meciadanol was compared to that of 16, 16-dimethyl PGE₂. Meciadanol did not affect acid or pepsin output at any dose used. High doses of 16, 16-dimethyl PGE₂ reduced both acid and pepsin output. Meciadanol partially prevented aspirin-induced lesions but the prevention required chronic administration of meciadanol. In contrast, a single dose of meciadanol completely prevented ethanol-induced lesions. Chronic administration of meciadanol also completely prevented ethanol-induced lesions. 16, 16-Dimethyl PGE₂ prevented both aspirin-induced and ethanol-induced lesions in doses that did not affect acid or pepsin output. Meciadanol did not influence the effect that either aspirin or ethanol had on endogenous mucosal PGI₂. Thus, the dose range of meciadanol that protected against ulcerogens did not affect either gastric acid secretion or pepsin output. Therefore, we conclude that meciadanol's action represents true cytoprotection, which was previously attributed only to prostaglandins.     

Acceleration of idioventricular rhythms by histamine in guinea pig heart: mediation by H2 receptors.

To evaluate the ability of histamine to induce ventricular arrhythmias, we studied the effects of histamine on ventricular rhythmicity in the isolated guinea pig heart with complete atrioventricular conduction block. As a function of dose (0.1-30 microgram), histamine enhanced the idioventricular rate by increasing the rate of firing of the original pacemaker and also by causing the sudden appearance of faster idioventricular rhythms that coincided with changes in pacemaker site. Anaphylaxis in the isolated guinea pig heart with complete atrioventricular conduction block caused histamine release and acceleration of idioventricular rate. The effects of histamine on idioventricular rhythmicity were not attenuated by the histamine H1 receptor antagonist chlorpheniramine, but were antagonized by the H2 receptor antagonist cimetidine. Moreover, the selective H2 agonist 4-methylhistamine (4MeH) accelerated the idioventricular rate, whereas 2-(2-thiazolyl) ethylamine (ThEA), at doses selective for H1 receptor activation, did not. The effects of histamine on idioventricular rhythmicity were not modified by the beta-adrenergic blocker pindolol. The mechanism by which histamine increases idioventricular rate probably involves two components: (1) an enhancement in automaticity of the original pacemaker, and (2) the induction of faster rhythms via reentry and/or afterdepolarizations. Whatever the mechanism, both components of the ventricular chronotropic action of histamine appear to involve exclusively histamine receptors of the H2 type. Thus, our results suggest that H2 receptor antagonists may have a role as specific antiarrhythmic agents in the treatment of cardiac dysfunctions caused by histamine release.     

Rabbit myometrial oxytocin and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors are increased by estrogen but are differentially regulated by progesterone

Both myometrial oxytocin and alpha 2-adrenergic receptors are induced by estrogen. To compare the regulation of these two receptor populations by progesterone, we measured myometrial receptor concentration in ovariectomized steroid-treated and in pregnant rabbits. To control for the effects of estrogen withdrawal, we used concomitant rather than sequential presentation of estrogen and progesterone in ovariectomized rabbits. Estradiol increased both myometrial oxytocin and alpha 2-adrenergic receptor concentrations in ovariectomized rabbits after 8 days of treatment. Simultaneous progesterone administration during the last 4 days of estradiol treatment reversed the induction of oxytocin, but not alpha 2-adrenergic, receptors. Similarly, administration of the antiprogestin RU 38486 to pregnant rabbits on day 27 of gestation resulted in premature delivery and evoked an increase in myometrial oxytocin receptor concentration mimicking that observed at term (day 31). However, RU 38486 did not significantly affect alpha 2-adrenergic receptor concentration. Our data provide further support for involvement of oxytocin receptors in parturition, but do not indicate a comparable function for myometrial alpha 2-adrenergic receptors.     

Gastric cytoprotection by acetazolamide: role of endogenous prostaglandins

This study was designed to determine the influence of acetazolamide, a potent inhibitor of carbonic anhydrase, on the formation of gastric mucosal lesions induced by acidified aspirin (ASA) or absolute ethanol and on gastric cytoprotection induced by prostaglandin E2 (PGE2). Acetazolamide prevented dose-dependently ethanol-induced gastric lesions and this effect was accompanied by an increased biosynthesis of mucosal PGs, indicating that endogenous PGs may be involved in cytoprotection by acetazolamide. This is supported by the finding that acetazolamide failed to affect gastric ulcerations produced by acidified ASA when mucosal PG biosynthesis was almost completely suppressed. Pretreatment with acetazolamide did not influence the protective action of PGE2 on ethanol-induced mucosal lesions and only slightly inhibited the protective effect of PGE2 on ASA-induced gastric ulcerations. This study indicates that: (1) acetazolamide prevents ethanol- but not ASA-induced gastric mucosal lesions probably via stimulation of PG biosynthesis and (2) gastric alkaline secretion, mediated by carbonic anhydrase, is probably not an essential mechanism responsible for this cytoprotection induced by PGE2.     

Dynamin 2 is required for the enhancement of HIV-1 infectivity by Nef

Nef is a virulence factor of HIV-1 and other primate lentiviruses that is crucial for rapid progression to AIDS. In cell culture, Nef increases the infectivity of HIV-1 progeny virions by an unknown mechanism. We now show that dynamin 2 (Dyn2), a key regulator of vesicular trafficking, is a binding partner of Nef that is required for its ability to increase viral infectivity. Dominant-negative Dyn2 or the depletion of Dyn2 by small interfering RNA potently inhibited the effect of Nef on HIV-1 infectivity. Furthermore, in Dyn2-depleted cells, this function of Nef could be rescued by ectopically expressed Dyn2 but not by Dyn1, a closely related isoform that does not bind Nef. The infectivity enhancement by Nef also depended on clathrin, because it was diminished in clathrin-depleted cells and profoundly inhibited in cells expressing the clathrin-binding domain of AP180, which blocks clathrin-coated pit formation but not clathrin-independent endocytosis. Together, these findings imply that the infectivity enhancement activity of Nef depends on Dyn2- and clathrin-mediated membrane invagination events.     

Stimulation of phosphoinositide hydrolysis in renal medulla by vasopressin

Arginine vasopressin (AVP) interacts with V1 and V2 receptors to stimulate hydrolysis of phosphoinositides (PI) and formation of cAMP, respectively. The effects of AVP on V2 receptors in the kidney are well characterized. In order to determine whether V1 receptors, coupled to phospholipase C for hydrolysis of PI, are also present in the kidney, we investigated the effects of AVP on PI hydrolysis in tissue slices from the cortex, outer medulla, and inner medulla of the rabbit kidney. We found that 10(-6) M AVP produced a significant increase in PI hydrolysis in the inner and outer medulla but not in the cortex. In the inner medulla, AVP (10(-10) M) produced a greater than 50% increase in PI hydrolysis; the effect was much greater at higher concentrations. AVP-stimulated PI hydrolysis was blocked by a V1 antagonist but not by a V2 antagonist. Increasing the osmolality of the incubation to 600 mosmol/kg water also abolished the effect of AVP on PI hydrolysis in the inner medulla. Furthermore, AVP did not stimulate PI hydrolysis (even in isoosmotic media) in isolated inner medullary collecting duct cells which make a major portion of the inner medulla. Our results indicate: 1) V1 receptors linked to PI system are not present in the inner medullary collecting duct cells but are probably present in blood vessels and/or interstitial cells of the renal medulla; and 2) AVP-stimulated PI hydrolysis in the inner medulla is modulated by the osmolality of the extracellular fluid.     

Age-associated loss in adiponectin-activation by caloric restriction: lack of compensation by enhanced inducibility of adiponectin paralogs CTRP2 and CTRP7

Hormonal signals from adipose tissue regulate energy homeostasis but may also be involved in the anti-aging effects of caloric restriction. The purpose of the current study was the investigation of age-dependent effects of caloric restriction on the release of adiponectin, on the expression and activation of adiponectin-related signaling and on parameters of altered insulin sensitivity. In young and in senescent rats, 2 months moderate caloric restriction reduces serum leptin and insulin (young: -50%; old: -30%) suggesting increased insulin sensitivity. However, the same diet enhances serum adiponectin in young (+60%) but not in senescent (+2%, n=NS) rats. Similarly, adiponectin expression (visceral fat) and muscular AdipoR1/2 expression are induced in young rats but not in senescent rats. The locally produced adiponectin paralogs CTRP2/7 are elevated in muscular tissues of old animals (CTRP2 protein: +40%; CTRP7 protein: +50%) and further induced by caloric restriction but this does not result in an increased activation of their downstream target AMPK. Thus, aging is associated with a partial loss of adiponectin inducibility following moderate caloric restriction. This loss is not sufficiently compensated by the locally induced adiponectin paralogs CTRP2/7, although caloric restriction results in increased insulin sensitivity in young and in senescent animals. Thus, the improvement in insulin sensitivity appears to be independent of adiponectin induction by caloric restriction in this model.     

Inhibition of thromboxane biosynthesis by triflusal in type 2 diabetes mellitus

Triflusal is an antiplatelet drug related to aspirin, with different pharmacological properties and a lower haemorrhagic risk. We aimed at comparing their effects on platelet and endothelial activation in type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). In a randomized, double-blind, parallel group study, we compared the effects of three daily regimens (300, 600, and 900 mg) of triflusal, and aspirin (100mg/day) on urinary 11-dehydro-thromboxane (TX)B(2), index of in vivo platelet activation, ex vivo platelet function using the analyzer PFA-100, plasma von Willebrand factor (vWF), P-selectin, intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), and serum nitrite and nitrate (NO(2)(-)+NO(3)(-)) in 60 T2DM patients. Triflusal induced a dose-dependent reduction in 11-dehydro-TXB(2) and a prolongation of closure time in the presence of collagen plus epinephrine (Coll/Epi-CT). The effects of the highest triflusal dose were not different from those of aspirin. The closure time in the presence of collagen plus ADP (Coll/ADP-CT), ICAM-1, VCAM-1, and NO(2)(-)+NO(3)(-) were not modified either by triflusal or aspirin. Plasma P-selectin and vWF were reduced by triflusal but not by aspirin. In T2DM triflusal causes a profound inhibition of platelet TXA(2) biosynthesis in vivo, acting on different targets involved in the platelet-endothelial cell interactions.     

Inhibition of vascular endothelial cell prostacyclin synthesis by plasmin

Vascular endothelial cells (EC) play an active role in the synthesis and assembly of components of the fibrinolytic system and the generation of the major fibrinolytic protease plasmin. However, the reciprocal effects of plasmin on EC function have not been previously examined. We have studied the actions of plasmin on the production of prostacyclin (PGI2) by cultured human umbilical vein (HUVEC) and bovine aortic (BAEC) endothelial cells. Plasmin causes little or no direct stimulation of PGI2 formation by EC. Preincubation of EC with plasmin, however, produces a time- and concentration-dependent inhibition of ionophore A23187-, thrombin-, and histamine-induced PGI2 synthesis; a smaller inhibitory effect on arachidonate- and PGH2-induced PGI2 synthesis is found. Incubation of HUVEC or BAEC with a physiologic concentration of plasminogen (180 micrograms/mL) and recombinant tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) generates tPA dose-dependent plasmin activity that exceeds that generated in the absence of EC. In the presence of plasminogen, tPA also causes a tPA dose-dependent inhibition of thrombin- and ionophore A23187-stimulated PGI2 production. PGI2 inhibitory plasmin activity is generated within the concentration range of tPA achieved in plasma during pharmacologic therapy with tPA. These findings suggest that vascular endothelial cells not only regulate activation of the fibrinolytic system but may also be targets of plasmin action on PGI2 synthesis in the modulation of hemostasis and thrombosis.     

Modulation of glycine receptors in retinal ganglion cells by zinc

Effects of zinc, an endogenous neuromodulator in the central nervous system, on glycine receptors (GlyRs) in retinal ganglion cells were investigated by using the whole-cell voltage-clamp technique. Zn2+ at low concentration (<2 microM) potentiated the glycine-induced chloride current and at higher concentration (>10 microM) suppressed it. This biphasic regulatory action of zinc acted selectively on the fast component of the glycine-induced current mediated by the strychnine-sensitive GlyRs, but not on the slow component mediated by the 5,7-dichlorokynurenic acid-sensitive GlyRs. Dose-response studies showed that 1 microM Zn2+ increased the maximum glycine response (I approximately) and shifted the EC50 to the left, suggesting that Zn2+ at low concentrations acts as an allosteric activator of the strychnine-sensitive GlyRs. Zn2+ at a concentration of 100 microM did not alter I approximately and shifted the EC50 to the right, indicating that Zn2+ at high concentrations acts as a competitive inhibitor of the GlyRs. Physiological functions of zinc modulation of GlyRs in retinal ganglion cells are discussed.     

Absence of nuclear factor kappaB inhibition by NSAIDs in hepatocytes

Stimulation of fetal hepatocytes with proinflammatory cytokines and lipopolysaccharide promotes the expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) and nitric oxide synthase-2 (NOS-2), whereas the hepatoma cell line HepG2 exhibits a behavior similar to that described for adult hepatocytes and only expresses NOS-2. The effect of nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) on the inflammatory onset was analyzed in these cells since in addition to the inhibition of cyclooxygenase activity, these drugs interfere with other signaling pathways related with the inflammatory response. Inhibition of nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation by aspirin and salicylate has been described in many cells. However, incubation of hepatic cells with salicylate, aspirin, indomethacin, ibuprofen, or 5,5-dimethyl-3(3-fluorophenyl)-4-(4-methylsulfonyl)phenyl-2(5H)-furanone (DFU), a fluorinated derivative of rofecoxib, failed to impair IkappaB kinase activity, the processing of NF-kappaB, and the expression of NF-kappaB-dependent genes, such as NOS-2. Moreover, selective COX-2 inhibitors did not promote apoptosis in hepatocytes under inflammatory conditions, suggesting that prostaglandins are not required to maintain cell viability. In conclusion, these data indicate that hepatocytes are not sensitive to NF-kappaB inhibition by NSAIDs and that these drugs, especially the COX-2 selective inhibitors, do not alter cell viability.     

Alpha 2-adrenergic inhibition of Cl- transport by opercular epithelium is mediated by intracellular Ca2+.

We isolated the opercular epithelium of sea-water killifish (Fundulus heteroclitus) to study the mediation of catecholamine inhibition of Cl- secretion. The receptors are alpha 2-adrenergic, as they have a high affinity for the alpha 2-adrenergic agonist clonidine over phenylephrine and clonidine action is blocked by yohimbine. Pertussis toxin and indomethacin did not block the clonidine effect; hence inhibitory guanine nucleotide-binding proteins (Gi proteins) and prostaglandins (respectively) are not involved. Intracellular pH (pHi) of single chloride cells was measured microspectrofluorometrically and resting pHi was 7.22 +/- 0.03. However, pHi was unaffected by clonidine; hence pHi and Na+/H+ exchange are not involved. The lipoxygenase inhibitors nordihydroguaiaretic acid and baicalein and the lipoxygenase products (12S)- and (12R)-12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid stimulated Cl- secretion. Protein kinase C is an unlikely site of action because the diacylglycerol kinase inhibitor R59022 had no effect alone and did not block the clonidine effect. Ionomycin (1 microM) in normal but not low-Ca2+ solutions mimicked the action of clonidine and both inhibitions were reversible by isoproterenol. Thapsigargin, a releaser of intracellular Ca2+, inhibited Cl- secretion and this effect was reduced in low-Ca2+ solutions. Low-Ca2+ solutions also blunted but did not block entirely the clonidine response, indicating that the primary Ca2+ release was from intracellular stores. Whereas alpha 1-adrenergic receptors commonly act via the Ca2+/inositol trisphosphate pathway, to our knowledge this is the first report of a Ca(2+)-mediated alpha 2-adrenergic response in a nonmammalian vertebrate.     

Inhibition of endothelium-dependent arterial relaxation by oxidized phosphatidylcholine

Formation of oxidized phosphatidylcholine (ox-PC), oxidatively fragmented phosphatidylcholine (PC) containing a short-chain and/or polar oxidative residue at the sn-2 position, in the process of LDL oxidation as well as its existence in atherosclerotic lesions has been demonstrated. To clarify the pathophysiological role of ox-PC in the vascular reactivity, we investigated the effects of various ox-PCs on the isometric tensions in rabbit thoracic aortas. Ox-PCs, which were produced upon oxidation of sn-2 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA)-containing PCs, dose-dependently inhibited endothelium-dependent relaxation (EDR) evoked by acetylcholine or substance P. On the other hand, neither native PUFA-containing PCs nor an oxidative product of monounsaturated fatty acid-containing PC showed an inhibitory effect. None of ox-PCs affected endothelium-independent relaxation to nitroglycerin. The PC-headgroup fraction, but not the oxidized fatty acids fraction, was responsible for the inhibition of EDR by ox-PC. EDR was reduced by 2-(5-oxovaleroyl)-PC, one of the secondary oxidative products of PCs that contains a short chain aldehydic residue at the sn-2 position, but not by PC hydroperoxide, the primary oxidative product. Although the possibility could not be completely ruled out that lysophosphatidylcholine rather than ox-PC may be responsible for inhibitory effects on EDR, these results suggest a novel vascular activity of ox-PCs generated from sn-2 PUFA-containing PCs which may be implicated in the pathophysiology of vascular tone.     

Alpha-adrenergic stimulation of corticotropin secretion by a specific central mechanism in man

In a double-blind study in normal subjects, methoxamine, a highly selective agonist at alpha-1-adrenoceptors, significantly increased circulating ACTH and cortisol. The stimulant effect of methoxamine on cortisol secretion was dose dependent in the range 3.5-7 micrograms/kg/min, was abolished by concomitant administration of the strong alpha-1-adrenergic (and weak H1) antagonist thymoxamine but unaffected by the antihistamine, chlorpheniramine. In order to test whether the action of methoxamine on ACTH secretion was exerted centrally or peripherally, the effects of norepinephrine (NE), an alpha-1-agonist that does not cross the blood-brain barrier, were studied. Doses of NE (1-12 micrograms/min) that increased systolic blood pressure by amounts similar to the changes produced by methoxamine, did not result in any rise in plasma cortisol in normal subjects. The effect of methoxamine, which is more lipid soluble than NE, on plasma ACTH and cortisol, appears to be exerted on the CNS and not at the pituitary or via nonspecific peripheral mechanisms. In addition to its water solubility, NE differs from methoxamine in its beta-1-, beta-2- and alpha-2-agonist actions. However, prenalterol (2 mg) and salbutamol (250 micrograms), respectively beta-1- and beta-2-adrenergic agonist drugs, had no effect on the secretion of ACTH or cortisol and the alpha-2-antagonist yohimbine in an effective dose did not unmask a stimulant effect of intravenous NE on plasma cortisol. At high infusion rates, NE significantly inhibited cortisol secretion. Stimulation of central alpha-1-adrenergic mechanisms results in secretion of ACTH in man, presumably by increased release of a corticotropin-releasing factor.