Biomedical subjects
Simon J Dunmore
Publications and source records attributed to Simon J Dunmore.
Lipopolysaccharide induces nitric oxide synthase expression and platelet-activating factor increases nitric oxide production in human fetal membranes in culture.
BACKGROUND: Platelet-activating factor and nitric oxide may be involved in the initiation of human labour as inflammatory mediators. The aim of this study was to test whether platelet-activating factor and lipopolysaccharide were able to induce nitric oxide synthase expression and stimulate the production of nitric oxide in human fetal membrane explants in culture. METHODS: Fetal membranes were collected from Caesarean sections at term. RNA was extracted from membranes and subjected to a qualitative RT-PCR to assess the baseline expression of iNOS. Discs of fetal membranes were cultured for 24 hours in the presence of platelet-activating factor at a dose range of 0.1 nanomolar--1 micomolar or 1 microgram/ml lipopolysaccharide. Nitric oxide production was measured via nitrite ions in the culture medium and mRNA for iNOS was detected by RT-PCR. RESULTS: Culturing the membrane discs in medium containing serum induced nitric oxide synthase expression and platelet-activating factor significantly stimulated the production of nitric oxide under these conditions. When cultured without serum inducible nitric oxide synthase expression was induced by lipopolysaccharide, but not by platelet-activating factor. CONCLUSION: Platelet-activating factor may have a role in the initiation of labour, at term or preterm, via the increased local production of nitric oxide as an inflammatory mediator. In this model of intrauterine infection, lipopolysaccharide was found to induce iNOS expression by fetal membranes, and this mechanism could be involved in preterm labour.
Glucose induces and leptin decreases expression of uncoupling protein-2 mRNA in human islets.
Elevated islet uncoupling protein-2 (UCP-2) impairs beta-cell function and UCP-2 may be increased in clinical obesity and diabetes. We investigated the effects of glucose and leptin on UCP-2 expression in isolated human islets. Human islets were incubated for 24 h with glucose (5.5-22 mmol/l)+/-leptin (0-10 nmol/l). Some islet batches were incubated at high (22 mmol/l), and subsequently lower (5.5 mmol/l), glucose to assess reversibility of effects. Leptin effects on insulin release were also measured. Glucose dose-dependently increased UCP-2 expression in all islet batches, maximally by three-fold. This was not fully reversed by subsequently reduced glucose levels. Leptin decreased UCP-2 expression by up to 75%, and maximally inhibited insulin release by 47%, at 22 mmol/l glucose. This is the first report of UCP-2 expression in human islets and provides novel evidence of its role in the loss of beta-cell function in diabetes.