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Biomedical subjects

Y Kasuya

Publications and source records attributed to Y Kasuya.

At least 37 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Vasodilator effects of clonidine on the mesenteric arterial beds in normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Clonidine, an alpha 2-agonist, caused a concentration-dependent vasodilation of the mesenteric arterial beds in both normotensive and hypertensive rats. The clonidine-induced vasodilation was inhibited by NG-nitro-L-arginine, and the inhibition was reversed by L-arginine. The concentration-dependent vasodilation was not significantly different between normotensive and hypertensive rats. These results suggest that clonidine has an endothelium-dependent vasorelaxant action in the resistance artery such as rat mesenteric arterial bed, and the endothelium-dependent vasodilator effects of clonidine in the mesentery may be involved in the depressor effect of the drug.

Animals

Antitussive effect of (+/-) pentazocine in diabetic mice is mediated by delta-sites, but not by mu- or kappa-opioid receptors.

The effects of streptozotocin-induced diabetes on the antitussive effect of (+/-) pentazocine were examined in mice. Intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) administration of (+/-) pentazocine produced a dose-dependent antitussive effect in both diabetic and non-diabetic mice. There were no significant differences in the antitussive effect of (+/-) pentazocine in diabetic and non-diabetic mice. The antitussive effect of i.c.v. (+/-) pentazocine was partially, but significantly, reduced in non-diabetic mice following pretreatment with either beta-funaltrexamine, a selective mu-opioid antagonist, or rimcazole, a specific sigma-site antagonist. The antitussive effect of (+/-) pentazocine in diabetic mice was significantly antagonized by pretreatment with rimcazole. However, beta-funaltrexamine had no effect on the antitussive effect of (+/-) pentazocine in diabetic mice. Furthermore, nor-binaltorphimine, a selective kappa-opioid receptor antagonist, had no significant effect on the antitussive effect of (+/-) pentazocine in either non-diabetic or diabetic mice. These results suggest that although the antitussive effect of i.c.v. (+/-) pentazocine in non-diabetic mice is mediated by both mu-opioid receptors and sigma-sites, in diabetic mice this effect is mainly mediated by sigma-sites.

Animals

Formalin-induced nociceptive responses in diabetic mice.

In non-diabetic mice, s.c. injection of formalin to the hindpaw had a biphasic effect: an immediate nociceptive response (first-phase) followed by a tonic response (second-phase). However, only the immediate nociceptive response was observed in diabetic mice. The duration of the first-phase response was significantly longer in diabetic mice than in non-diabetic mice. In diabetic mice, when spantide, an antagonist of substance P, reduced the duration of the nociceptive response in the first-phase to the levels that were observed in non-diabetic mice, the second-phase response appeared. The second phase also became apparent in diabetic mice after pretreatment with naltrindole (3 mg/kg), an antagonist of delta-opioid receptors. These results suggest that a negative control system, which is mediated by delta-opioid receptors and links substance P with somatostatin-mediated nociceptive transmission, may inhibit the formalin-induced second-phase of the nociceptive response in diabetic mice.

Analgesics

Delta-opiod receptor-mediated forced swimming stress-induced antinociception in the formalin test.

Forced swimming stress-induced antinociception (FSSIA) was assessed using the formalin test. Male ICR mice, weighing about 30 g, were forced to swim in water at 20 degrees C for 3 min. In unstressed mice, SC injection of formalin (0.5%) to the hindpaw caused a biphasic response: an immediate nociceptive response (first phase) followed by a tonic response (second phase). Although forced swimming stress (FSS) had no effect on the duration of the first-phase response, FSS significantly reduced the duration of the second-phase response. The effect of FSSIA on the second-phase response was blocked by naltrindole (1 mg/kg, SC), a selective delta-opioid receptor antagonist, but not by beta-funaltrexamine (20 mg/kg, SC), a selective mu-opioid receptor antagonist. These results indicate that FSS may selectively reduce the second phase of the formalin-induced nociceptive response, primarily through delta-opioid receptors.

Animals

The effect of chronic treatment with naltrindole, a selective delta-opioid antagonist, on mu-opioid receptor-mediated antinociception in diabetic mice.

The effects of chronic treatment with naltrindole (NTI), a selective delta-opioid receptor antagonist, on the antinociceptive effects of mu-opioid agonists, such as morphine and [D-Ala2, N-MePhe4, Gly-ol(5)]enkephalin (DAMGO) were examined in diabetic mice. Antinociception induced by morphine (10 micrograms, ICV) and DAMGO (0.5 microgram, ICV) was significantly lower in diabetic mice than in non-diabetic mice. The low sensitivities to the antinociceptive potencies of ICV morphine (10 micrograms) and DAMGO (0.5 micrograms) in diabetic mice were reversed compared with those in saline-treated non-diabetic mice when diabetic mice had been pretreated with NTI (2 mg/kg per day, SC) for 14 days. Naive mice which had been injected with spleen mononuclear cells from saline-treated diabetic mice were less sensitive to DAMGO-induced antinociception. However, adoptive transfer of spleen mononuclear cells from NTI-treated diabetic mice to naive mice had no effect on the recipients' antinociceptive sensitivity to DAMGO. These results suggest that the effect of NTI on the sensitivity to mu-opioid agonists in diabetic mice may be due to the immunosuppressive effects of NTI.

Analgesics

Cold water swim stress inhibits the nociceptive responses to intrathecally administered somatostatin, but not substance P.

The effects of cold water swim stress (CWSS) on the nociceptive responses to i.t. administered substance P (SP) and somatostatin (SST) were examined. Male ICR mice, weighing about 30 g, were forced to swim in water at 20 degrees C for 3 min. In unstressed mice, i.t. injection of SP (0.1 nmol) and SST (1 nmol), respectively, produced nociceptive-related behaviors. Although CWSS had no effect on the intensity of the SP-induced nociceptive responses, CWSS significantly reduced the intensity of the SST-induced nociceptive responses. The effect of CWSS on the SST-induced nociceptive responses was blocked by naloxone (5 mg/kg, s.c.) and naltrindole (1 mg/kg, s.c.), a selective delta-opioid receptor antagonist, but not by beta-funaltrexamine (20 mg/kg, s.c.), a selective mu-opioid receptor antagonist. These results indicate that CWSS may selectively reduce the SST-induced nociceptive responses primarily through delta-opioid receptors.

Animals

Nociceptive responses to intrathecally administered substance P and somatostatin in diabetic mice.

Male ICR mice were rendered diabetic by i.v. injection of streptozotocin. The nociceptive behavioral responses to i.t. injection of somatostatin (SST) but nor substance P (SP) were attenuated in diabetic mice compared with that in non-diabetic mice. Spantide, a SP receptor antagonist, enhanced the nociceptive response induced by i.t. SST in diabetic mice. Pretreatment of mice with SP reduced the SST-induced nociceptive response in non-diabetic mice. These results suggest that a endogenous antinociceptive system may exist which links SP with SST-mediated nociceptive transmission in the spinal cord. Furthermore, this endogenous antinociceptive system may be enhanced in diabetic mice.

Animals

Changes in contractile responses of the urinary bladder to substance P in streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats.

1. Functional changes in the urinary bladder obtained from streptozotocin-induced diabetic rats were investigated by determining the responsiveness of bladder strips to capsaicin or substance P (SP). 2. Contractile responses of detrusor strips of the urinary bladder in response to capsaicin were almost abolished in both diabetic rats and capsaicin-pretreated rats. 3. Maximal contractions of diabetic detrusor strips induced by SP were significantly increased when compared to age-matched controls. 4. In contrast to the contractile responses to SP, the density of SP receptors was significantly decreased in diabetic rats. 5. The increased contractile responses to SP were markedly decreased by treatment with indomethacin, OKY-046 or quinacrine, but not with nordihydroguaiaretic acid. 6. Contractile responses of detrusor strips to prostaglandin F2 alpha and E2 were unchanged in the diabetic state. 7. These results suggest that the increased contractile responses of detrusor strips of the bladder to SP in the diabetic state are due to increased synthesis of prostaglandins and/or thromboxane A2 via the increased activity of phospholipase A2 on the smooth muscle of the diabetic bladder.

Animals

Inhibitory effect of NZ-105, a 1,4-dihydropyridine derivative, on cyclic nucleotide phosphodiesterase activity.

The effects of NZ-105, a 1,4-dihydropyridine calcium antagonist, on the intracellular cyclic nucleotide system were investigated in-vitro. In rabbit isolated aorta, both NZ-105 (1 and 10 microM) and nicardipine significantly and in a concentration-dependent manner increased intracellular cyclic AMP and cyclic GMP content. NZ-105 inhibited bovine cardiac phosphodiesterase activity (Ki 30 microM) by competitive antagonism. The concentration ranges for inhibition were consistent with the range of increases in cyclic nucleotides.

1-Methyl-3-isobutylxanthine

Effects of mexiletine on formalin-induced nociceptive responses in mice.

We investigated the effect of mexiletine on the formalin-induced nociceptive response and its modulation by diabetes. We also investigated the effects of mexiletine on intrathecally-administered substance P- and somatostatin-induced nociceptive responses in both non-diabetic and diabetic mice. Intraperitoneal injection of mexiletine (30 mg/kg) significantly reduced the duration of the formalin-induced nociceptive response in both non-diabetic and diabetic mice. When mexiletine (30 mg/kg, i.p.) was injected 30 min before injection of substance P (SP), it significantly inhibited SP-induced nociceptive responses in both non-diabetic and diabetic mice. Furthermore, mexiletine also significantly inhibited the intensity of somatostatin (SST)-induced antinociceptive effect of mexiletine in diabetic mice involves the inhibition of SP- and SST-mediated nociceptive transmission in the spinal cord.

Animals

Involvement of haloperidol-sensitive sigma-sites in antitussive effects.

The effects of selective sigma-ligands on the capsaicin-induced cough reflex in rats were studied. Intraperitoneal injection of (+)-N-allylnormetazocine ((+)-SKF-10,047) and N,N'-di(ortho-tolyl)guanidine (DTG) in doses that ranged from 0.3 to 3.0 mg/kg decreased the number of coughs dose dependently. The antitussive effects of these sigma-ligands were significantly attenuated by pretreatment with haloperidol. Pretreatment with haloperidol also markedly reduced the antitussive effects of (+/-)-pentazocine and dextromethorphan. These results suggest that haloperidol-sensitive sigma-sites may be involved in the regulation of coughs.

Animals

Complete primary structure and tissue expression of chicken pectoralis M-protein.

M-Protein (165 kDa) is a structural constituent of myofibrillar M-band in striated muscle. We generated a monoclonal antibody which recognized a 165-kDa protein from chicken pectoralis muscle in immunoblot analysis and stained the M-band under immunofluorescence microscopy. By screening a lambda gt11 cDNA library from chicken embryonic pectoralis muscle with this antibody, we isolated a cDNA clone encoding the M-protein. Northern blot analysis showed that M-protein mRNA is expressed in pectoralis and cardiac muscle but not in gizzard smooth muscle or non-muscle tissues. Moreover, the anterior latissimus dorsi muscle, which consists almost exclusively of slow fiber types, contains no detectable levels of the mRNA. The full-length cDNA sequence predicted a 1,450-amino acid polypeptide with a calculated molecular weight of 163 x 10(3). The encoded protein contains several copies of two different repetitive motifs: five copies of fibronectin type III repeats are in the middle part of the predicted molecule, and two and four copies of the immunoglobulin C2-type repeats are located toward the NH2-terminal and COOH-terminal regions, respectively. This indicates that M-protein, along with other thick filament-associated proteins such as C-protein, twichin, and titin, belongs to the superfamily of cytoskeletal proteins with immunoglobulin/fibronectin repeats.

Amino Acid Sequence

Paradoxical analgesia produced by naloxone in diabetic mice is attributable to supersensitivity of delta-opioid receptors.

The effects of naloxone on the analgesic response were examined using the tail-flick test, in mice with streptozotocin-induced diabetes. Subcutaneous injection of naloxone (5 mg/kg, s.c.) produced a marked analgesia in diabetic mice but not in age-matched non-diabetic mice. Naloxone-induced analgesia in diabetic mice was significantly reduced by pretreatment with naltrindole (0.1 mg/kg, s.c.), a selective antagonist of delta-opioid receptors. By contrast, no significant naloxone-induced increase in tail-flick latency in diabetic mice was observed after chronic treatment with naloxone (5 mg/kg, s.c.) for 5 days. However, the tail-flick latency was significantly increased by chronic treatment with naloxone in non-diabetic mice. Furthermore, the significant naloxone-induced increase in tail-flick latency in non-diabetic mice that had been chronically treated with naloxone was also antagonized by pretreatment with naltrindole. Chronic pretreatment with 5 mg/kg of naloxone for 5 days markedly attenuated the analgesic effect of the delta-agonist DPDPE in diabetic mice, whereas this pretreatment significantly enhanced the effect of DPDPE in non-diabetic mice. These results suggest that naloxone-induced 'paradoxical' analgesia in mice may be mediated predominantly by delta-opioid receptors.

3,4-Dichloro-N-methyl-N-(2-(1-pyrrolidinyl)-cycloh

Stable isotope dilution mass spectrometry for the simultaneous determination of cortisol, cortisone, prednisolone and prednisone in plasma.

A capillary gas chromatographic-mass spectrometric method for the simultaneous determination of cortisol, cortisone, prednisolone and prednisone in human plasma is described. [1,1,19,19,19-2H5]Cortisol, [1,1,19,19,19-2H5]cortisone, [1,19,19,19-2H4]prednisolone and [1,19,19,19-2H4]prednisone were used as internal standards. Formation of the bismethylenedioxy-3-heptafluoro-n-butyryl (BMD-HFB) derivatives made possible the separation of the four corticosteroids with good gas chromatographic behaviour. The new double derivatization has been demonstrated to be of value for sensitive and selective quantification by this technique. Detection was performed by monitoring the molecular ion (M+) of the BMD-HFB derivatives for cortisone and prednisolone, the [M - 18]+ ion for cortisol, and the [M - 30]+ ion for prednisone. The method requires no complex corrections for contributions and provides good accuracy and precision.

Cortisone

Periaqueductal gray matter stimulation-produced analgesia in diabetic rats.

The effect of diabetes on periaqueductal gray matter (PAG) stimulation-produced analgesia (SPA) was examined in rats. PAG SPA was assessed using the tail-pinch test. PAG stimulation produced marked analgesia in both naive and diabetic rats. Furthermore, the degree of PAG SPA did not differ between naive and diabetic rats. PAG SPA was significantly attenuated by a low dose (0.5 mg/kg, s.c.) of naloxone in naive rats, but not in diabetic rats. However, a high dose (5 mg/kg, s.c.) of naloxone significantly and equally attenuated PAG SPA in both naive and diabetic rats. On the other hand, the analgesic potency of morphine (3 mg/kg, s.c.) was significantly reduced in diabetic rats as compared with naive rats. These results suggest that PAG SPA in diabetic rats may be mediated by different opioid receptor interactions as compared with naive rats.

Animals

Level of ETB receptor mRNA is down-regulated by endothelins through decreasing the intracellular stability of mRNA molecules.

Using ROS17/2 rat osteosarcoma cells as a model system, we examined the possibility that endothelin (ET)-induced down-regulation of ETB receptor was accompanied by a decrease in levels of ETB receptor mRNA. Northern blot analysis showed that low doses of ET-1 and ET-3 caused a transient decrease in ETB receptor mRNA in the cells. The maximum decrease in the levels of ETB receptor mRNA (80%) occurred after 2-4 h of exposure of the cells to ETs and was followed by a gradual recovery to control levels by 24 h. The effects were dose-dependent (EC50-1 nM), and ET-1 and ET-3 were almost equipotent in eliciting the response. The addition of either ionomycin, a Ca2+ ionophore, or phorbol dibutyrate, a protein kinase C activator, mimicked the effect of ETs. These results suggested that ETs-induced down-regulation of ETB receptor mRNA was mediated by the activation of ETB receptor and that it may have involved ETB receptor coupled second messenger pathways. We also showed that ETB receptor mRNA had a long intracellular life span which suggested that ETs-induced down-regulation of ETB receptor mRNA may have been due to a decrease in the stability of mRNA, rather than inactivation of the transcription of mRNA.

Animals

Action of endothelin-1 on rat astrocytes through the ETB receptor.

We investigated the effect of ET-1 on the state of rat cerebral astrocytes (AC) differentiation. AC ceased to proliferate and changed into its differentiated state by treatment with dibutyryl cyclic AMP (DBcAMP). The cell growth activity in DBcAMP-treated AC was stimulated by ET-1 in a dose-dependent manner. Over similar dose ranges, ET-1 suppressed the glutamine synthetase activity in DBcAMP-treated AC. The molar potency of ET-1 in this action was at least 3 orders of magnitude higher than that in mitogenic action in AC under the proliferative state previously reported. Northern blot analysis revealed that ETB receptor mRNA level in DBcAMP-treated AC was markedly higher than that in AC untreated with DBcAMP. Consistently, binding studies showed that the Bmax value for [125I]ET-1 in DBcAMP-treated AC was 16 times higher than that in AC untreated with DBcAMP. These results suggest that ET-1 potently induced a retraction of the differentiation state of AC from fully the specialized state and that the high responsiveness of differentiated AC to ET-1 was partly attributed to the high level expression of the ETB receptor.

Animals

Reversible stepwise mechanism involving a carbanion intermediate in the elimination of ammonia from L-histidine catalyzed by histidine ammonia-lyase.

L-Histidine labeled with deuterium at the C-5' position of the imidazole ring, L-[5'-2H]histidine (His-5'-D), was used as a probe for investigating a stepwise reversible mechanism via a carbanion intermediate in the elimination of ammonia catalyzed by histidine ammonia-lyase (EC 4.3.1.3). The labeled L-histidine (His-5'-D) (2.45 mM) was incubated with histidine ammonia-lyase (200 units) from Pseudomonas fluorescens at pH 7.0 or 9.0 at 25.0 degrees C for 24 h. The time course of the reaction was examined to determine the rates of enzyme-catalyzed hydrogen exchange at C-5' of L-histidine and urocanic acid. The finding of the enzyme-catalyzed hydrogen exchange at C-5' of both L-histidine and urocanic acid in the presence of L-histidine provided a rational explanation for a stepwise reversible mechanism via a carbanion intermediate in the elimination reaction. The rate of increase in the concentration of urocanic acid exchanged with hydrogen (UA-5'-H) did not depend on the formation rate of urocanic acid and UA-5'-H was continuously formed at a constant rate (25.6 microM/h) even after the completion of urocanic acid formation. These observations suggested the presence of the reversible reaction of urocanic acid and a carbanion intermediate. Since there was only a minor contribution for the formation of UA-5'-H from L-histidine exchanged with solvent hydrogen (His-5'-H), the main pathway in the enzymatic reaction of His-5'-D must be the formation of UA-5'-D via a carbanion intermediate (carbanion-D). Regeneration of the carbanion-D from UA-5'-D by its reverse reaction and subsequent hydrogen incorporation at C-5' would contribute to a large extent for the formation of UA-5'-H. The stability of carbanion was also demonstrated to be approximately three times higher at pH 7.0 than at pH 9.0.

Ammonia