Functional properties of the rat phosphatase 1alpha promoter.

The aim of this study was to investigate the functional properties of the promoter of the protein phosphatase 1alpha catalytic subunit. Luciferase plasmids with different fragments of the rat catalytic subunit of the protein phosphatase 1alpha promoter ranging from -3.7 kbp to -59 bp were transiently transfected into cells by the calcium-phosphate precipitation method. The promoter activity was determined in the absence and presence of inotropic agents which influencing the cAMP-depending pathway. The basal transcriptional activity decreased at fragment -124 bp and shorter fragments. To identify regions of regulatory importance we investigated the cAMP-dependent influence on the transcriptional activity. Stimulation of the complete promoter region with forskolin (1-100 microM) for 6 h led to a concentration-dependent decrease of transcriptional activity. Moreover, regions shorter than 3.7 kbp were inhibited by forskolin (10 microM). Short time stimulation (10 min) with forskolin (10 microM) increased the transcriptional activity of only the 3.7 kbp fragment. The effects were antagonized by Rp-cAMPS, a specific antagonist of protein kinase A, indicating cAMP-dependent effects. The results provide evidence for cAMP-dependent regulation of the protein phosphatase 1alpha promotor.

Enhanced protein phosphorylation in hypertensive hypertrophy.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic pressure overload in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) is accompanied by heart hypertrophy and signs of heart failure. Since there is growing evidence for a possible pathophysiological role of altered protein phosphorylation in heart hypertrophy and failure, we studied here cardiac regulatory phosphoproteins and the kinases and phosphatases which regulate their phosphorylation state. METHODS: The experiments were performed in ventricles of SHR (12-13 weeks old) and age-matched normotensive Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). RESULTS: Basal as well as isoproterenol (Iso)-stimulated force of contraction (FOC) was markedly decreased in isolated electrically driven papillary muscles of SHR. Iso (3 micromol/l, 10 min) increased FOC by 0.91+/-0.20 mN in SHR and by 3.88+/-0.52 mN in WKY, respectively. Ca(2+)-uptake by sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) at low ionized Ca(2+)-concentration was increased in homogenates from SHR. This was not due to altered expression of phospholamban (PLB), SR-Ca(2+)-ATPase and calsequestrin. However, PLB-phosphorylation at threonine-17 (PLB-PT-17) and the activity of Ca(2+)/calmodulin dependent protein kinase (Ca(2+)/Cam-PK) was increased in SHR. In addition, we found an enhanced protein kinase A (PKA)-dependent phosphorylation of the inhibitory subunit of troponin (TnI). In contrast, there was no difference in the activity or expression (protein- and mRNA-level) of protein phosphatases type 1 or type 2A between SHR and WKY. CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that increased Ca(2+)/Cam-PK-activity with resulting increase of PLB-PT-17 enhanced SR-Ca(2+)-uptake in SHR and might contribute to the pathophysiological changes in cardiac hypertrophy of SHR.

Activation and inactivation of cAMP-response element-mediated gene transcription in cardiac myocytes.

OBJECTIVE: Chronic beta-adrenergic stimulation of the cAMP-dependent signalling pathway is implicated in functionally relevant expressional changes in congestive heart failure. We studied activation and inactivation of the cardiac gene transcription mediated by the cAMP-response element (CRE) and the CRE-binding protein (CREB) as an important mechanism of a cAMP-dependent gene regulation. METHODS: We investigated the transcriptional activation by forskolin, an activator of the adenylyl cyclase, in chick embryonic cardiomyocytes transfected with a CRE-controlled luciferase construct in comparison to the phosphorylation and expression of CREB determined on immunoblots. RESULTS: Forskolin (10 micromol/l; 8 h) increased CRE-mediated transcription and phosphorylation of CREB 13- and 1.5-fold, respectively. The phosphorylation was further elevated in combination with cantharidin, an inhibitor of type 1+2A protein phosphatases. The transcriptional response to forskolin was desensitized by pretreatment with forskolin (1 micromol/l; 24 h) while CREB phosphorylation was increased. In forskolin-pretreated cells, total CREB protein levels were decreased. Cantharidin did not restore the attenuated transcriptional response. CONCLUSIONS: In cardiomyocytes, there is an activation of the CRE-mediated gene transcription by forskolin that is attenuated after prolonged stimulation, and this attenuation is not dependent from a dephosphorylation of CREB. We suggest that attenuation of the CRE-mediated transcription through chronic stimulation of the cAMP-pathway, e.g. by elevated catecholamines, contributes to the altered expressional regulation in congestive heart failure.

Progressive loss of perfusion-contraction matching during sustained moderate ischemia in pigs.

It is unclear whether perfusion-contraction matching (PCM) is maintained during prolonged myocardial ischemia. In 27 anesthetized pigs, left anterior descending coronary arterial inflow was reduced to decrease an anterior work index (WI) at 5 min of hypoperfusion by 40% and then maintained at this level for 12 or 24 h. With 12 h of hypoperfusion, the myocardium remained viable in 6 of 7 pigs (with triphenyltetrazolium chloride; TTC) and with 24 h of hypoperfusion in 5 of 11 pigs (TTC, histology). The reduction in WI to 62 +/- 4 and 62 +/- 3% of baseline in the two groups was matched to the reduction of transmural blood flow (TBF; microspheres) at 5 min of hypoperfusion, averaging 59 +/- 4 and 60 +/- 2% of baseline. With prolonged hypoperfusion, WI decreased to 30 +/- 5% at 12 h and 18 +/- 3% at 24 h; TBF remained unchanged (53 +/- 4 and 54 +/- 4%). The added calcium concentration required for the half-maximal increase in WI increased from 121 +/- 25 microg/ml blood at baseline to 192 +/- 26 microg/ml blood at 12 h of hypoperfusion. Thus, with hypoperfusion for 24 h, PCM is progressively lost, and calcium responsiveness is reduced.

Role of protein phosphatases in regulation of cardiac inotropy and relaxation.

We studied the effects of the protein phosphatase (PP) inhibitor cantharidin (Cant) on time parameters and force of contraction (FOC) in isometrically contracting electrically driven guinea pig papillary muscles. We correlated the mechanical parameters of contractility with phosphorylation of the inhibitory subunit of troponin (TnI-P) and with the site-specific phosphorylation of phospholamban (PLB) at serine-16 (PLB-Ser-16) and threonine-17 (PLB-Thr-17). Cant (after 30 min) started to increase FOC (112 +/- 4% of control, n = 10) and TnI-P and PLB-Thr-17 (120 +/- 5 and 128 +/- 7% of control) without any alteration of relaxation time. Cant (10 microM) started to increase PLB-Ser-16, but the relaxation was shortened at only 100 microM (from 140 +/- 9 to 116 +/- 12 ms, n = 9). Moreover, 100 microM Cant, 3 min after application, started to increase PLB-Thr-17, TnI-P, and FOC. Cant (100 microM) began to increase PLB-Ser-16 after 20 min. This was accompanied by shortening of relaxation time. Differences in protein kinase activation or different substrate specificities of PP may explain the difference in Cant-induced site-specific phosphorylation of PLB in isometrically contracting papillary muscles. Moreover, PLB-Thr-17 may be important for inotropy, whereas PLB-Ser-16 could be a major determinant of relaxation time.

Regional expression of protein phosphatase type 1 and 2A catalytic subunit isoforms in the human heart.

In mammalian species, including man, the duration of myocardial contraction is shorter in atria than ventricles. Total contraction time depends at least in part on phosphorylation and dephosphorylation of cardiac regulatory proteins. Dephosphorylation reactions are mediated by protein phosphatases. In the mammalian heart more than 90% of the protein phosphatase (PP) activity consists of PP1 and PP2A. Therefore, the aim of this study was to investigate which isoforms of PP1 and PP2A are present in human myocardium and whether their expression is regionally different. RT-PCR and Northern blotting revealed that all isoforms of PP1 and PP2A presently known are expressed in the human heart. Expression levels of PP1 alpha, delta, and gamma as well as 2A alpha were higher in right ventricles than in right atria. However, there was no such difference for PP2A beta. At the protein level PP1 alpha was unchanged, whereas PP2A was by 56% higher in right ventricles compared to atria. The phosphorylation state of TnI was lower in right ventricle than in right atrium. Thus, lower protein expression of PP2A in atrium could contribute to the faster relaxation by increasing the phosphorylation state of TnI. We conclude that expression of PP1 and PP2A isoforms is regionally regulated in the human heart.

The stress-responsive MAP kinase p38 is activated by low-flow ischemia in the in situ porcine heart.

Stress-responsive p38 MAP kinase is activated by phosphorylation during global and severe regional myocardial ischemia. However, it is unknown whether or not moderate, low-flow ischemia also activates p38 MAP kinase. Therefore, we investigated p38 MAP kinase activation in an established model of short-term hibernation and stunning. In anesthetized swine, coronary blood flow into the left anterior descending coronary artery was decreased in order to reduce regional contractile function by identical with 50%. Transmural myocardial biopsies were taken before (controls) and during ischemia as well as after reperfusion. Creatine phosphate content, after an early ischemic reduction, recovered to control values at 90 min ischemia. The expression of phospholamban, SERCA2a, calsequestrin, and troponin inhibitor was unchanged under these conditions (Northern and Western blotting). At 8 min of ischemia, however, p38 MAP kinase was activated to 221% of the pre-ischemic value as judged by its elevated phosphorylation state. Then, it returned to control values by 85 min ischemia. We conclude that low-flow ischemia transiently activates the stress-responsive p38 MAP kinase which might act to trigger cardioprotective events.

Protein phosphatase activity is increased in a rat model of long-term beta-adrenergic stimulation.

We tested the hypothesis that altered phosphorylation of Ca2+ regulatory proteins contributes to contractile anomalies in cardiac hypertrophy. Cardiac hypertrophy was induced in rats by chronic s.c. administration of isoproterenol (Iso, 2.4 mg/kg/day) via osmotic minipumps. On day 2 of Iso treatment the expression of atrial natriuretic factor was increased, time of relaxation in isolated papillary muscles shortened and protein expression of phospholamban (PLB) and sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+-ATPase reduced. In addition, the phosphorylation state of PLB at serine-16 and threonine-17 was decreased from (arbitrary units) 2.3+/-0.3 to 1.1+/-0.2 and from 4.1+/-0.6 to 2.1+/-0.2, respectively. This was not accompanied by altered activity of PLB-phosphorylating protein kinases (protein kinase A or Ca2+/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II), whereas the activity of types 1 and 2A protein phosphatases (PP1 and -2A respectively) was enhanced from 1.1+/-0.08 to 1.71+/-0.13 nmol/mg/min. Iso treatment did not alter the PP1/PP2A activity ratio and 1 nmol/l okadaic acid, a concentration which completely blocks the catalytic subunit of PP2A, inhibited about 40% of total PP activity in all groups studied. These data indicate that the activity of both PP1 and PP2A were increased. All effects of Iso treatment were abolished by co-administration of propranolol (29.7 mg/kg/day). It is concluded that dephosphorylation of PLB is due to enhanced activity of PP1 and PP2A. We suggest that chronic beta-adrenergic stimulation, which occurs in human cardiac hypertrophy and failure, can lead to increased activity of PPs. This may contribute to altered contractile responses in the hypertrophied heart.

On the cardiac contractile, electrophysiological and biochemical effects of endothall, a protein phosphatase inhibitor.

Protein phosphatase inhibitors, e.g. cantharidin, exert positive inotropic effects in mammalian heart preparations. Endothall, a synthetic herbicide which is chemically related to cantharidin, inhibits protein phosphatase activities in mouse liver preparations. However, the cardiac effects of endothall have hitherto not been studied. In guinea pig papillary muscles, endothall (1-100 micromol/l) failed to affect force of contraction, whereas cantharidin (1-100 micromol/l) increased force of contraction maximally to 313.4 +/- 32% of control at 10 micromol/l. In isolated guinea pig ventricular cardiomyocytes, endothall did neither change the free intracellular calcium concentration nor the amplitude of calcium current nor the phosphorylation state of regulatory phosphoproteins like phospholamban. In contrast, cantharidin (30 micromol/l) increased the free intracellular calcium concentration and the L-type calcium current to 149.6 +/- 9% and to 157.6 +/- 12% of control, respectively. Furthermore, cantharidin (1-100 micromol/l) augmented the phosphorylation of phospholamban maximally to 140.8 +/- 7% of control. Nevertheless, in guinea pig ventricular homogenates, both endothall and cantharidin inhibited phosphatase activity with EC(50) values of 1.92 and 0.32 micromol/l, respectively. Thus, in contrast to cantharidin, endothall failed to increase force of contraction, though it inhibited protein phosphatase activity. Clearly, endothall is not an appropriate tool to study the function of protein phosphatases in the mammalian heart.

Cantharidin enhances norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction in an endothelium-dependent fashion.

In this study we characterized the effects of the protein phosphatase (PP) type 1 and type 2A inhibitor cantharidin (Cant) and its structural analogs cantharidic acid and endothall on PP activity, force of contraction, and myosin light chain phosphorylation in rat aorta. All compounds inhibited PP activity in homogenates of rat aorta with a rank order of potency of Cant = cantharidic acid > endothall. However, only Cant increased force of contraction and myosin light chain phosphorylation in intact isolated rat aortic rings. Based on these findings, we investigated the effects of Cant on alpha-adrenoceptor-mediated vasoconstriction. Cant (1 and 3 microM) enhanced norepinephrine-induced contraction in endothelium-intact rat aorta. In contrast, Cant did not affect norepinephrine-induced contraction in endothelium-denuded rat aorta. We suggest that inhibition of PP1 and/or PP2A activities by Cant enhances vascular contractility in endothelium-intact rat aorta by increasing the phosphorylation state of endothelial regulatory proteins.

Functional properties of transgenic mouse hearts overexpressing both calsequestrin and the Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger.

Overexpression of calsequestrin (CSQ) induces severe cardiac hypertrophy, whereas overexpression of Na(+)-Ca(2+) exchanger (NCX) does not affect cardiac weight. To investigate a possible beneficial effect of NCX in hypertrophy, we produced transgenic mice overexpressing both NCX and CSQ (NCX/CSQ). Surprisingly, these mice developed severe heart failure. The heart/body weight ratio was enhanced and the mRNA expression of ANF, as a marker of hypertrophy, was highest in double transgenic mice. In isolated muscle strips, the basal relaxation time was prolonged in CSQ and NCX/CSQ mice. Moreover, in the presence of caffeine, force of contraction was increased only in CSQ and NCX/CSQ and was accompanied by elevated diastolic tension. In some respects, however, additional overexpression of NCX altered the CSQ phenotype into the wild-type phenotype. The expression of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR)-Ca(2+)-ATPase and phospholamban, proteins involved in the Ca(2+) uptake of the SR, were only increased in CSQ, indicating a possible influence of NCX in the regulation of SR-Ca(2+) uptake proteins. The Ca(2+) transients and the L-type Ca(2+) currents in the presence of caffeine were very large in CSQ, but smaller increases were noted in double transgenic mice. Therefore, the successful co-overexpression of CSQ and NCX in these mice provides a novel model in which to investigate the interaction of proteins tightly linked to maintain Ca(2+) homeostasis.

Biochemical mechanism(s) of stunning in conscious dogs.

The mechanism(s) underlying contractile dysfunction in cardiac stunning is not completely understood. The expression and/or the phosphorylation state of cardiac Ca(2+) homoeostasis-regulating proteins might be altered in stunning. We tested this hypothesis in a well-characterized model of stunning. Conscious dogs were chronically instrumented, and the left anterior descending artery (LAD) was occluded for 10 min. Thereafter, reperfusion of the LAD was initiated. Tissues from reperfused LAD (stunned) and Ramus circumflexus (control) areas were obtained when left ventricular regional wall thickening fraction had recovered by 50%. Northern and Western blotting revealed no differences in the expression of the following genes: phospholamban, calsequestrin, sarco(endo)plasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase 2a, and the inhibitory subunit of troponin I (TnI). However, the phosphorylation state of TnI and phospholamban were reduced in the LAD area. Fittingly, cAMP levels were reduced by 28% (P < 0.05). It is concluded that the contractile dysfunction in cardiac stunning might be mediated in part by decreased levels of cAMP and subsequently a reduced phosphorylation state of phospholamban and TnI.

The early response genes c-jun and HSP-70 are induced in regional cardiac stunning in conscious mammals.

OBJECTIVES: A reversible contractile dysfunction without necrosis after transient myocardial ischemia has been termed stunning. The molecular mechanisms underlying this phenomenon are only now beginning to be unraveled. It is conceivable that the expression of early-response genes may play a crucial role in stunning. METHODS: The expression of HSP-70, c-jun, and GRP-94 was investigated in a chronically instrumented dog model (n = 9). The left anterior descending coronary artery was occluded temporarily for 10 minutes after the animals had fully recovered from instrumentation. The wall thickening fraction was measured in the left anterior descending coronary artery and the nonischemic ramus circumflex of the left coronary artery-perfused region. When the wall thickening fraction of the left anterior descending coronary artery had recovered to 50% of preocclusion values, tissue samples were obtained from the areas perfused by the left anterior descending coronary artery and the nonischemic ramus circumflex of the left coronary artery. RESULTS: The messenger RNA of HSP-70 was increased to 214% +/- 26% in the area perfused by the left anterior descending artery compared with that perfused by the nonischemic ramus circumflex of the left coronary artery. There was no difference in the messenger RNA of GRP-94. The HSP-70 content was elevated to 130% +/- 14% in the left anterior descending artery compared with the area perfused by the ramus circumflex of the left coronary artery, and the c-jun protein content was 70% +/- 25% higher in the ischemic area compared with the control area. CONCLUSIONS: The induction of early-response genes observed here may indicate that they play an adaptive role in myocardial stunning, even in conscious mammals.

Functional studies in atrium overexpressing A1-adenosine receptors.

1. Adenosine and the A1-adenosine receptor agonist R-PIA, exerted a negative inotropic effect in isolated, electrically driven left atria of wild-type mice. 2. In left atria of mice overexpressing the A1-adenosine receptor, adenosine and R-PIA exerted a positive inotropic effect. 3. The positive inotropic effect of adenosine and R-PIA in transgenic atria could be blocked by the A1-adenosine receptor antagonist DPCPX. 4. In the presence of isoprenaline, adenosine exerted a negative inotropic effect in wild-type atria but a positive inotropic effect in atria from A1-adenosine receptor overexpressing mice. 5. The rate of beating in right atria was lower in mice overexpressing A1-adenosine receptors compared with wild-type. 6. Adenosine exerted comparable negative chronotropic effects in right atria from both A1-adenosine receptor overexpressing and wild-type mice. 7. A1-adenosine receptor overexpression in the mouse heart can reverse the inotropic but not the chronotropic effects of adenosine, implying different receptor-effector coupling mechanisms.

On the contractile function of protein phosphatases in isolated human coronary arteries.

It is unknown whether protein phosphatases types 1 and 2A are present in and can regulate the tone of human vascular tissue. The expression and possible function of serine/threonine protein phosphatases (PP) type 1 (PP1) and type 2A (PP2A) were studied in isolated human coronary arteries. Catalytic subunits of PPI and PP2A were identified by means of phosphatase activity measurement in tissue homogenates, by separation of enriched extracts through affinity column chromatography, by immunoblotting with specific antibodies, by hybridization of mRNA with specific DNA probes and PCR of reverse transcribed mRNA. Based on these methods, the catalytic subunits of PP1(alpha,beta,gamma) and PP2A(alpha,beta) were identified. Appropriately, cantharidin, an inhibitor of PP1 and PP2A, increased basal tone of human isolated coronary artery rings with an EC50 of about 16 micromol/l by increasing the phosphorylation state of the regulatory light chains of myosin. In summary, PP1 and PP2A are expressed in human coronary arteries and they can alter vascular tone.

Regional expression of phospholamban in the human heart.

BACKGROUND: Several independent lines of evidence indicate that phospholamban (PLB) expression correlates positively with depression of force of contraction and duration of contraction in isolated cardiac preparations of several animal species. Here, we studied whether PLB levels correlate with attenuation of contractility and enhancement of contractile time parameters in different parts of the human heart. METHODS: Force of contraction was measured in isolated electrically driven atrial and ventricular preparations from human hearts. Ca(2+)-uptake by human atrial and ventricular homogenates was assayed at different ionized Ca(2+)-concentrations. Protein expression of PLB and the sarcoplasmic Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) was measured in homogenates by quantitative immunoblotting using specific antibodies. PLB mRNA expression was quantified in human cardiac preparations by Northern blot analysis. RESULTS: The duration of contraction in isolated preparations of human right ventricle (RV) was double that found in right atrial preparations (RA) (620 +/- 25 ms versus 308 +/- 15 ms). In RA, PLB expression was reduced by 44% at the protein level and by 34% at the mRNA level compared to RV. In contrast, the SERCA protein content was increased by 104% in RA compared to RV. Ca(2+)-uptake at low ionized Ca(2+)-concentration, where the inhibiting effect of PLB is maximal, amounted to 1.39 +/- 0.28 nmol Ca2+/mg protein in RA and to 0.62 +/- 0.09 nmol Ca2+/mg protein in RV (n = 6 both). CONCLUSIONS: It is suggested that duration of contraction is shorter in human atrium versus ventricle due to the combined effect of decreased PLB levels (which inhibits SERCA function) and increased SERCA levels. The lower relative ratio of PLB to SERCA leads to less inhibition of SERCA and increased Ca(2+)-uptake which enhances relaxation and contraction in human atrium.

Expression of constitutive nitric oxide synthase in rat and human gastrointestinal tract.

The aim of this study was to determine the expression of constitutive NO synthases (ecNOS and bNOS) at the protein level in rat and human gastrointestinal tract. We established a quantitative Western blotting method for detection and quantification of ecNOS and bNOS in both species. Human gastric fundus was further analyzed by immunohistochemistry. EcNOS expression at the protein level could be quantified in different organs of the rat gastrointestinal tract and in human gastric mucosal biopsies. Immunohistochemistry of gastric fundus revealed that immunoreactivity for ecNOS was localized mainly in the endothelium of small vessels. In rats, expression of bNOS at the protein level was highest in esophagus. By means of immunohistochemistry of human gastric fundus, immunoreactivity was detected mainly in the plexus of Auerbach. We conclude that isoforms of constitutive nitric oxide synthase can be identified and quantified at the protein level both in rat and human gastrointestinal tract. The presence of bNOS in nerve tissue supports previous observations that NO serves as a transmitter in non-adrenergic, non-cholinergic nerves in human esophagus and stomach. The observation that ecNOS has been found mainly in endothelial cells suggests the involvement of NO in the regulation of mucosal blood flow.

Expression of cardiac calcium regulatory proteins in atrium v ventricle in different species.

The duration of contraction in isolated electrically driven preparations from atrium and ventricle of mouse, rat, rabbit, guinea-pig and dog was consistently shorter in atrial compared to ventricular preparations. Overexpression of phospholamban (PLB) in transgenic mice prolonged duration of contraction, underscoring the importance of PLB for kinetics of cardiac contractility. The expression of regulatory proteins was studied by Western and Northern blot analysis. In rat myocardium, expression of the sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca2+ ATPase (SERCA) was higher in atrium than in ventricle, as was also observed in the rabbit, guinea-pig and wild-type mouse samples. Canine myocardium, however, had similar levels of SERCA (protein and mRNA) in atrium and ventricle. PLB and calsequestrin on protein and RNA levels were lower in atrium than in ventricle from rat, rabbit, guinea-pig and wild-type mouse. PLB protein and RNA levels were higher in ventricle than in atrium at ages 1 and 5 days postnatally and in adult rats. SERCA protein and RNA levels were higher in ventricle than in atrium at days 1 and 5 after birth, but lower in ventricle than in atrium in adult rats. In dog, the calsequestrin level was identical in atrium and ventricle (protein and mRNA) and PLB did not differ between atrium vs ventricle at the protein level but was lower at the mRNA level. Also, Ca2+ uptake was higher in atrium than in ventricle in the dog samples. The expression of the inhibitory subunit of troponin was unchanged between atrium and ventricle in all species studied (protein and mRNA). In dog, protein expression of triadin and junctin was lower in atrium vs ventricle. Triadin mRNA was not altered in dog atrium vs ventricle. In summary, while the hastened relaxation of atrium vs ventricle correlates in part with the lower expression of PLB and higher expression of SERCA, altered regional expression of other SR proteins handling Ca2+ may also play an important role in some species.

Quantitation of clobazam in human plasma using high-performance liquid chromatography.

A rapid and simple reversed-phase high-performance liquid chromatographic (HPLC) method for the determination of clobazam concentrations in human blood samples is developed and validated. Solid-phase column extraction is performed to clean up blood samples before running the analytical HPLC system. The chromatography is isocratic with a mobile phase consisting of acetonitrile (20%, v/v), methanol (23%, v/v), and 0.1 M potassium hydrogen phosphate buffer (pH 3.6; 57%, v/v) at a constant flow rate of 2 mL/min. Clobazam is detected at 226 nm. Chromatography is completed within less than 25 min. The recovery rate is greater than 95% and linear over a wide range of drug concentrations. The intra-assay coefficient of variation percentage varies between 4.3 and 12. This method is used for therapeutic drug monitoring in patients undergoing antiepileptic therapy with clobazam. Plasma levels of clobazam ranged from 21 to 663 ng/mL. Other antiepileptic compounds, such as clonazepam and phenobarbital, did not interfere with the detection of clobazam.

The protein phosphatase inhibitor cantharidin alters vascular endothelial cell permeability.

In this study, we characterized the effects of the protein phosphatases type 1 (PP 1) and type 2A (PP 2A) inhibitor cantharidin in endothelial cells. We identified catalytic subunits of PP 1alpha, PP 2Aalpha, and PP 2Abeta immunologically in bovine aortic endothelial cells. Moreover, we detected mRNAs coding for catalytic subunits of PP 1alpha, PP 1beta, and PP 2Aalpha by hybridization with specific DNA probes in total RNA from these cells. Okadaic acid and cantharidin inhibited the activities of catalytic subunits of PP 1 (okadaic acid, 0.01-1 microM; cantharidin, 1-100 microM) and PP 2A (okadaic acid, 0.1 nM to 1 microM; cantharidin, 0.1-100 microM) separated by column chromatography in a concentration-dependent manner. Moreover, cantharidin (1 microM to 1 mM) increased the phosphorylation state of endothelial proteins including the regulatory light chains of myosin without affecting cytosolic calcium concentrations. Cantharidin (5-100 microM) increased the permeability of cultured endothelial cells in a time- and concentration-dependent manner. We suggest that inhibition of PP 1 and PP 2A activities by cantharidin increases endothelial permeability by enhancing the phosphorylation state of endothelial regulatory proteins. Thus, cantharidin might be a useful tool to study the function of protein phosphatases in endothelial barrier function.