Acta physiologica Academiae Scientiarum Hungaricae最新文献

The effect of the beta receptor blocker pindolol on survival was investigated in HgCl2 intoxicated dogs. A single injection of 100 microgram/kg b.w. pindolol intravenously (i.v.) caused a significant rise in urinary sodium excretion and a significant decrease of plasma renin activity (PRA) and urinary norepinephrine (NE) and epinephrine (E) excretion in control dogs. A single injection of 3 mg/kg HgCl2 i.v. resulted in death of the animals within 3-5 days. Pretreatment with the above dose of pindolol increased length of survival 4-8 days, two dogs recovering from acute renal failure (ARF). The degree of azotemia was smaller in the pretreated group than in the control dogs given HgCl2 only. Pindolol prevented the HgCl2 induced marked increases of urinary catecholamine excretion and PRA. These findings support the hypothesis that increased activity of the sympathetic nervous system is involved in the pathomechanism of the nephrotoxic model of ARF. Pindolol pretreatment decreases the severity of ARF though it can not prevent it.

The effect of a single dose of the cytotoxic drug cyclophosphamide on the severity of acute myocardial infarction in conscious rats has been studied. One and 4 days after the i.p. injection of 100 mg kg-1 of the drug, the survival rate of rats subjected to coronary ligation was significantly increased. The occurrence of fatal arrhythmias was markedly reduced. The peripheral white blood cell count was profoundly lowered. On the first day after pretreatment, moderate granulocytosis with severe lymphopenia occurred. Four days following the administration of cyclophosphamide, marked granulocytopenia also ensued. In this stage, restoration of white blood cell count by cell suspension prepared from the spleen of normal rats did not significantly affect the cardioprotective effect of cyclophosphamide. The data provide additional evidence that protein synthesis is involved in the early phase of myocardial infarction. The significance of leukocytes in the phenomenon is briefly discussed.

The different segments of the guinea pig vas deferens circular muscle exhibit differential response patterns upon pharmacological stimulation. Namely, apart from barium chloride, the affinity and intrinsic activity of certain agonists and the strength of maximum contractions they induce appear to decrease along the path from the epididymis toward the prostate. If one subdivides the vas deferens into 3 parts of equal length such as epididymal, medial and prostatic portions, then adrenaline, acetylcholine, acetyl-beta-methylcholine, dopamine, histamine and bradykinin induce contractions on each of the 3 parts; whereas tyramine, ephedrine elicit responses in the epididymal and medial portions; amphetamine, DMPP, serotonin and PGF2 alpha in turn provoking contractions exclusively on the epididymal portion. The effects of adrenaline and noradrenaline are blocked by phentolamine and tolazoline; the responses to acetylcholine, acetyl-beta-methylcholine and carbamyl-beta-methylcholine are antagonized by atropine over a specific concentration range. The effects of tyramine, ephedrine and amphetamine are inhibited by phentolamine in an remarkably low dose range (pA2 = 13.51 +/- 0.09; 14.54 +/- 0.31; 14.35 +/- 0.12). The situation was the same when tyramine-dibenamine and tyramine-phenoxybenzamine combinations were tested (pD'2 = 14.03 +/- 0.37; 13.26 +/- 0.03). Based on these findings the presence of a peculiar alpha adrenergic receptor is suggested on the sympathetic postganglionic fibres. In addition to the already identified alpha adrenergic, muscarinic cholinergic and histamine H1 receptors, we could show the presence of dopaminergic receptors too in the vas deferens circular muscle.

The effect of different doses of intracerebro-ventricularly administered cholecystokinin octapeptide sulphate ester (CCK-8-SE) was studied on dopamine (DA), norepinephrine (NE) and serotonin (5-HT) contents in the hypothalamus, mesencephalon, amygdala, septum and striatum, 10, 20 and 60 min following administration. The DA and NE content increased and the 5-HT content decreased in the hypothalamus and mesencephalon. A biphasic action was observed in the amygdala of DA, NE and 5-HT depending upon the time and doses used. Similar action was seen on DA and NE in the septum. In the striatum, the DA and 5-HT content decreased while the NE level first increased and then decreased. The data indicate that the CCK-8-SE is able to modify the activity of DA, NE and 5-HT in different brain regions in a time and dose-dependent manner, with a local specific action.

The role of membrane processes in the activation of skeletal muscle fibers has been investigated in details recently. It seems very probable that the intramembrane charge movement is the potential sensitive step of the excitation-contraction coupling. Considerable efforts were made to monitor the subsequent steps (SR function, Ca release) using optical methods. Experimental data were presented about the relations existing between charge movement process, Ca release and contraction threshold.

Hypothalamic PGF2 alpha content was determined by radioimmunoassay in rats. The male animals had significantly higher PGF/2 alpha level than the females. The hypothalamic PGF2alpha content increased following orchidectomy (GDX), while ovariectomy alone or combined with oestrone (100 microgram/kg or 1mg/kg i.m.) resulted in a significant i.m.) alone was ineffective. Testosterone (1 or 5 mg/kg i.m.) in GDX animals restored the hypothalamic PGF2 alpha content to the control level. The synthesis and breakdown of prostaglandins were also studied in the microsomal and cytosol fraction of brain homogenate. The PGD2 was the main product of the arachidonate cascade in rat brain microsomes. OVX increased the formation of PGD2 and diminished the biosynthesis of PGF2 alpha. Oestrone administration to OVX rats enhanced the formation of PGF2 alpha. Progesterone injection decreased the biosynthesis of PGF2 alpha and PGD2 alpha and PGD2 in OVX animals. Combined administration of progesterone and oestrone to OVX rats failed to restore the PGF2 alpha synthesis. In orchidectomized animals the arachidonate cascade was found to be depressed, further the synthesis of prostaglandins was normalized after testosterone substitution. The inactivation of 3H-PGF2 alpha by rat brain cytosol fraction was negligible.

1. The effect of acetylcholine (ACh) on the ion transport of frog (Rana esculenta) sartorius muscles was studied. ACh was applied in bathing solution, Na influx and K efflux were measured using 24Na and 42K isotopes. 2. Na influx of sartorius muscles was increased by 1 mmol/1 ACh 2-10 fold depending on the experimental arrangement. The increase was greater if Na influx was measured at the beginning of ACh depolarization. During ACh treatment the Na influx took about the same time course as the depolarization recorded extracellularly. This type of recording approximately reflects the depolarization proceeding on the sartorius muscle fibres. 3. The presence of 31 nmol/l tetrodotoxin (TTX) did not modify the degree of increase of Na influx. 4. Rate coefficients for K efflux were increased 2-5 fold by ACh. The maximum rate coefficients were obtained in the first minute of ACh treatment. 5. Increase in K loss evolves also in the presence of 31 nmol/l TTX. The increase in rate coefficients was found to be about 30% less than without TTX in the first minute of ACh action. 6. The results indicate that in the presence of ACh the observed increase in Na influx and K efflux is brought about mainly by changes in Na and K conductance induced by ACh at the end-plates rather than by the action potentials accompanying ACh depolarization.