Vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) is implicated in the modulation of vagal effects on the heart rate. In this study, the impact of acute and chronic atropine administration on VIP levels in rat heart atria was investigated in relation to heart rate in the course of vagus nerves stimulation. Anaesthetised control and atropinised (10 mg/kg/day for 10 days) rats pretreated with metipranolol and phentolamine that were either given or not a single dose of atropine were subjected to bilateral vagus nerve stimulation (30 min: 0.7 mA, 20 Hz, 0.2 ms). VIP concentrations in the atria were determined afte reach stimulation protocol. In control rats with or without single atropine administration, the heart rate upon vagal stimulation was higher than in atropinised animals with or without single atropine dose, respectively. VIP concentrations in the control atria were significantly decreased after the stimulation; the decrease was comparable both in the absence and presence of a single dose of atropine. Compared to controls, VIP levels were significantly decreased after chronic atropine treatment and they were not further reduced by vagal stimulation and single atropine administration. Administration of VIP antagonist completely abolished the differences in the heart rate upon vagal stimulation between control and atropinised groups. In conclusion, the data indicate that chronic atropine administration affects VIP synthesis in rat heart atria and consequently it modifies the heart rate regulation., J. Kuncová, Š. Faitová, J. Capouch, M. Štengl, J. Slavíková., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of chronic administration of the β-adrenoceptor agonist clenbuterol (2 mg/kg body weight/day for a period of 30 days) on the major contractile protein (myosin) in the left ventricular muscle of the adult mouse heart. Separation of myosin heavy chain (MHC) isoforms on 7.5 % glycerol SDS-PAGE and subsequent quantification of the gels by laser densitometry showed a 6.5-fold increase in the β-isoform of MHC in the clenbuterol-treated group. The α: β ratio of these two isoforms in the control group was 98.16±0.14 %: 1.83±0.14 %, whereas in the treated group it was 88.05±1.15 %: 11.95±1.15 %. Actomyosin ATPase activity assay demonstrated a significant (20 %) decline in ATPase activity of the tissue in the β-agonist-treated group. These results suggest that chronic clenbuterol treatment is capable to induced the transformation of MHC isoforms increasing the slow β-MHC isoform, which may contribute to the altered contractile mechanics of clenbuterol-treated hearts., S. N. Patiyal, S. Sharma., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
We recently reported that in vitro Cognac polyphenolic compounds (CPC) induce NO-dependent vasorelaxant effects and stimulate cardiac function. In the present study, we aim to investigate the effect of CPC on both nitric oxide (NO) and superoxide anions (O2-) production in cultured human endothelial cells. In addition, its effect on the bradykinin (BK)-induced NO production was also tested. The role and sources of O2- in the concomitant effect of BK plus CPC were pharmacologically determined. NO and O2- signals were measured using electron paramagnetic resonance technique using specific spin trappings. Both, CPC and BK induced an in crease in NO production in human endothelial cells. The combination of both further enhanced NO release. The capacity of CPC plus BK to increase NO signal was blunted by the NO synthase inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester, and was enhanced in the presence either of superoxide dismutase or catalase. Moreover, CPC plus BK response was greater after inhibition of either NADPH oxidase by apocynin or xanthine oxidase by allopurinol but it was not affected by rotenone. CPC did not affect O2- level either alone or after its increase upon lipopolysaccharide treatment. Finally, the capacity of BK alone to increase NO was enhanced either by apocynin or allopurinol. Altogether, these data demonstrate that CPC is able to directly increase NO production without affecting O2- and enhances the BK-induced NO production in human endothelial cells. The data highlight the ability of BK to stimulate not only NADPH oxidase- but also xanthine oxidase-inhibitor sensitive mechanisms that reduce its efficiency in increasing NO either alone or in the presence of CPC. These results bring pharmacological evidence for vascular protection by CPC via its potentiating effect of BK response in terms of endothelial NO release., A. Sall Diallo, M. Sarr, H. A. Mostefai, N. Carusio, M. Pricci, R. Andriantsitohaina., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
The aim of the present study was to investigate the impact of prenatal methamphetamine (MA) exposure and application of the same drug in adulthood on cognitive functions of adult male rats tested in Morris water maze (MWM). Adult male rats prenatally exposed to MA (5 mg/kg), saline or no injection were examined. Half of the animals were injected daily with MA (1 mg/kg) after finishing the testing. Three types of tests were used: (1) “Place navigation test” (Learning), (2) “Probe test” and (3) “Retention memory test” (Memory). Our results showed that prenatal MA exposure did not affect the test of learning and the Probe test. In the test of memory prenatally MA-exposed rats showed smaller search errors and used spatial strategies more than both control groups. Further, MA application in adulthood prolonged trajectories, increased the incidence of random search and decreased the incidence of direct swim in the Place navigation test. In addition, MA administration in adulthood increased the speed of swimming regardless of prenatal exposure. The present study thus demonstrates that 1) Prenatal MA exposure does not affect learning in the MWM, 2) Prenatal MA exposure improves performance in the Retention memory test in the MWM, and 3) MA application in adulthood impairs learning in the Morris water maze., B. Schutová ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
Spatiotemporal dynamics of event-related potentials (ERP) evoked by non-target stimuli in a visual oddball experiment and the presence of coherent oscillations in beta 2 frequency band of decomposed EEG records from peristimulus period were investigated by means of intracranial electrodes in humans. Twenty-one patients with medically intractable epilepsy participated in the study. The EEG signal was recorded using platinum electrodes implanted in several cortical and subcortical sites. Averaged 2 s EEG records were analyzed. Task-specific EEG changes were found in each patient, ERPs were derived from 92 electrodes used (96 % of possible cases). In the majority of analysed cases, ERPs were composed of several distinct components, and their duration was mostly longer than 1 s. The mean onset of the first ERP component was 158±132 ms after the stimulus (median 112 ms, minimum value 42 ms, maximum value 755 ms), and large variability of these onset times was found in all the investigated structures. Possible coherence between neural activities of remote brain sites was investigated by calculating running correlations between pairs of decomposed EEG records (alpha, beta 1, beta 2 frequency bands were used, total number of correlated pairs was 662 in each frequency band). The record pairs exhibiting highly correlated time segments represented 23 % of all the investigated pairs in alpha band, 7 % in beta 1 band, and 59 % in beta 2 band. In investigated 2 s record windows, such segments were distributed evenly, i.e. they were also found before the stimulus onset. In conclusion, the results have implicated the idea that a lot of recorded ERPs was more or less by-products of chance in spreading a signal within the neuronal network, and that their functional relevance was somewhat linked with the phenomenon of activity synchronization., M. Kukleta ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje seznam literatury
The objective of our study was to compare Doppler echocardiography imaging with pu lmonary artery thermodilution measurement during mechanical ventilation. Total 78 piglets (6 weeks old, average weight 24 kg, under general anesthesia) were divided into 4 groups under different cardiac loading conditions (at rest, with increased left ventricular afterload, with increased right ventricular preload, and with increased afterload of both heart ventricles). At 60 and 120 min the animals were examined by echocardiography and simultaneously pulmonary artery thermodilution was used to measure cardiac output. Tei-indexes data were compared with invasively monitored hemodynamic data and cardiac output values together with calculated vascular resistance indices. A total of 224 parallel measurements were obtained. Correlation was found between values of right Tei-index of my ocardial performa nce and changes in right ventricular preload (p<0.05) and afterload (p<0.01). Significant correlation was also found between left index values and changes of left ventricular preload (p<0.001), afterload (p<0.001), stroke volume (p<0.01), and cardiac output (p<0.01). In conclusion, echocardiographic examination and determination of the global performance selectively for the right and left ventricle can be recommended as a suitable non-invasive supplement to the whole set of methods used for monitoring of circulation and cardiac performance., J. Kobr ... [et al.]., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
We developed a new method for the quantitative determination of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms taking advantage of immunochemical differences and based on the ELISA principle. In the present paper we compare anal ysis of MyHC isoforms using the SDS-PAGE and the ELISA methods in the same samples of adult female inbred Lewis strain euthyroid, hyperthyroid and hypothyroid rats. In all thyroid states, the same composition and corresponding changes of MyHC isoforms were determined using both methodological approaches in the slow soleus and the fast extensor digitorum longus muscles. Our results showed that ELISA can be used for a “semi-quantitative” or “comparative” measurement of MyHC isoforms in multiple muscle samples, but that it is neither more exact no r faster compared to SDS-PAGE., Jan Říčný., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
The purpose of the present study was to examine whether the level of oxygen uptake (V.o2) at the onset of decrement-load exercise (DLE) is lower than that at the onset of constant-load exercise (CLE), since power output, which is the target of V.o2 response, is decreased in DLE. CLE and DLE were performed under the conditions of moderate and heavy exercise intensities. Before and after these main exercises, previous exercise and post exercise were performed at 20 watts. DEL was started at the same power output as that for CLE and power output was decreased at a rate of 15 watts per min. V.o2 in moderate CLE increased at a fast rate and showed a steady state, while V.o2 in moderate DLE increased and decreased linearly. V.o2 at the increasing phase in DLE was at the same level as that in moderate CLE. V.o2 immediately after moderate DLE was higher than that in the previous exercise by 98±77.5 ml/min. V.o2 in heavy CLE increased rapidly at first and then slowly increased, while V.o2 in heavy DLE increased rapidly, showing a temporal convexity change, and decreased linearly. V.o2 at the increasing phase of heavy DLE was the same level as that in heavy CLE. V.o2 immediately after heavy DLE was significantly higher than that in the previous exercise by 156±131.8 ml/min. Thus, despite the different modes of exercise, V.o2 at the increasing phase in DLE was at the same level as that in CLE due to the effect of the oxygen debt expressed by the higher level of V.o2 at the end of DLE than that in the previous exercise., T. Yano, H. Ogata, R. Matsuura, T. Arimitsu, T. Yunoki., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
In this study, susceptibility of inbred C57BL/6 and outbred NMRI mice to monosodium glutamate (MSG) obesity or diet-induced obesity (DIO) was compared in terms of food intake, body weight, adiposity as well as leptin, insulin and glucose levels. MSG obesity is an early-onset obesity resulting from MSG-induced lesions in arcuate nucleus to neonatal mice. Both male and female C57BL/6 and NMRI mice with MSG obesity did not differ in body weight from their lean controls, but had dramatically increased fat to body weight ratio. All MSG obese mice developed severe hyperleptinemia, more remarkable in females, but only NMRI male mice showed massive hyperinsulinemia and an extremely high HOMA index that pointed to development of insulin resistance. Diet-induced obesity is a late-onset obesity; it developed during 16-week-long feeding with high-fat diet containing 60 % calories as fat. Inbred C57BL/6 mice, which are frequently used in DIO studies, both male and female, had significantly increased fat to body weight ratio and leptin and glucose levels compared with their appropriate lean controls, but only female C57BL/6 mice had also significantly elevated body weight and insulin level. NMRI mice were less prone to DIO than C57BL/6 ones and did not show significant changes in metabolic parameters after feeding with high-fat diet., R. Matyšková, L. Maletínská, J. Maixnerová, Z. Pirník, A. Kiss, B. Železná., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy
This study investigated whether each part of the heart is evenly innervated by the left or right vagus and observed the mechanism of compensatory recovery after unilateral cervical vagotomy. HR, BP, LVSP and ±dp/dt max all decreased one week after left vagotomy, whereas only BP and -dp/dt max decreased one week after right vagotomy. We stern blot analyses revealed that the expression of M2 receptors in the left atrium and left ventricle was upregulated after subacute (1 week) left/right vagotomy. However, significantly more cholinesterase-positive nerves in LV and RV were seen one week after unilateral vagotomy compared to the sham-operated group. In addition, baroreflex sensitivity was increased after subacute right vagotomy. The decreasing effects of ACh (0.5 μ g/kg) on LVSP and ±dp/dt max (but not on HR and BP) were facilitated by subacute unilateral vagotomy. Our present experiments indicate that 1) the working myocardium is innervated bilaterally by the vagus, 2) ventricular contractility is influenced more by denervation of the left than the right vagus and 3) up-regulation of M2 muscarinic receptors in the left heart, increase of cholinergic nerves, and high baroreflex sensitivity could be involved in the mechanism of compensatory hemodynamic recovery via contralateral vagus overactivity, thereby amplifying contralateral vagal activity and decreasing cardiac contractility., L. N. Chen, W. J. Zang, X. J. Yu, J. Liu, D. L. Li, S. S. Kong, J. Lu, X. L. Xu., and Obsahuje bibliografii a bibliografické odkazy