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Biomedical subjects

U Gerecke

Publications and source records attributed to U Gerecke.

8 recordsLinked to original sources
PubMed1996

Urinary NO3- excretion as an indicator of nitric oxide formation in vivo during oral administration of L-arginine or L-name in rats.

1. Endothelium-derived nitric oxide (NO), a major modulator of vascular tone, is synthesized from the terminal guanidino nitrogen of L-arginine. This reaction is inhibited by analogues of L-arginine, such as N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME). Many of the biological effects of NO are mediated by the second messenger cGMP. NO is rapidly oxidized to NO3-, which, like cGMP, is eliminated via excretion into the urine. In a placebo controlled study, we investigated whether oral bolus administration of L-arginine and L-NAME affects the urinary excretion rates of NO3- and cGMP in Munich Wistar Frommter (MWF) rats. 2. Twenty MWF rats were kept in metabolic cages and received L-arginine (3 g/kg bodyweight), L-NAME (50 mg/kg), or placebo (0.9% saline) in randomized order. Urine samples were sequentially collected for 10 h and analysed for creatinine, NO3- and cGMP. 3. L-Arginine inducted a slight, but prolonged increase in urine flow, whereas L-NAME induced an early, transient increase in urine flow which was followed by a decrease. Creatinine clearance decreased by 65% after L-NAME, but was not affected by L-arginine or placebo. 4. Urinary NO3- and cGMP excretion rates transiently increased after L-arginine (NO3-: + 29%; cGMP: +16%) for 4-5 h, whereas L-NAME induced an immediate, pronounced and lasting inhibition of urinary NO3- and cGMP excretion (NO3-: -76%; cGMP: -46%). Urinary NO3- and cGMP excretions were significantly correlated (r = 0.755; P < 0.001). 5. Urinary excretion rates of NO3- and cGMP, expressed as mu mol/h, were correlated to urine flow (mL/h; r = 0.617 and 0.649, respectively; both P < 0.05), whereas after correction by urinary creatinine (mu mol/mmol creatinine) no correlation with urine flow was observed, indicating that these excretion rates were independent of renal excretory function. Thus we conclude that changes in the urinary excretion rates of NO3- and cGMP represent changes in NO production rates in vivo when expressed in relation to urinary creatinine. Urinary NO3- and cGMP excretion is modulated by acute NO synthase inhibition or substrate provision.

Animals↗
PubMed1995

Dose-dependent anticonvulsant and proconvulsant effects of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors on seizure threshold in a cortical stimulation model in rats.

In the central nervous system, nitric oxide (NO) is increasingly being considered as a trans-synaptic retrograde messenger, being involved for instance in cellular responses to stimulation of glutamate receptors of the NMDA subtype. Thus, compounds that modify NO production, such as NO synthase inhibitors, may provide a means of altering NMDA receptor function. The functional consequences of NO synthase inhibition are, however, complicated by the fact that NO not only serves as a messenger to activate guanylyl cyclase and so to raise cGMP in target cells in response to NMDA receptor stimulation but also to induce feedback inhibition of the NMDA receptor via a redox modulatory site on the receptor complex. This may explain the contrasting results obtained previously with NO synthase inhibitors in animal models of ischaemia and seizures. In the present study, we tried to resolve the reported discrepancies about the effects of NO synthase inhibitors in seizure models by studying such drugs at various doses in a novel model of cortical seizure threshold. In this model, the threshold for seizures in rats is determined at short time intervals by applying ramp-shaped electrical pulse-trains directly to the cerebral cortex, allowing one to determine the time course of anti- or proconvulsant drug effects in individual rats. Two NO synthase inhibitors, NG-nitro-L-arginine and NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, were compared with a clinically effective antiepileptic drug, i.e. valproate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Amino Acid Oxidoreductases↗
PubMed1994

Long-term administration of L-arginine, L-NAME, and the exogenous NO donor molsidomine modulates urinary nitrate and cGMP excretion in rats.

OBJECTIVE: The effects of long term oral administration of L-arginine, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl-ester (L-NAME), or molsidomine v placebo on blood pressure and the urinary excretion rates of NO3- and cyclic GMP were studied in Munich Wistar Frömter (MWF) rats. METHODS: L-arginine (2 g.kg-1 body weight, n = 8), NG-nitro-L-arginine methylester (L-NAME; 5 mg.kg-1, n = 8), or molsidomine (3 mg.kg-1, n = 8) were given in drinking water and compared with placebo (n = 8) over a period of five months. Urinary excretion rates of NO3- (by gas chromatography) and cyclic GMP (by radioimmunoassay) were assessed in monthly intervals, as well as systolic blood pressure (tail plethysmography). RESULTS: Mean basal blood pressure was 143.5(SEM 2.2) mm Hg. It was unaffected by L-arginine or molsidomine, but continuously and significantly increased during L-NAME treatment to 199.3(6.4) mm Hg (p < 0.05). Urinary excretion of NO3- increased by 20-41% v controls in L-arginine and molsidomine treated rats (p < 0.05), and decreased by 5-15% in L-NAME treated rats (p < 0.05). Urinary excretion of cyclic GMP increased by 9-38% v controls in the L-arginine and molsidomine treated groups and decreased by 5-20% in the L-NAME treated animals. Consistent with their higher blood pressure, L-NAME treated animals displayed cardiac hypertrophy. CONCLUSIONS: Determination of urinary NO3- excretion by gas chromatography is a sensitive and specific method to assess NO formation in vivo. Long term oral administration of L-arginine in MWF rats increases NO production (as assessed by the urinary excretion rates of NO3- and cyclic GMP), but does not significantly influence systolic blood pressure, whereas L-NAME induces sustained hypertension and cardiac hypertrophy due to inhibition of NO formation.

Animals↗
PubMed1990

[Acute hemodynamic effects of adriamycin].

Several authors reported about acute haemodynamic effects of ADM years ago. We studied this problem in five patients in the invasive and noninvasive way and thus obtained the most important haemodynamic parameters. Acute haemodynamic effects in the meaning of a negative inotropy and vasodilatation are confirmed. The usual intravenous injection does not avoid the decrease of important haemodynamic parameters (SV, SWI, CI) even though injected over ten minutes. Possible infarction and complications during the injection may be the result of decrease of perfusion pressure in the meaning of a "steal phenomenon".

Depression, Chemical↗
PubMed1981

[Hemodynamic parameters determined by impedance cardiography in hyperthyroidism].

The impedance-cardiography renders possible the recognition of central haemodynamic parameters on an unbloody way. For the judgment of the method 18 female patients with hyperthyreosis were examined before and during the thyreostatic treatment. At the same time the systolic time intervals were estimated and the results from the two methods were compared. Apart from the abbreviation of PEP and the decrease of the contractility index PEP/LVET the increase of the cardiac index and the reduction of the resistance index indicate the thyreotoxic effect on the cardiovascular system.

Cardiac Output↗