ABSTRACT
OBJECTIVES: To investigate the presence of aquaporin (AQP) 1 and AQP2 in kidneys of cirrhotic rats with ascites, and to determine the effect of terlipressin on AQP1 and AQP2 levels and its therapeutic efficacy in ascites treatment. METHODS: Eighteen rats were randomly divided into normal noncirrhotic rats treated with saline, cirrhotic rats treated with saline and cirrhotic rats treated with terlipressin (n = 6 per group). In all rats, 24-h net fluid-excretion volume, presence or absence of ascites and portal vein pressure were measured; AQP1 and AQP2 mRNA and protein levels in renal tissue were evaluated. RESULTS: Terlipressin resolved ascites in all animals in the terlipressin-treated group, and significantly increased the 24-h net fluid-excretion volume and decreased portal vein pressure compared with saline treatment. AQP1 and AQP2 were significantly upregulated in cirrhotic rat kidneys compared with normal control rat kidneys. Terlipressin administration significantly down regulated AQP2 in rat kidneys but did not affect AQP1. CONCLUSIONS: AQP1 and AQP2 are important factors in ascites induction. Terlipressin appears to be an effective drug for the treatment of ascites due to liver cirrhosis in a rat model, possibly due to AQP2 reduction in kidneys.
Subject(s)
Aquaporin 2/genetics , Ascites/drug therapy , Down-Regulation , Liver Cirrhosis/drug therapy , Lypressin/analogs & derivatives , Vasoconstrictor Agents/pharmacology , Alanine Transaminase/blood , Animals , Aquaporin 1/genetics , Aquaporin 1/metabolism , Aquaporin 2/metabolism , Arginine Vasopressin/blood , Ascites/blood , Ascites/physiopathology , Bilirubin/blood , Blood Pressure/drug effects , Blood Urea Nitrogen , Kidney/metabolism , Liver Cirrhosis/blood , Liver Cirrhosis/physiopathology , Lypressin/pharmacology , Lypressin/therapeutic use , Male , Rats , Rats, Sprague-Dawley , Serum Albumin/metabolism , Terlipressin , Vasoconstrictor Agents/therapeutic useSubject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Cell Survival/drug effects , Fungi/chemistry , Furans/pharmacology , Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry , Antineoplastic Agents/isolation & purification , Furans/chemistry , Furans/isolation & purification , HL-60 Cells , Humans , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Mass SpectrometryABSTRACT
A new platelet aggregation inhibitor, bassiatin, was isolated from the cultured broth of Beauveria bassiana which had been isolated from a soil sample collected in Yunnan province, China. The structure of bassiatin was determined to be (3S, 6R)-4-methyl-6-(1-methylethyl)-3-phenylmethyl-1, 4-perhydrooxazine-2,5-dione by NMR analysis, X-ray crystallographic analysis and chemical synthesis. Bassiatin inhibited ADP-induced aggregation of rabbit platelets with the IC50 being 1.9 x 10(-4) M.
Subject(s)
Mitosporic Fungi/metabolism , Morpholines/pharmacology , Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/pharmacology , Animals , Crystallography, X-Ray , Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy , Mass Spectrometry , Microscopy, Electron, Scanning , Mitosporic Fungi/ultrastructure , Molecular Structure , Morpholines/chemistry , Platelet Aggregation Inhibitors/chemistry , RabbitsABSTRACT
During our screening program for natural product drugs effective against multidrug-resistant mammalian cells, we have discovered a new delta lactone FD-211 from the fermantation broth of Myceliophthora lutea TF-0409. FD-211 had a broad spectrum activity against cultured tumor cell lines, including adriamycin-resistant HL-60 cells.
Subject(s)
Antineoplastic Agents/pharmacology , Lactones/pharmacology , Animals , Anti-Bacterial Agents/chemistry , Anti-Bacterial Agents/isolation & purification , Anti-Bacterial Agents/pharmacology , Antineoplastic Agents/chemistry , Antineoplastic Agents/isolation & purification , Drug Screening Assays, Antitumor , HeLa Cells , Humans , Lactones/chemistry , Lactones/isolation & purification , Leukemia P388/drug therapy , Mice , Microscopy, Electron, Scanning , Mitosporic Fungi/metabolism , Mitosporic Fungi/ultrastructure , Spectrum Analysis , Tumor Cells, CulturedABSTRACT
The sinoatrial nodes (SAN) were observed, dissected, and measured on 95 adults and 30 child hearts under a dissection microscope. The majority of the SANs in adults are characterized by their pale color, firm consistency, and the location in relation to the penetration of the SAN artery, and they can be located in the superior part of the terminal sulcus. The SANs in children, however, are not easily discerned. The variation of the apex of the right auricular crest and the notch in the superior part of the terminal sulcus have been described, and the present authors suggested that the trigone of the SAN could be used as an important landmark to identify the SAN. The surface features on the SAN, its relationship to the surrounding myocardium and its surgical significance during operation are further discussed.
