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N Selve

Publications and source records attributed to N Selve.

13 recordsLinked to original sources

Antinociceptive effect of intrathecally administered P2-purinoceptor antagonists in rats.

To investigate whether ATP participates in spinal nociceptive transmission, effects of intrathecally applied P2-purinoceptor antagonists and agonists in the tail-flick and the formalin test were studied in rats. In the tail-flick assay, the P2 antagonists suramin (12-120 micrograms), Evans blue (0.1-10 micrograms), Trypan blue (1-30 micrograms) and Reactive blue 2 (1-30 micrograms) but not pyridoxalphosphate-6-azophenyl-2',4'-disulfonic acid (PPADS; 0.03-30 micrograms) caused moderate antinociception up to a doubling of the response latency. In contrast, the P2 agonists alpha,beta-methylene ATP (alpha,beta-mATP, 0.3-30 micrograms) and 2-methylthio-ATP (3-30 micrograms) decreased the tail-flick latency by up to about 50%. When co-injected with alpha,beta-mATP, suramin (120 micrograms) or Evans blue (10 micrograms) prevented the effect of alpha,beta-mATP 3 micrograms but not of alpha,beta-mATP 30 micrograms. In the formalin test, pretreatment with suramin (3-90 micrograms) 60 min prior to testing caused significant antinociception by decreasing the weighted pain intensity score by up to about 80%. alpha,beta-mATP (30 micrograms), applied 30 min prior to testing, was without effect. The results indicate that endogenous ATP, acting through P2-purinoceptors, may contribute to nociceptive information processing in the spinal cord.

Adenosine Triphosphate

Absence of emetic effects of morphine and loperamide in Suncus murinus.

The house musk shrew Suncus murinus recently has been introduced for the study of emesis. We investigated the emetic effects of the opioids morphine (0.1-21.5 mg/kg i.p.) and loperamide (0.01-10 mg/kg i.p.) and found a complete lack of emetogenic potential. Nicotine, however, dose dependently induced vomiting in the Suncus with an ED50 of 8.8 mg/kg s.c. and a 100% incidence at 20 mg/kg. This drug-induced vomiting was reduced by morphine or loperamide: ED50 values obtained were 1.2 mg/kg i.p. for morphine and 0.7 mg/kg i.p. for loperamide. Naloxone (2 mg/kg s.c.) antagonised the inhibitory effect of morphine (2 mg/kg i.p.) or loperamide (10 mg/kg i.p.). Serotonin (20 mg/kg s.c.) had less reliable emetogenic potency than nicotine in the Suncus with incidences between 50 and 100%. However, the serotonin-induced vomiting was abolished by morphine and loperamide and this inhibition was antagonised by naloxone. These results suggest that systemically administered opioids are pure antiemetics in Suncus murinus in contrast to other animal models and man. Naloxone antagonism indicates that this antiemetic effect is mediated by opioid receptors.

Animals

Spinal antinociception by morphine in rats is antagonised by galanin receptor antagonists.

Galanin, a 29 amino acid peptide, has been reported to possess antinociceptive properties at the spinal site and to potentiate opioid-induced antinociception. Our aim was to investigate whether also endogenous galanin interacts with an exogenously administered opioid, morphine, in the rat spinal cord. This question was investigated by use of the recently developed galanin receptor antagonists galantide [M-15, galanin-(1-13)-substance P-(5-11) amide] and M-35 [galanin-(1-13)-bradykinin-(2-9) amide]. Nociception was assessed in the rat tail-flick test using radiant heat and the rat Randall-Selitto model of inflammatory pain using vocalization as the nociceptive criterion. Intrathecal (i.t.) injections were performed in rats under either anaesthesia. Morphine was administered either i.t. or intraperitoneally (i.p.), and the antagonists were injected i.t. [125I]Galanin binding experiments were performed on crude synaptosomal membranes of the rat spinal cord. In the rat tail-flick test, i.t. injection of 3 micrograms morphine evoked antinociception of about 75% of the maximal possible effect (% MPE). Co-injection of either 2 micrograms galantide or 2 micrograms M-35 with morphine almost completely abolished the antinociceptive effect of morphine. I.p. injection of 2.15 mg/kg morphine elicited about 80% MPE when given 10 min prior to i.t. saline injection. Injection of the antagonists instead of saline antagonised the antinociceptive effect of morphine partially thus showing the spinal proportion of the overall antinociceptive effect. In the rat Randall-Selitto test, 3 micrograms morphine, injected i.t., produced antinociception of almost 100% MPE.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Animals

Increased urinary nitrate excretion in rats with adjuvant arthritis.

OBJECTIVES: In rats with adjuvant arthritis measurements were taken of the urinary excretion of nitrate, reflecting endogenous nitric oxide (NO) formation, and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP). METHODS: Urinary nitrate was determined by gas chromatography, cGMP by radioimmunoassay. RESULTS: A significant (p < 0.001), more than three fold increase of urinary nitrate excretion was found in rats 20 days after induction of adjuvant arthritis compared with non-arthritic rats. There was no significant difference in urinary cGMP excretion between arthritic rats and control animals. CONCLUSION: The data suggest that the dramatic increase of urinary nitrate excretion is due to increase of NO synthesis by the inducible form of NO synthase.

Animals

Chronic intrajejunal TNBS application in TNBS-sensitized rats: a new model of chronic inflammatory bowel diseases.

An enteritis, based on a delayed-type hypersensitivity reaction, was induced in TNBS (2,4,4-trinitrobenzenesulfonic acid) sensitized rats by intrajejunal challenge with TNBS. This treatment induced a chronic inflammation of the distal small intestine, characterized by gross hyperaemia and oedema, as assessed by a macroscopic score. Histologically, the inflammatory response included cell infiltration by lymphocytes and histiocytes, a transmural granulomatous inflammation with multinucleated cells and activated mesenteric lymph nodes. Drug treatment with sulfasalazine or 5-aminosalicylic acid improved enteritis score. The applicability and relevance of this new model is discussed in relation to drug development and basic research of inflammatory bowel diseases.

Aminosalicylic Acids

EM 405: a new compound with analgesic and anti-inflammatory properties and no gastrointestinal side-effects.

EM 405 has analgesic and antitussive effects, probably exerted by noradrenaline uptake inhibition and local anaesthetic actions. It showed anti-inflammatory, which may be due to anti-histaminic and indirect sympathomimetic properties. As oral application of EM 405 did not induce gastrointestinal side effects a possible ulcer preventing action was investigated. EM 405 reduced gastric ulcers induced by ethnology or indomethacin with ED50 values of 45 and 26 mg/kg p.o. Stress-induced ulcer was inhibited with an ED50 of 34 mg/kg. EM 405 reduced basal and stimulated gastric secretion by reducing volume as well as H(+)- and Cl(-)-production. Therefore ulcer prevention by EM 405 may be explained by its inhibitory effects on gastric secretion. The results characterise EM 405 as a novel anti-inflammatory compound with ulcer-protective action.

Animals

pH-dependent rate of formation of the gelsolin-actin complex from gelsolin and monomeric actin.

The assembly of gelsolin with actin was followed by the increase of the fluorescence intensity of a fluorescence label bound to actin. The time course of the formation of the gelsolin-actin complex in the presence of micromolar [Ca2+] could be quantitatively interpreted by a model in which one actin molecule binds slowly to gelsolin in a rate-determining step and subsequently a second actin molecule is bound at least 40 times more rapidly. The rate of binding of the first actin molecule to gelsolin was found to be remarkably slow and to depend on the pH. The rate constants of formation of the gelsolin-actin complex range from 1.5 X 10(4) M-1 s-1 at pH 8 to 7 X 10(4) M-1 s-1 at pH 6.

Actins

Rate constants and equilibrium constants for binding of the gelsolin-actin complex to the barbed ends of actin filaments in the presence and absence of calcium.

The equilibrium constant for binding of the gelsolin-actin complex to the barbed ends of actin filaments was measured by the depolymerizing effect of the gelsolin-actin complex on actin filaments. When the gelsolin-actin complex blocks monomer consumption at the lengthening barbed ends of treadmilling actin filaments, monomers continue to be produced at the shortening pointed ends until a new steady state is reached in which monomer production at the pointed ends is balanced by monomer consumption at the uncapped barbed ends. By using this effect the equilibrium constant for binding was determined to be about 1.5 X 10(10) M-1 in excess EGTA over total calcium (experimental conditions: 1 mM MgCl2, 100 mM KCl, pH 7.5, 37 degrees C). In the presence of Ca2+ the equilibrium constant was found to be in the range of or above 10(11) M-1. The rate constant of binding of the gelsolin-actin complex to the barbed ends was measured by inhibition of elongation of actin filaments. Nucleation of new filaments by the gelsolin-actin complex towards the pointed ends was prevented by keeping the monomer concentration below the critical monomer concentration of the pointed ends where the barbed ends of treadmilling actin filaments elongate and the pointed ends shorten. The gelsolin-actin complex was found to bind fourfold faster to the barbed ends in the presence of Ca2+ (10 X 10(6) M-1 s-1) than in excess EGTA (2.5 X 10(6) M-1 s-1). Dissociation of the gelsolin-actin complex from the barbed ends can be calculated to be rather slow. In excess EGTA the rate constant of dissociation is about 1.7 X 10(-4) s-1. In the presence of Ca2+ this dissociation rate constant is in the range of or below 10(-4) s-1.

Actins

Rate constant for capping of the barbed ends of actin filaments by the gelsolin-actin complex.

The rate of capping of actin filaments by the gelsolin-actin complex was measured by inhibition of elongation of the barbed ends of actin filaments. Polymeric actin (0.1-1.0 microM) was added to 0.5 microM monomeric actin and various concentrations of the gelsolin-actin complex (0.08-2.4 nM) to induce nucleated polymerization. As under the experimental conditions (2 mM MgCl2, 100 mM KCl, 37 degrees C, actin monomer concentration less than or equal to 0.5 microM) actin filaments treadmilled, filaments elongated only at the barbed ends and the gelsolin-actin complex did not nucleate actin filaments to polymerize towards the pointed ends. The rate of nucleated actin polymerization in the presence of the gelsolin-actin complex was quantitatively analyzed. The rate constant for capping of the barbed ends of actin filaments by the gelsolin-actin complex was found to be about 10(7) M-1 s-1.

Actins

Rate of treadmilling of actin filaments in vitro.

Actin filaments capped at the barbed ends were formed by polymerizing monomeric actin onto a gelsolin-actin complex. The rate of depolymerization and polymerization of the pointed ends was determined by diluting gelsolin-capped actin filaments into various concentrations of monomeric actin. Under the conditions of the experiments (100 mM-KCl, 2 mM-MgCl2 at 37 degrees C) the rate constant of dissociation of subunits both from a shortening and a lengthening filament was found to be 0.21 s-1. As the rate of dissociation of subunits from the slow pointed end determines the rate of treadmilling, it is concluded that actin filaments treadmill with a rate of about 2 micron/h.

Actin Cytoskeleton