Biomedical subjects
Publications and source records attributed to E Mularoni.
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The aim of our study was to investigate the mechanisms involved in hypoglycemia-induced platelet activation. Sixteen healthy male subjects received a 60-min intravenous infusion of human regular insulin at the rate of 64 mU . m-2 . min-1: throughout 150 min, we serially measured plasma concentrations of glucose, insulin, and counterregulatory hormones; platelet sensitivity to ADP, thrombin and platelet-activating factor; plasma concentrations of platelet markers for specific proteins of in vivo release reaction (beta-thromboglobulin and platelet factor 4). Our study showed that insulin-induced hypoglycemia causes a significant increase in platelet sensitivity to aggregating agents in vitro and a platelet release reaction in vivo. Hypoglycemia-induced platelet activation was not correlated with plasma glucose concentrations at nadir and occurred before the increase of plasma growth hormone and cortisol. To further elucidate the mechanisms of hypoglycemia-induced platelet activation, we incubated in vitro platelet-rich plasma (PRP) of seven fasting healthy subjects with the same concentrations of insulin, epinephrine, glucagon, growth hormone, and cortisol measured in vivo during insulin-induced hypoglycemia. Only epinephrine was able to increase platelet sensitivity to aggregating agents. To investigate the role of alpha-adrenergic receptors in this phenomenon, we also studied four healthy subjects on another occasion, repeating the above-described insulin infusion together with intravenous infusion of phentolamine (-15 to +150 min), 5 mg over 2 min followed by 500 micrograms/min. alpha-Blockade was able to suppress hypoglycemia-induced increase of platelet sensitivity to aggregating agents.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Tissue localization of immune complexes (IC) after infusion of synthetic platelet-activating factor (PAF) in rabbits was studied. Bovine serum albumin (BSA) was injected intravenously either before or after the infusion of synthetic PAF, later followed by the administration of anti-BSA antibodies over a 30-min period. Control rabbits received both BSA and anti-BSA antibodies, followed by lyso-PAF or saline-BSA instead of PAF. The infusion of PAF induced structural alterations in the heart, lung and kidney which were consistent with an increased vascular permeability. Deposits of BSA, IgG, and C3 were found in the heart, lung, and kidney of rabbits infused with PAF but not in control rabbits. In the liver of PAF-infused rabbits, immune deposits were only infrequently observed, whereas they were constantly present in the cardiac valves, thoracic aorta and at the bifurcation of the renal artery as they were in the control rabbits. These results suggest that PAF favors the localization of IC in the heart, lung and kidney vessels but does not influence the formation of immune deposits at the sites of turbulence of the blood flow.
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In the present study we investigated the influence of phentolamine and the phenothiazine compounds chlorpromazine and trifluoperazine on human platelet aggregation as well as the effect of the association of phentolamine and the phenothiazines on responses to adenosine diphosphate, collagen, thrombin, ionophore A23187 and phorbol-myristate acetate, release reaction, thromboxane B2 synthesis and intraplatelet cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels. Phentolamine and phenothiazines exerted a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on aggregation induced by different concentrations of adenosine diphosphate and decreased the response to other agonists; furthermore, the phenothiazines enhanced the inhibitory effects of phentolamine on aggregation and thromboxane B2 synthesis, without influencing intraplatelet cyclic adenosine monophosphate levels. Phorbol ester-induced platelet activation was also inhibited in a dose-dependent way by each compound and by an association of phentolamine and phenothiazines, suggesting that the antiplatelet properties of these compounds might also be ascribed to intracellular events.
In this study the in vitro influence of phentolamine on platelet aggregating responses, thromboxane B2 (TxB2) production and intraplatelet cyclic AMP (cAMP) content has been investigated. The drug exerts a dose-dependent inhibitory effect on aggregating response to ADP, PAF, collagen, thrombin, sodium arachidonate and ionophore A 23187. Inhibiting phentolamine concentrations prevent also platelet release reaction and TxB2 synthesis. No significant influence on intraplatelet cAMP levels has been observed. The pre-incubation with low concentrations of ionophore A 23187 overcomes phentolamine inhibition of collagen-induced platelet aggregation. Our results provide evidence that phentolamine modulates the human platelet function and that its effects could also be related to a decrease of Ca++ availability.
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Explore the source record for details and available documents.