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Biomedical subjects

W Buczko

Publications and source records attributed to W Buczko.

At least 19 recordsLinked to original sources

Ifenprodil influences changes in mouse behaviour related to acute and chronic ethanol administration.

The aim of the present study was to examine the influence of ifenprodil (a non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist which also blocks 5-HT3 receptors and alpha1-adrenoceptors) on the effects of ethanol in the mouse in vivo and to elucidate the role of various receptors in these actions. The ethanol (4 g/kg i.p.)-induced sleeping time was shortened by ifenprodil 1 mg/kg but was not affected by ifenprodil 0.3 mg/kg, the 5-HT3 receptor antagonist ondansetron 0.03 mg/kg and the non-competitive NMDA receptor antagonist MK-801 ((+)-5-methyl-10,11-dihydro-5H-dibenzo(a,d)cycloheptan-5,10-imine maleate) 0.01 mg/kg. Ifenprodil 10 mg/kg mimicked the alpha1-adrenoceptor antagonist prazosin 1 mg/kg in that it prolonged the hypnotic response to ethanol (no additive effect when both drugs were given in combination); this is compatible with an involvement of alpha1-adrenoceptors in this effect of ifenprodil. Chronic exposure to ethanol (7%) induced physical dependence. The severity of ethanol withdrawal was suppressed by ifenprodil 1 and 10 mg/kg. In conclusion, ifenprodil influences ethanol-related changes in mouse behaviour and may prove to be useful in the treatment of alcoholism.

Animals

Antithrombotic activity of losartan in two kidney, one clip hypertensive rats. A study on the mechanism of action.

The potential antithrombotic action of losartan, an AT1 receptor antagonist, administered to two-kidney, one-clip rats (2K1C) in an experimental model of venous thrombosis was evaluated. The involvement of nitric oxide (NO) in this effect was also studied. Venous stasis was induced by ligation of the vena cava. Losartan after single dose (10 mg/kg, p.o.) significantly reduced the venous thrombus growth. The antithrombotic action of losartan in 2K1C rats was abolished by N(G)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 30 mg/kg s.c.) and restored by L-arginine (1000 mg/kg s.c.). Platelet adhesion to fibrillar collagen significantly decreased after administration of losartan. No changes in primary hemostasis and platelet aggregation were observed. Moreover, coagulation parameters such as activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time and euglobulin clot lysis time were found unchanged after losartan administration either in systemic circulation or at the place of thrombus formation. Our results indicate that antithrombotic activity of losartan in 2K1C rats is NO--dependent; observed inhibition of platelet adhesion could also play a role in this phenomenon.

Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists

The role of endothelium in antithrombotic effect of the renin-angiotensin system blockade.

Drugs blocking the renin - angiotensin system, angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors and AT1 receptor antagonists, among many pharmacological effects may exert an antithrombotic action. The mechanisms, which mediate their antithrombotic activity are associated with enhanced nitric oxide and prostacyclin release or with attenuation of angiotensin II action (Fig. 1, 2). Nevertheless, endothelium plays an important role in this process linking the renin-angiotensin and fibrinolysis / coagulation systems.

Angiotensin II

A potent 5-hydroxytryptamine receptor (5-HT2A) antagonist, DV-7028, delays arterial thrombosis development in rats.

In our study, we demonstrated that DV-7028: (3-[2-[4-(4-fluorobenzoyl)piperidin-1-yl]ethyl]-6, 7,8,9-tetrahydro-2H-pyrido [1,2,-a]-1,3,5-triazine-2, 4(3H)-dione maleate)--a selective 5-HT2A receptor antagonist, inhibited thrombus formation in the arterial thrombosis model and was completely ineffective in the prevention of venous thrombosis in the rat. In washed platelets prelabelled with 3H-serotonin, DV-7028 inhibited, in a dose-dependent manner, the collagen-induced secretion of serotonin. However, the uptake of serotonin into platelets was not affected by this substance. Administration of DV-7028 also inhibited platelet aggregation in the whole blood and platelet-rich plasma (PRP) induced by collagen, and diminished serotonin-induced aggregation of rat platelets in the presence of a sensitizing but nonaggregating amount of ADP, whereas it did not modify aggregation in PRP when induced by ADP. DV-7028 caused a concentration-dependent, almost parallel shift to the right of the concentration-response to serotonin for its pressor effect in the rat perfused tail artery. The present data demonstrate that DV-7028 exhibits 5-HT2A receptor antagonistic properties in the rat cardiovascular system, exhibits antithrombotic effect in the model of arterial but not venous thrombosis in rats. These results constitute further evidence of the possible importance of serotonin as a mediator of platelet thrombosis in arteries. Moreover, they can provide a useful tool for the prevention of various thrombotic diseases.

Animals

Losartan inhibits experimental venous thrombosis in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

The potential antithrombotic action of losartan, the AT1 receptor antagonist, in an experimental model of venous thrombosis in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY) was tested. The involvement of nitric oxide and prostacyclin in this effect was also studied. Venous stasis was induced by ligation of the vena cava. Losartan, after administration of a single, hypotensive dose (10 mg/kg, p.o.), significantly reduced the thrombus weight in SHR but not in WKY. The antithrombotic activity of losartan in SHR was abolished by NG-nitro L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) (30 mg/kg s.c.) but not by indomethacin (2.5 mg/kg s.c.). No changes in primary hemostasis, platelet aggregation, coagulation parameters such as activated partial thromboplastin time, prothrombin time, euglobulin clot lysis time, and fibrinogen level, either in SHR or in WKY rats, were found. Our results indicate the NO-dependent mechanism in the antithrombotic effect of losartan on venous thrombosis in SHR.

Analysis of Variance

Long-term effects of erythropoietin on platelet serotonin storage and platelet aggregation in hemodialysis patients with reference to ketanserin treatment.

Correction of uremic platelet serotonin (5-HT) storage pool deficiency is one of the very early hemostatic effects of erythropoietin (Epo) therapy. In this work, platelet 5-HT with relation to primary hemostasis was studied in 15 hemodialysis patients treated with Epo for 8 months. Moreover, effects of ketanserin, a blocker of platelet and vascular smooth muscle cell 5-HT2A receptors, in these patients were followed. The parameters studied were compared with relevant values in healthy controls and in hemodialysis patients not treated with Epo, and remeasured in the long-term Epo patients after a 14-day oral ketanserin trial. Platelet 5-HT content in the eighth month of Epo therapy was not different from the one in untreated patients. Ristocetin- and collagen-induced platelet aggregation were enhanced in comparison with both control groups, as opposed to unaltered response to ADP and arachidonic acid. Fibrinogen concentration was lower than in the untreated group. An inverse correlation between ADP-induced platelet aggregation and the skin bleeding time (r=-0.536, p<0.05) and a positive one between the former and platelet 5-HT (r=0.644, p<0.01) were found. Platelet count correlated positively with both platelet 5-HT (r=0.823, p<0.0002) and ADP-induced platelet aggregation (r=0.596, p<0.02). Ketanserin produced a decrease in ristocetin-induced platelet aggregation, fibrinogen, and prolongation of the bleeding time. The first two of the changes correlated positively with their pre-ketanserin values (r=0.923, p<0.00001 and r=0.839, p< 0.0001, respectively). Post-ketanserin, positive correlations between depressed ristocetin- and arachidonic acid-induced platelet aggregation (r=0.760, p<0.005), and between collagen- and corresponding values of arachidonic acid- (r=0.622, p<0.02), ADP-induced platelet aggregation (r=0.396, p<0.01), and platelet 5-HT (r=0.654, p<0.05) were found. Efficient hemostasis in hemodialysis patients on protracted Epo therapy is, in part, dependent on enhanced platelet aggregability. Correction of platelet 5-HT storage pool deficiency is not evident in this stage but 5-HT still influences complex mechanisms of primary hemostasis. Ketanserin is of anticoagulant value in these patients but its effects must be weighted against possible exacerbation of the anemia.

Adolescent

Vascular and cardiac effects of DV-7028, a selective, 5-HT2-receptor antagonist in rats.

The effect of 5HT2A-receptor antagonist DV-7028 (3-[2-[4-(4-fluorobenzoyl)piperidin-1-yl]ethyl]-6,7,8,9-tetrahydro - 2H-pyrido[1,2,-a]-1,3,5-triazine-2,4(3H)-dione maleate on the rat cardiovascular system was evaluated. DV-7028 (0.1 and 1.0 mg/kg), given intravenously, caused a significant, dose-dependent decrease in mean arterial blood pressure in anesthetized normotensive rats. In vagotomized rats, administration of DV-7028 resulted in a reduction of mean blood pressure, but this effect was less prominent than that seen in nonvagotomized rats. Intravenous administration of DV-7028 induced bradycardia, which was almost completely abolished by vagotomy. In pithed rats, bradycardia and hypotension were not demonstrated after DV-7028 administration. In pithed rats, serotonin administered intravenously caused a dose-dependent increase in blood pressure. In this experimental model, DV-7028 inhibited the pressor effects of serotonin at doses of 0.01 and 0.1 mg/kg, which caused neither hypotension nor bradycardia in anesthetized rats. DV-7028 strongly inhibited the pressor effects of serotonin in the isolated perfused hindlegs of the rat (IC50 = 0.032 +/- 0.004 microM) and caused a concentration-dependent, almost parallel shift to the right of the concentration-response curve to serotonin for its pressor effect in the rat perfused tail artery (pA2 value for DV-7028 was 7.92, a slope 0.94). These data demonstrate that DV-7028 exhibits 5-HT2A-receptor antagonistic property in the rat cardiovascular system. Besides this peripheral action, DV-7028, when applied in high doses, exerts hypotension and bradycardia via an unknown site and mechanism.

Animals

Phosphorothioate oligodeoxyribonucleotides antisense to PAI-1 mRNA increase fibrinolysis and modify experimental thrombosis in rats.

The effect of systemic inhibition of PAI-1 expression in rats by PS-16R, a phosphorothioate analogue of hexadecadeoxyribonucleotide complementary to a signal peptide coding sequence of rat PAI-1 mRNA, on PAI-1 activity in blood plasma and thrombus formation was studied in rat models for experimental thrombosis. In previous in vitro studies, oligonucleotides of PS-16R family have been shown to inhibit efficiently PAI-1 synthesis in endothelial cells by antisense mechanism. When PS-16R was administered intravenously as a single bolus injection (1 to 5 mg per rat), it produced a significant reduction in PAI-1 activity of blood plasma. This effect was both time- and concentration-dependent. Under the same conditions, three groups of rats were treated with control oligodeoxynucleotides such as PS-16R with double mismatches, with scrambled sequence, and an oligodeoxynucleotide with sense sequence (complementary to PS-16R), respectively. Based on these preliminary experiments, a low dose of 1.5 mg per rat was selected to produce approximately 20-30% reduction of PAI-1 activity in blood plasma and the effect of such a decrease in PAI-1 expression was tested on thrombus formation in two rat models for experimentally induced thrombosis. Such a limited decrease in PAI-1 activity produced a significant antithrombotic effect in the arterial thrombosis model. There was a profound delay in the occlusion time in rats treated with PS-16R when compared to control animals (80 +/- 3 and 55 +/- 3 h, respectively), although blood plasma activity of PAI-1 in the same groups of rats differed only by 20%. There was also a tendency to reduce both an incidence of venous thrombosis (58.33 and 68.11%, respectively) and thrombus weight (2.1 +/- 0.4 and 2.9 +/- 0.9 mg, respectively) in the animals treated with PS-16R. However, this effect was not significant. Thus, low dose of PS-16R through inhibition of PAI-1 synthesis in targeted cells in rats reduced PAI-1 activity in blood plasma and protected against arterial thrombus formation in the rat.

Animals

Nitric oxide and prostacyclin are involved in antithrombotic action of captopril in venous thrombosis in rats.

The long-term administration of captopril to patients with a left ventricular dysfunction after myocardial infarction reduces the rate of recurrent coronary thrombosis. Thus, in the present study we investigated the influence of angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACE-Is) on experimental venous thrombosis in normotensive rats and the involvement of NO and PGI2 in this effect. Animals were treated with captopril (1.5, 5 or 25 mg/kg twice daily, CAP), enalapril (15 mg/kg once daily, ENA) or distilled water for 10 days, per os. After ligation of the vena cava the thrombus weight decreased in both CAP and ENA treated rats. The effect was most pronounced in animals given the highest dose of CAP (p<0.0001 vs. control) and was significantly stronger than observed in ENA treated animals (CAP vs. ENA p<0.01). The mean blood pressure measured by the "tail cuff" method and platelet aggregation were not altered by either of the ACE-Is. The antithrombotic activity of CAP was reduced by indomethacin (2.5 mg/kg, s.c.) and independently by the NO-synthase inhibitor N(G)-nitro L-arginine methyl ester (3 mg/kg i.v. bolus + 3 mg/kg/h i.v. infusion, L-NAME). In the latter case CAP regained its antithrombotic properties in rats pretreated with L-Arginine (300 mg/kg i.v. + 300 mg/kg/h i.v.) before administration of L-NAME (p<0.05 vs. control). Moreover, the concomitant administration of indomethacin and L-NAME failed to completely abolish the antithrombotic action of captopril. Similar effects were observed in respect to the incidence of venous thrombosis. Our study documents a novel and important effect of ACE-Is on the vein thrombotic process and demonstrates the involvement of NO and PGI2 in this phenomenon.

Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Inhibitors

The antithrombotic effect of captopril and losartan on experimental arterial thrombosis in rats.

The mechanism by which ACE-Is (angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitors) reduces the rate of coronary thrombosis among patients with left ventricular dysfunction is not known. A potential interaction between the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) and the thrombotic process has been suggested. The goal of the present study was to evaluate the antithrombotic action of drugs which block the RAS by different mechanisms; captopril (50 mg/kg p.o.)-the angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor and losartan (30 mg/kg p.o.)-the selective AT1 receptor antagonist. The normotensive rats were treated in acute or chronic manner (7 days) and then the arterial thrombosis was induced by insertion of a loop-shaped cannula into the abdominal aorta. The occlusion time (the period during which the loop was totally occluded by thrombus) was significantly prolonged in comparison with the control groups after chronic treatment with captopril (by 46%; p < 0.01) and losartan (by 42%; p < 0.05). Our results provide experimental evidence that the drugs blocking RAS exert an antithrombotic effect in the arterial thrombosis model in rats. This effect was independent from changes in blood pressure and primary hemostasis.

Angiotensin Receptor Antagonists

[Erythropoietin and hypertension].

Hypertension is one of the adverse effects associated with recombinant human erythropoietin (rHuEPO) therapy for anaemia in hemodialysed patients. The incidence of hypertension is reported to be 10-15%. The exact mechanism of rHuEPO-induced hypertension has not been fully elucidated, although in this paper several theories have been presented.

Anemia

Inhibitory H3 receptors on sympathetic nerves of the pithed rat: activation by endogenous histamine and operation in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Our previous results demonstrate the occurrence of presynaptic inhibitory histamine H3 receptors on sympathetic neurons innervating resistance vessels of the pithed rat. The present study, in which new H3 receptor ligands with increased potency and selectivity (imetit, clobenpropit) were used, was designed to further explore the role of H3 receptors in the regulation of the rat cardiovascular system. In particular we were interested whether these receptors may be activated by endogenous histamine and whether they are detectable in an experimental model of hypertension. All experiments were performed on pithed and vagotomized rats treated with rauwolscine 1 mumol/kg. In normotensive Wistar rats the electrical (1 Hz, 1 ms, 50 V for 20 s) stimulation of the preganglionic sympathetic nerve fibres increased diastolic blood pressure by about 35 mmHg. Two H3 receptor agonists, R-(-)-alpha-methylhistamine and imetit, inhibited the electrically induced increase in diastolic blood pressure in a dose-dependent manner. The maximal effect (about 25%) was obtained for R-(-)-alpha-methylhistamine at about 10 mumol/kg and for imetit at about 1 mumol/kg. Two H3 receptor antagonists, thioperamide 1 mumol/kg and clobenpropit 0.1 mumol/kg, attenuated the inhibitory effect of imetit. The neurogenic vasopressor response was increased by about 15% by thioperamide 1 mumol/kg and clobenpropit 0.1 mumol/kg and decreased by 25% by the histamine methyltransferase inhibitor metoprine 37 mumol/kg. R-(-)-alpha-Methylhistamine, imetit, thioperamide, clobenpropit and metoprine did not affect the vasopressor response to exogenously added noradrenaline 0.01 mumol/kg (which increased diastolic blood pressure by about 40 mmHg). Metoprine had only a very low affinity for H3 binding sites (labelled by 3H-N alpha-methylhistamine; pKi 4.46). In pithed Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive (SHR) rats, electrical (1 Hz, 1 ms, 50 V for 10 s) stimulation increased diastolic blood pressure by 28 and 37 mmHg, respectively. Imetit inhibited the neurogenic vasopressor response to about the same extent in WKY and SHR rats (maximal effect of about 30%). The inhibitory influence of imetit was diminished by thioperamide 1 mumol/kg to about the same degree in rats of either strain. The present study confirms the occurrence of presynaptic H3 receptors on sympathetic nerve fibres involved in the inhibition of the neurogenic vasopressor response. Moreover, it demonstrates that these H3 receptors are probably activated by endogenous histamine and appear to be operative in hypertension.

Adrenergic Fibers

Prolongation of bleeding time by acute hemolysis in rats: a role for nitric oxide.

The present study was aimed at clarifying the interaction between red blood cell trauma and bleeding observed in some clinical conditions. Acute hemolysis provoked by distilled water injection was followed by a significant prolongation of the "template" bleeding time in rats. Comparable effects were observed after injection of an isotonic lysate of washed red blood cells. N omega-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), an inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) formation from L-arginine, normalized bleeding time when given to rats before hemolysis induction. The occurrence of hemolysis decreased ex vivo platelet adhesion to collagen without affecting platelet aggregation and induced a transient drop in blood pressure, the latter occurring during the first minute after injection. L-NAME pretreatment increased ex vivo platelet adhesion but did not affect either platelet aggregation or fall in blood pressure. All the effects of L-NAME were blunted by treating the animals with the NO precursor L-arginine but not D-arginine. Incubation of the erythrocyte lysate with apyrase prevented the prolongation of bleeding time induced by the hemolysate. Moreover, ADP administration, at doses that did not increase hemoglobin levels, induced effects similar to those observed after hemolysis (on template bleeding time and ex vivo platelet adhesion), which were also reversed by L-NAME and restored by L-arginine. ADP is abundantly released from (hemo)lysed red blood cells and is known to stimulate release of NO, a potent vasodilator and inhibitor of platelet adhesion. ADP-dependent NO release could be responsible for bleeding time prolongation, due to abnormalities in platelet-vessel wall interaction, during acute hemolysis. Lysis of white blood cells may also contribute to prolongation of bleeding time. Because ADP could not be detected in these cells, we postulate that other mechanisms also can be involved in bleeding time prolongation after blood cell activation in vivo.

Adenosine Diphosphate

The impact of transfer patients on Medicare inpatient cost per discharge.

The cost of inpatient transfer cases has concerned hospitals as well as rate-setters. Reform of transfer payment in Medicare's Prospective Payment System has been suggested to ensure access and adequate treatment for these cases in a period where inpatient revenue has been declining. This analysis indicates that both transfer cases received and cases transferred to other hospitals have above average costs per case but their impact on Medicare inpatient cost per discharge is smaller than that of variables such as case-mix, area wages and resident/bed ratio which are used directly in PPS payment. Evidence is provided indicating the desirability of reform of PPS payment methods for transfer cases.

Cost Control