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C Y Kwan

Publications and source records attributed to C Y Kwan.

At least 109 records · Page 6Linked to original sources
PubMed1993

Tetrandrine: a vasodilator of medicinal herb origin with a novel contractile effect on dog saphenous vein.

During our recent pharmacological characterization of the vasodilator effects of tetrandrine on endothelium-denuded rings of dog saphenous vein, we have unexpectedly observed a slowly developing transient contractile response upon washout of KCl following the relaxation by tetrandrine of KCl-induced contraction. This washout-induced contraction in the presence of tetrandrine was most prominent in dog saphenous vein, smaller in dog mesenteric vein and not observed in dog mesenteric artery, dog aorta and rat aorta. This transient contraction induced in the presence of tetrandrine was not affected by atropine, indomethacin or prazosin, but was substantially inhibited by phentolamine and rauwolscine. Addition of amiloride or readmission of KCl inhibited the transient contraction upon washout of high KCl in the presence of tetrandrine, whereas addition of ouabain turned this transient contraction into a sustained one. Our results suggest that tetrandrine, in addition to its well known vasodilator effect via the blockade of Ca2+ channels, elicited a novel contractile effect which is specifically associated with the activation of postjunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors functionally characteristic in venous smooth muscle.

Alkaloids↗
PubMed1993

Subcellular-membrane characterization of [3H]ryanodine-binding sites in smooth muscle.

The plant alkaloid ryanodine, known to interact selectively with the intracellular Ca(2+)-release channel in skeletal and cardiac muscles, has been repeatedly reported to affect smooth-muscle contractile functions that are consistent with its intracellular action at the Ca(2+)-release channel sites. Direct evidence for the binding of [3H]ryanodine to smooth-muscle membranes is sparse. Following our recent detailed characterization of functional effects of ryanodine and a preliminary report on the presence of [3H]ryanodine binding sites in rat vas deferens smooth muscle, we now report in this study a detailed characterization of binding of [3H]ryanodine to smooth muscle at the subcellular-membrane level. The ryanodine receptor in rat vas deferens muscle layer is primarily of smooth-muscle origin and is localized at the subcellular membrane site that is consistent with its role as a Ca(2+)-release channel in the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR). Ryanodine binding to its receptor is Ca(2+)-dependent, with half-maximal binding occurring within the physiologically relevant cytosolic Ca2+ concentration. It is also sensitive to many factors, including change in Mg2+ concentration, ionic strength and osmolarity across the membrane vesicles. Agents known to inhibit (Ruthenium Red, Mg2+) or enhance (caffeine, Na+, K+) the Ca(2+)-induced Ca2+ release also inhibit or enhance the binding of ryanodine. Quantitative differences in ryanodine receptors exist among smooth muscles and do not seem to parallel their SR contents. Results from the present study indicate both the need and the basis for future investigations of the functional role of the ryanodine receptor in different smooth muscles.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Effects of thapsigargin and ryanodine on vascular contractility: cross-talk between sarcoplasmic reticulum and plasmalemma.

Thapsigargin and ryanodine are proposed to interfere with Ca2+ storage in sarcoplasmic reticulum by different mechanisms. Thapsigargin inhibits Ca2+ transport into and ryanodine enhances Ca2+ out of the sarcoplasmic reticulum. Contractility studies were performed in the rat aorta and dog mesenteric artery. Ryanodine was found to reduce phenylephrine-induced (10 microM) contraction in Ca(2+)-free medium of rat aorta and dog mesenteric artery in a concentration-dependent manner. Each agent alone caused a slow contraction in the rat aorta. In this tissue, the tension caused by ryanodine (30 microM) but not that by thapsigargin (1 microM) was found to be dependent on the status of the sarcoplasmic reticulum: prior stimulation with K+ (60 mM) enhanced the rate of development of ryanodine-induced tension compared with when the sarcoplasmic reticulum was previously depleted with phenylephrine stimulation in Ca(2+)-free medium. Sodium nitroprusside (1 microM) or isoproterenol (1 microM) fully antagonized the contraction induced by ryanodine or phenylephrine. However, thapsigargin-induced contraction was antagonized fully by sodium nitroprusside and only partially by isoproterenol. This result suggests that cAMP elevation by isoproterenol required a functioning sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ pump for its relaxant effect while cGMP elevation by sodium nitroprusside did not. These findings are consistent with the view that ryanodine promotes Ca2+ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum and that thapsigargin inhibits the ability of cAMP to stimulate Ca2+ uptake into the store by blocking its Ca2+ pump. In the dog mesenteric artery, when the phenylephrine-sensitive Ca2+ pool was emptied and thapsigargin was added to block Ca2+ uptake into the store, restoration of Ca2+ in the Ca(2+)-free medium caused a transient contraction (absent in controls). This contraction was replaced by a significantly larger amplitude and more sustained contraction in low Na+ medium indicating the involvement of the Na+/Ca2+ exchanger in the homeostasis of cytosolic [Ca2+]. In the presence of nifedipine (2 microM), repletion of the phenylephrine-sensitive store was inhibited. It is possible that refilling occurs in part through L-type Ca2+ channels.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Pyrazine derivatives affect membrane fluidity of vascular smooth muscle microsomes in relation to their biological activity.

We have previously demonstrated that several structurally similar pyrazine derivatives, tetramethylpyrazine (TMP), triethylpyrazine (3EP) and tetraethylpyrazine (TEP) consistently inhibited a wide spectrum of plasmalemma-associated biological activities of vascular smooth muscles in contractility and radioligand binding studies in the following order of increasing potency, TMP < 3EP < TEP. We speculated that these pyrazine derivatives elicit multiple effects in the above order of potency by affecting, at least in part, the bulk physical properties of the lipid bilayers in the cell membrane. This hypothesis was tested in the current study using plasmalemma-enriched microsomes isolated from dog aortic smooth muscle using two different biophysical techniques: fluorescence polarization and electron spin resonance. The calculated membrane fluidity values obtained as a function of temperature by both methods are consistent with the above order of potency. The amount of incorporation of these pyrazine derivatives into the vascular smooth muscle membranes also increased with the increasing hydrophobicity of these drugs, i.e., TMP < 3EP < TEP. Our results are consistent with the contention that these pyrazine derivatives not only interact with receptor protein molecules in the biological membranes, but also modulate these receptor properties via their interaction with the lipid bilayer altering the membrane microviscosity.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Norepinephrine release in rat vas deferens. Effect of rauwolscine and BHT 920.

Norepinephrine (NE) overflow from field-stimulated rat was deferens preparations was quantified directly by electrochemical detection using high performance liquid chromatography. The effect of agonist (BHT 920) and antagonist (rauwolscine) of prejunctional alpha 2-adrenoceptors on NE overflow was assessed and compared with their effect on the smooth muscle mechanical response to field stimulation. Increasing the stimulation frequency from 2 to 30 Hz resulted in an increase in muscle tension together with an increase in NE overflow. Addition of 1 microM rauwolscine to the medium resulted in a significant increase in muscle contraction to field stimulation which reached a maximum at 5 Hz. On the other hand, NE overflow increased linearly with the frequency of stimulation within the range studied. Addition of 0.1 microM BHT 920 to the medium significantly decreased the amplitude of contractions at lower stimulation frequencies (2 to 10 Hz) but elicited no significant changes at high frequencies. BHT 920 did not significantly affect NE overflow for all range of stimulation frequency. The simultaneous recording of field-stimulation induced contractions and NE overflow indicates that in the rat vas deferens, rauwolscine acts like a pure alpha 2 adrenoceptor antagonist at a prejunctional level. BHT 920 did not appear to affect selectively prejunctional alpha 2 adrenoceptors but also may activate postjunctional alpha 1 adrenoceptors.

Adrenergic alpha-Agonists↗
PubMed1993

Malignant mesenchymoma of the retropharyngeal space.

Malignant mesenchymoma is a very rare head and neck tumour. To date only 15 cases have been reported in world literature and all in children under 16 years of age. We present here a case of a 40-year-old man with malignant mesenchymoma of the retropharyngeal space. The clinical picture is that of progressive dysphagia, voice change, snoring and dyspnoea. CT scan showed a soft tissue space-occupying lesion of the retropharyngeal space which enhanced very well with intravenous contrast. The tumour was excised in toto and the patient given post-operative radiotherapy. Histopathology showed two unrelated differentiated tissue types (bone and fat) in addition to the fibrosarcomatous element thus satisfying Stout's criteria (Stout, 1948) for a diagnosis of malignant mesenchymoma.

Adult↗
PubMed1993

Distinct pathways to refill ACh-sensitive internal Ca2+ stores in canine airway smooth muscle.

The ability of extracellular Ca2+ to refill internal Ca2+ stores of canine tracheal smooth muscle after a prior depletion by acetylcholine (ACh) was assessed using a novel sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca2+ pump inhibitor, cyclopiazonic acid (CPA). The transient contraction induced by ACh in a medium free of Ca2+ was used as an index for the content of agonist-sensitive intracellular Ca2+ stores. CPA inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner the refilling of the stores occurring during high KCl stimulation, and this inhibitory effect was independent of the external Ca2+ concentration. On the other hand, CPA was less effective in inhibiting the refilling occurring during prolonged ACh stimulation, especially when external Ca2+ concentration was raised. At 5.0 mM external Ca2+ or when 0.1 microM BAY 8644 was present in the medium, CPA was ineffective in inhibiting the refilling occurring during prolonged ACh stimulation. The maximum ACh-induced contraction in Ca(2+)-containing medium was independent of the extent of internal store Ca2+ load in the absence of L-type Ca2+ channel blocker but was highly dependent on the extent of internal Ca2+ load in the presence of the Ca2+ channel blocker. Hyperpolarization of the plasma membrane with the K+ channel opener cromakalim reduced the amplitude of ACh tonic contraction. Subsequent addition of nifedipine further reduced ACh tonic contraction. It is concluded that two different pathways for external Ca2+ are used to refill ACh-sensitive internal stores. One involves active Ca2+ uptake via a CPA-sensitive Ca2+ pump, and the other involves a CPA-insensitive pathway whose nature remains to be determined.

3-Pyridinecarboxylic acid, 1,4-dihydro-2,6-dimethy↗
PubMed1993

Differential effects of putative protein kinase C inhibitors on contraction of rat aortic smooth muscle.

We investigated effects of three kinds of putative protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitors, calphostin C, 1-(5-isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-methylpiperazine (H-7), and stauro-sporine, on aortic muscle contractions induced by KCl, phenylephrine, 12-O-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), and phorbol 12, 13-dibutyrate (PDBu). Calphostin C noncompetitively inhibited TPA-induced contractions in a concentration-dependent manner. At 10(-6) M, calphostin C completely abolished responses to TPA and also effectively inhibited PDBu-induced contractions. Such a concentration of calphostin C had no effect on KCl-induced contractions but decreased the maximal tension of phenylephrine-induced response curve by 35.3 +/- 6.6% H-7 (10(-5) M had little effect on TPA-induced contraction but significantly inhibited contractile responses to phenylephrine and KCl. Staurosporine (10(-8) M, 3 x 10(-8) M) inhibited contractile responses to KCl, phenylephrine, and TPA. We suggest that staurosporine and H-7, which are known to act on the catalytic domain of PKC carrying high degree of sequence homology with other protein kinases, are relatively nonselective for PKC. On the other hand, calphostin C acting on the regulatory domain of PKC, which is distinct from other protein kinases, may serve as a relatively more selective PKC inhibitor.

1-(5-Isoquinolinesulfonyl)-2-Methylpiperazine↗
PubMed1993

Functional alterations in the aorta of the spontaneously hypertensive rat: pharmacological assessment with cyclopiazonic acid.

One of the changes in vascular smooth muscle membranes associated with hypertension is an alteration in Ca2+ handling. It has been unclear as to whether changes occurred at the plasma membrane or at the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) or both. Recently, cyclopiazonic acid (CPA) has been reported to inhibit selectively the ER Ca2+ pump. We aimed at determining the effect of ER Ca2+ pump inhibition by CPA on the contractility of aortic smooth muscle from 4- to 5-month-old SHR and age- and weight-matched WKY control rats. The responsiveness of the SHR tissues to phenylephrine or K+ was significantly reduced as compared with controls, although the sensitivity was not altered. Stimulation with phenylephrine (10 mumol/l) in Ca2(2+)-free medium caused a significantly reduced transient contraction in SHR as compared with control tissues. After pretreatment with CPA (30 mumol/l), this contraction was suppressed in SHR and WKY tissues. On the restoration of Ca2+, CPA induced a nifedipine (5 mumol/l) sensitive contraction, significantly larger in SHR than in WKY tissues. The relaxation rate to nifedipine of K(+)-induced contraction in CPA-treated SHR tissue was also reduced. We conclude that the ER Ca2+ pump in SHR aorta is less effective as compared with WKY tissue. The significantly greater CPA-induced contraction together with the reduced relaxation rate in the presence of CPA in SHR tissues as compared with controls suggests that Ca2+ handling was also altered at the plasma membrane.

Animals↗
PubMed1993

Blocking T-type calcium channels with tetrandrine inhibits steroidogenesis in bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells.

Tetrandrine, an alkaloid extracted from a Chinese medicinal herb traditionally used in hypertension treatment, inhibited aldosterone production induced in bovine adrenal glomerulosa cells by either potassium ion, angiotensin II, or ACTH in a concentration-dependent manner (IC50 = 10 microM). The inhibition of the response to potassium by tetrandrine had a pattern very similar to that of nickel, a blocker of T-type calcium channels. In addition, tetrandrine prevented calcium influx induced by potassium or angiotensin II without affecting the calcium release phase stimulated by the hormone. The effect of tetrandrine on voltage-activated barium currents was investigated using the whole cell configuration of the patch clamp technique. T-type currents were isolated by recording the slowly deactivating currents elicited during repolarization of the cell to -65 mV after various depolarizing pulses. These currents were blocked by micromolar concentrations of the drug. The voltage sensitivity of channel activation was not affected by tetrandrine; nevertheless, the drug significantly slowed the deactivation of the current. The action of tetrandrine did not require the activation of the channel. Tetrandrine also affected L-type currents, as assessed after inactivating T channels for 100 msec, but at higher concentrations of the drug. Thus, tetrandrine affects with a similar potency aldosterone production, calcium influx, and T-type calcium channel activity. This finding strongly suggests a role for these channels in calcium signaling and control of steroidogenesis in adrenal glomerulosa cells.

Adrenocorticotropic Hormone↗
PubMed1993

Rauwolscine induces contraction in the dog mesenteric artery precontracted with KCl and endothelin-1: mediation via 5-hydroxytryptamine1-like receptors.

Rauwolscine, a selective alpha-2 adrenoceptor antagonist, elicited a sustained contraction in the dog mesenteric artery precontracted with 20 mM KCl or 10(-9) M endothelin-1. Cumulative concentration-response curves to rauwolscine were not shifted by spiperone, propranolol, pindolol, mianserin, ketanserin, prazosin or phenoxybenzamine at the concentration of 10(-6) M. The pA2 values against rauwolscine were 8.34 +/- 0.32 for methysergide, 8.52 +/- 0.22 for methiothepin and 5.84 +/- 0.27 for phentolamine, which were in good agreement with the pA2 values for those antagonists against 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) in the dog mesenteric artery precontracted with 20 mM KCl. Contractile responses to 5-HT after pretreatment with 20 mM KCl were antagonized in an apparently competitive manner by 10(-5) M rauwolscine. In the absence of precontraction, rauwolscine also shifted 5-HT-induced contractions in a parallel manner. These data suggest that rauwolscine is a partial agonist with a lower intrinsic activity than 5-HT and acts at the same 5-HT1-like receptors as 5-HT, most probably 5-HT1D receptors, in the dog mesenteric artery precontracted with KCl.

8-Hydroxy-2-(di-n-propylamino)tetralin↗
PubMed1993

Cyclopiazonic acid causes endothelium-dependent relaxation in rat aorta.

The effects of cyclopiazonic acid (CPA), a selective inhibitor of Ca(2+)-pump ATPase for endoplasmic reticulum (ER), on the contractility of rat aorta with and without intact endothelium were studied to investigate the possible involvement of endothelial ER Ca(2+)-pump in the release of endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDRF), which is known to cause vascular relaxation or inhibition of phenylephrine (PE)-precontracted aorta. When added to the organ bath cumulatively, CPA concentration-dependently caused gradual development of contraction, which was much less in aortic rings with intact endothelium than in endothelium-denuded aortic rings. But CPA at low concentrations (1-3 mumol.L-1) induced vascular relaxation when added to PE (3 mumol.L-1)-precontracted aortic rings with intact endothelium, but not in denuded aortic rings. This relaxant effect of CPA is very similar to the effect of acetylcholine (ACh), which is well recognized to be mediated by the release of EDRF from the endothelium. NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, completely prevented the vascular relaxation induced by CPA or ACh and the inhibitory effect of L-NAME was partially reversed by L-arginine (L-Arg). Treatment of the aortic rings with nifedipine (Nif) 0.3 mumol.L-1 did not affect the relaxant effect of ACh or CPA on PE-induced contraction indicating that the Ca(2+)-entry to the endothelial cells as a result of receptor activation by ACh or ER Ca(2+)-pump inhibition by CPA was via channels other than L-type Ca2+ channels.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Acetylcholine↗
PubMed1992

Pharmacological assessment of Ca2+ dependence of endothelin-1-induced response in rat aorta.

In rat aorta, endothelin-1 (ET-1) induced a slowly developing and sustained contraction in Ca(2+)-containing normal Krebs, nominally Ca(2+)-free Krebs, and Ca(2+)-free Krebs containing EGTA with a decreasing level of contraction. When ET-1-precontracted tissues were washed with Ca(2+)-free Krebs +50 microM EGTA, the tissues spontaneously and slowly relaxed. Readministration of Ca2+ during the early spontaneous relaxation phase caused a rapidly developing tonic contraction. When added during the late spontaneous relaxation phase, Ca2+ evoked slowly developing or, sometimes, biphasic contractions. In the presence of sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-pump inhibitor, cyclopiazonic acid, the above biphasic contraction brought about by readministration of Ca2+ converted to a rapidly developing monophasic response. Thus, the first component of the biphasic contraction may be due to refilling of ET-1-sensitive Ca2+ store via the internal membrane Ca(2+)-pump. Furthermore, the ability of the phenylephrine-sensitive pool of internal Ca2+ to refill in the presence of 10(-8) M ET-1 suggests that the phenylephrine-sensitive pool differs from ET-1-sensitive pool and cannot be depleted by ET-1.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Actions of vasopressin and the Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibitor, thapsigargin, on Ca2+ signaling in hepatocytes.

When hepatocytes were loaded with fura-2 by incubation with the acetoxymethyl ester (fura-2/AM), addition of Mn2+ resulted in a rapid quench of a fraction of cellular fura-2 fluorescence. Addition of vasopressin caused a second, rapid quench of cellular fura-2, whereas the addition of thapsigargin had no effect. When hepatocytes were loaded by microinjection of fura-2 acid, addition of Mn2+ caused a slower, sustained rate of quench, and both vasopressin and thapsigargin increased this rate of quench. When Mn2+ was removed from the medium of fura-2/AM-loaded cells after preincubation with Mn2+, vasopressin still caused quench of cellular fura-2. In contrast, neither vasopressin nor thapsigargin increased fura-2 quench when Mn2+ was removed from fura-2-injected cells. When fura-2/AM-loaded cells were permeabilized with saponin, only a fraction of the cell-associated fura-2 was quenched by addition of Mn2+. A second fraction was then quenched by addition of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate. These results indicate that in hepatocytes loaded with the acetoxymethyl ester of fura-2, the increased quench of cellular fura-2 seen with phospholipase C-linked agonists is not due to effects of the agonist on Mn2+ entry across the plasma membrane, but rather is due to agonist activation of Mn2+ penetration into an intracellular organelle, presumably through inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate-regulated channels. Thus, it appears that compartmentalization of fura-2 accounts for previously reported anomalies in Ca2+ signaling in hepatocytes, such as the apparent failure of Ca(2+)-ATPase inhibition to increase divalent cation entry, as well as the apparent ability of phospholipase C-linked agonists to stimulate efflux of Ca2+.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Participation of protein kinase C in endothelin-1-induced contraction in rat aorta: studies with a new tool, calphostin C.

1. Calphostin C at 10(-6) M was shown to be selective and highly effective in inhibiting contractile responses of rat aortae to 12-o-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate, while it had no effect on contractile responses to elevated KCl. 2. In the rat aorta, endothelin-1 (ET-1) developed a sustained tonic contraction dose-dependently in both normal Ca(2+)-containing Krebs and Ca(2+)-free Krebs containing 1 mM EGTA. Calphostin C (10(-6) M), a selective protein kinase C inhibitor, antagonized the maximal tensions for cumulative addition of 10(-8) M ET-1 by 13.2% in Ca(2+)-containing medium and 25.8% in Ca(2+)-free Krebs containing 1 mM EGTA. 3. In both Ca(2+)-containing medium and Ca(2+)-free Krebs containing 1 mM EGTA, precontraction with 10(-8) M ET-1 had no effects on the contractile response to subsequently added 10(-6) M 12-o-tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate (TPA), an activator of protein kinase C. 4. In Ca(2+)-free Krebs containing 1 mM EGTA, precontraction with 10(-6) M TPA potentiated the contractile response to subsequently added 10(-8) M ET-1, whereas this potentiation was abolished by pretreatment with 10(-6) M calphostin C. The mechanism of the TPA-induced potentiating effect remains to be determined. 5. These results suggest that the participation of protein kinase C in the 10(-8) M ET-1-induced contraction may be 13.2% and 25.8% in the presence and absence of extracellular Ca2+, respectively, and that mechanisms other than protein kinase C may be predominantly responsible for ET-1-induced tonic contraction.

Animals↗
PubMed1992

Signal transduction in smooth muscle as studied by the subcellular membrane approach.

Many of the contractile regulatory events in smooth muscle reside in various cellular membrane components as functional membrane constituents that interact in a variably complex manner. The physiological handling of ionized calcium (Ca2+), which serves multiple roles as an extracellular signal, a second messenger, and an activator interacting directly with myofilaments to effectuate contractile responses, referred to as Ca2+ signalling processes, represents an integral part of a more complicated membrane transduction mechanism. The subcellular membrane approach toward the understanding of Ca2+ signalling as well as the transduction mechanisms involving membrane receptors, GTP binding proteins, ion channels, membrane-bound enzymes, and the production of intracellular second messengers has made a significant contribution in smooth muscle research for the past decade. This review summarizes the current state of knowledge about the multiplicity of interactions between Ca2+ and various membrane constituents in the surface membranes and sarcoplasmic reticulum, such as Ca2+ binding, Ca2+ ATPase pumps, Ca2+ channels, and Ca2+Na+ or related ion exchangers. A number of recent novel findings from this laboratory have also been discussed. First of all, the technical refinement of membrane separation and characterization, which permits better identification of neuronal membranes in highly innervated smooth muscle tissues, led to the distinction of prejunctional and postjunctional membrane receptors. Secondly, unlike the Ca(2+)-release channels labelled with [3H]inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, the other type of internal membrane Ca(2+)-release channels labelled by [3H]ryanodine has been identified only recently in smooth muscle.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals↗