scholarly journals Relaxant Action ofPlumula NelumbinisExtract on Mouse Airway Smooth Muscle

2015 ◽  
Vol 2015 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Li Tan ◽  
Weiwei Chen ◽  
Ming-Yu Wei ◽  
Jinhua Shen ◽  
Meng-Fei Yu ◽  
...  

The traditional herbPlumula Nelumbinisis widely used in the world because it has many biological activities, such as anti-inflammation, antioxidant, antihypertension, and butyrylcholinesterase inhibition. However, the action ofPlumula Nelumbinison airway smooth muscle (ASM) relaxation has not been investigated. A chloroform extract ofPlumula Nelumbinis(CEPN) was prepared, which completely inhibited precontraction induced by high K+in a concentration-dependent manner in mouse tracheal rings, but it had no effect on resting tension. CEPN also blocked voltage-dependent L-type Ca2+channel- (VDCC-) mediated currents. In addition, ACh-induced precontraction was also completely blocked by CEPN and partially inhibited by nifedipine or pyrazole 3. Besides, CEPN partially reduced ACh-activated nonselective cation channel (NSCC) currents. Taken together, our data demonstrate that CEPN blocked VDCC and NSCC to inhibit Ca2+influx, resulting in relaxation of precontracted ASM. This finding indicates that CEPN would be a candidate of new potent bronchodilators.

2020 ◽  
Vol 40 (2) ◽  
Author(s):  
Nana Wen ◽  
Lu Xue ◽  
Yongle Yang ◽  
Shunbo Shi ◽  
Qing-Hua Liu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background/Aims: Recently, effective and purified ingredients of traditional Chinese medicine (TCM) were extracted to play crucial roles in the treatment of pulmonary diseases. Our previous research focused on TCM drug screening aimed at abnormal airway muscle contraction during respiratory diseases. Coptisine, an effective ingredient extracted from bitter herbs has shown a series of antioxidant, antibacterial, cardioprotective and neuroprotective pharmacological properties. In the current study, we questioned whether coptisine could also participate in asthma treatment through relaxing abnormal contracted mouse airway smooth muscle (ASM). The present study aimed to characterize the relaxant effects of coptisine on mouse ASM and uncover the underlying molecular mechanisms. Methods: To investigate the role of coptisine on pre-contracted mouse ASM, a series of biological techniques, including force measurement and patch-clamp experiments were employed. Results: Coptisine was found to inhibit high K+ or acetylcholine chloride (ACh)-induced pre-contracted mouse tracheal rings in a dose-dependent manner. Further research demonstrated that the coptisine-induced mouse ASM relaxation was mediated by alteration of calcium mobilization via voltage-dependent L-type Ca2+ channels (VDLCCs) and non-selective cation channels (NSCCs). Conclusion: Our data showed that mouse ASM could be relaxed by coptisine via altering the intracellular Ca2+ concentration through blocking VDLCCs and NSCCs, which suggested that this pharmacological active constituent might be classified as a potential new drug for the treatment of abnormal airway muscle contraction.


2017 ◽  
Vol 41 (6) ◽  
pp. 2350-2362 ◽  
Author(s):  
Honghao Tan ◽  
Jun Lei ◽  
Lu Xue ◽  
Congli Cai ◽  
Qing-hua Liu ◽  
...  

Background/Aims: Recently, some small-molecule compounds that were designed for cancer therapy have acquired new roles in the treatment of pulmonary diseases. However, drug screening aimed at abnormal muscle contraction is still limited. TSU-68 is a potent, orally administered, small-molecule agent that can reduce the vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF)-induced Ca2+ increase in endothelial cells. We questioned whether TSU-68 could also affect calcium influx and relax airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells. The current study aimed to investigate these effects and to explore the underlying mechanisms. Methods: The effects of TSU-68 on ASM cells were studied in mice using a series of biophysiological techniques, including force measurement and patch-clamp experiments. Results: TSU-68 inhibited high K+ or acetylcholine chloride (ACh)-induced pre-contracted mouse tracheal rings in a concentration-dependent manner. Further research demonstrated that the TSU-68-induced ASM relaxation was mediated by calcium, which was decreased by blocking voltage-dependent Ca2+ channels (VDCCs) and non-selective cation channels (NSCCs). Conclusion: Our data indicated that TSU-68 relaxes tense ASM by reducing the intracellular Ca2+ concentration through blocking VDCCs and NSCCs, which suggested that this small molecule might be useful in the treatment of abnormal smooth muscle.


2009 ◽  
Vol 297 (2) ◽  
pp. L347-L361 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yan Bai ◽  
Martin Edelmann ◽  
Michael J. Sanderson

The relative contribution of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3) receptors (IP3Rs) and ryanodine receptors (RyRs) to agonist-induced Ca2+ signaling in mouse airway smooth muscle cells (SMCs) was investigated in lung slices with phase-contrast or laser scanning microscopy. At room temperature (RT), methacholine (MCh) or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT) induced Ca2+ oscillations and an associated contraction in small airway SMCs. The subsequent exposure to an IP3R antagonist, 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate (2-APB), inhibited the Ca2+ oscillations and induced airway relaxation in a concentration-dependent manner. 2-APB also inhibited Ca2+ waves generated by the photolytic release of IP3. However, the RyR antagonist ryanodine had no significant effect, at any concentration, on airway contraction or agonist- or IP3-induced Ca2+ oscillations or Ca2+ wave propagation. By contrast, a second RyR antagonist, tetracaine, relaxed agonist-contracted airways and inhibited agonist-induced Ca2+ oscillations in a concentration-dependent manner. However, tetracaine did not affect IP3-induced Ca2+ release or wave propagation nor the Ca2+ content of SMC Ca2+ stores as evaluated by Ca2+-release induced by caffeine. Conversely, both ryanodine and tetracaine completely blocked agonist-independent slow Ca2+ oscillations induced by KCl. The inhibitory effects of 2-APB and absence of an effect of ryanodine on MCh-induced airway contraction or Ca2+ oscillations of SMCs were also observed at 37°C. In Ca2+-permeable SMCs, tetracaine inhibited agonist-induced contraction without affecting intracellular Ca2+ levels indicating that relaxation also resulted from a reduction in Ca2+ sensitivity. These results indicate that agonist-induced Ca2+ oscillations in mouse small airway SMCs are primary mediated via IP3Rs and that tetracaine induces relaxation by both decreasing Ca2+ sensitivity and inhibiting agonist-induced Ca2+ oscillations via an IP3-dependent mechanism.


2000 ◽  
Vol 93 (1) ◽  
pp. 179-188 ◽  
Author(s):  
Michiaki Yamakage ◽  
Naoki Tsujiguchi ◽  
Jun-ichi Hattori ◽  
Yasuhiro Kamada ◽  
Akiyoshi Namiki

Background Because exposure to low temperature can modify the effect of volatile anesthetics on airway smooth muscle contraction, this study was conducted to investigate low-temperature modifications of the inhibitory effects of isoflurane and sevoflurane on canine tracheal smooth muscle tone by simultaneously measuring the muscle tension and intracellular concentration of Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i) and by measuring voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel activity. Methods [Ca2+]i was monitored by the 500-nm light emission ratio of preloaded fura-2, a Ca2+ indicator. Isometric tension was measured simultaneously. Whole cell patch clamp recording techniques were used to observe voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel activity in dispersed muscle cells. Isoflurane (0-3.0%) or sevoflurane (0-3%) was introduced to a bath solution at various temperatures (37, 34, or 31 degrees C). Results Low temperature (34 or 31 degrees C) reduced high-K+-induced (72.7 mm) muscle contraction and increased [Ca2+]i, but it enhanced carbachol-induced (1 microm) muscle contraction with a decrease in [Ca2+]i. The volatile anesthetics tested showed significant inhibition of both high-K+-induced and carbachol-induced airway smooth muscle contraction, with a concomitant decrease in [Ca2+]i. The inhibition of the carbachol-induced muscle contraction by volatile anesthetics was abolished partially by exposure to low temperature. Volatile anesthetics and low-temperature exposure significantly inhibited voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel activity of the smooth muscle. Conclusions Exposure of airway smooth muscle to low temperature leads to an increase in agonist-induced muscle contractility, with a decrease in [Ca2+]i. The inhibition of voltage-dependent Ca2+ channel activity by exposure to low temperature and by volatile anesthetics cam be attributed, at least in part, to the decrease in [Ca2+]i.


1993 ◽  
Vol 264 (3) ◽  
pp. L284-L289 ◽  
Author(s):  
L. B. Fernandes ◽  
K. Stuart-Smith ◽  
T. L. Croxton ◽  
C. A. Hirshman

To evaluate the cellular mechanisms involved in hypoxic relaxation of airway smooth muscle, we investigated the effects of hypoxia on the behavior of third- and fourth-order porcine bronchial rings contracted with either carbachol or KCl. In one series of experiments, hypoxia (95% N2-5% CO2) was imposed and rings were then exposed to increasing concentrations of carbachol or KCl. In separate experiments, rings were first contracted with carbachol (10(-6) M) or KCl (40 mM) and were then exposed to solutions bubbled with decreasing concentrations of O2. The CO2 concentration was maintained constant at 5% in all experiments. The initial magnitude of KCl-induced but not carbachol-induced contractions was profoundly reduced by 95% N2-5% CO2. The sensitivity of the airway to carbachol was unchanged. In rings precontracted with either carbachol or KCl, hypoxia caused similar losses of airway smooth muscle tone in a reversible and concentration-dependent manner. The effects of hypoxia were independent of the presence of an intact epithelium and were not inhibited by the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (5 microM), the soluble guanylate cyclase inhibitor methylene blue (50 microM), or the beta-adrenoceptor antagonist propranolol (1 microM). The impairment by hypoxia of the initiation phase of KCl-induced contractions and of the maintenance phase of both KCl- and carbachol-induced contractions, but not the initiation phase of carbachol-induced contractions, suggests that changes in O2 tension modulate airway tone by altering the entry of extracellular calcium into the airway smooth muscle.


1993 ◽  
Vol 265 (4) ◽  
pp. C1138-C1145 ◽  
Author(s):  
S. Nakajima ◽  
M. Fujimoto ◽  
M. Ueda

In A7r5 smooth muscle cell suspensions, 12-deoxyphorbol 13-isobutyrate (DPB) and phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate (PDB), active phorbol esters for protein kinase C (PKC), increased the intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i), but 4 alpha-PDB, an inactive phorbol ester, did not. Digital images of the fura 2 fluorescence from single cells revealed that DPB caused elevation of Ca2+ in localized peripheral regions, followed by expansion of this elevated Ca2+ level throughout the cytoplasm. High K+ also induced a dynamic change of [Ca2+]i. DPB and high K+ increased the wrinkles and distortions in the flexible growth surface beneath the cells. In Ca(2+)-depleted media, DPB did not affect [Ca2+]i but substantially increased wrinkles. The increase could be eliminated by staurosporine, a specific inhibitor of PKC. DPB increased the particulate PKC activity in a concentration-dependent manner. These results suggest that PKC activation induces cellular contractions through two distinct mechanisms, one dependent on and another independent of the [Ca2+]i increase.


2003 ◽  
Vol 99 (3) ◽  
pp. 656-666 ◽  
Author(s):  
Isao Tsuneyoshi ◽  
Dongya Zhang ◽  
Walter A. Boyle

Background Volatile anesthetics inhibit vascular smooth muscle contraction, but the mechanisms responsible are uncertain. In this study, the effects of halothane on Ca2+ signaling and Ca2+ activation of contractile proteins were examined in high K+-depolarized smooth muscle from rat mesenteric resistance arteries. Methods Vessels were cannulated and held at a constant transmural pressure (40 mmHg). Image analysis and microfluorimetry were used to simultaneously measure vessel diameter and smooth muscle intracellular [Ca2+] concentration ([Ca2+]i). Myosin light chain (MLC) phosphorylation was measured using the Western blotting technique. Results Step increases in extracellular [Ca2+] concentration (0-10 mM) in high K+ (40 mM)-depolarized smooth muscle produced incremental increases in [Ca2+]i, MLC phosphorylation, and contraction. Halothane (0.5-4.5%) inhibited contraction in a concentration-dependent manner, but the decrease in [Ca2+]i was small, and there was a marked shift in the [Ca2+]i-contraction relationship to the right, indicating an important Ca2+ desensitizing effect. Halothane (0.5-4.5%) did not affect MLC phosphorylation or the [Ca2+]-MLC phosphorylation relationship, but the MLC phosphorylation-contraction relationship was also shifted rightward, indicating an "MLC phosphorylation" desensitizing effect. In contrast, control relaxations produced by the Ca2+ channel blocker nifedipine were accompanied by decreases in both [Ca2+]i and MLC phosphorylation, and nifedipine had no affect on the [Ca2+]i-contraction, [Ca2+]i-MLC phosphorylation, and MLC phosphorylation-contraction relationships. Conclusions In high K+-depolarized vascular smooth muscle, halothane relaxation is largely mediated by a Ca2+ and MLC phosphorylation desensitizing effect. These results suggest that the relaxing action of halothane is independent of the classic Ca2+-induced myosin phosphorylation contraction mechanism.


2005 ◽  
Vol 288 (3) ◽  
pp. L460-L470 ◽  
Author(s):  
É Rousseau ◽  
Martin Cloutier ◽  
Caroline Morin ◽  
Sonia Proteau

The aim of this study was to delineate the mode of action of 20-hydroxy-eicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) in airway smooth muscle (ASM) cells. ASM metabolizes arachidonic acid by various enzymatic pathways, including the cytochrome P-450 (CYP-450) ω-hydroxylase, which leads to the production of 20-HETE, a bronchoconstrictive eicosanoid. The present study demonstrated that 20-HETE induced concentration-dependent tonic responses in ASM, whereas transient responses were recorded in Ca2+-free solution, suggesting an intracellular Ca2+ release process. 20-HETE inotropic responses were abolished by 36 μM 2-aminoethoxydiphenyl borate or 1 μM thapsigargin but were insensitive to 10 μM ryanodine, indicating that inositol triphosphate receptors likely control the release of intracellular Ca2+. Sustained tension, which required Ca2+ entry, was partially blocked by 1 μM nifedipine (an L-type) and 100 μM Gd3+ (a nonselective cationic channel blocker). Moreover, in the absence of selective 20-HETE receptor antagonists, 20-HETE tonic responses were inhibited in a concentration-dependent manner (0.1–10 μM) by capsazepine, a well-characterized vanilloid receptor antagonist. Capsazepine was also observed to reverse cumulative responses to 20-HETE and capsaicin, a TRPV1 agonist. In addition, capsazepine pretreatment largely modified the sustained inotropic responses to 20-HETE, suggesting that 20-HETE cross-reacted with TRPV1 receptors with a low affinity (μM) or that its specific receptor was inhibited by the vanilloid antagonist. Data obtained using RHC-80267, ONO-RS-082, and eicosatetraynoic acid, respective inhibitors of diacylglycerol-lipase, phospholipase A2, and CYP-450 ω-hydroxylase, reveal that intracellular arachidonic acid production and its 20-HETE metabolite may be responsible for the activation of nonselective cationic channels and tonic responses.


2002 ◽  
Vol 283 (5) ◽  
pp. L1151-L1159 ◽  
Author(s):  
Adriana Catalli ◽  
Dawei Zhang ◽  
Luke J. Janssen

Using muscle bath techniques, we examined the inhibitory activities of several E- and F-ring isoprostanes in canine and porcine airway smooth muscle. 8-Isoprostaglandin E1 and 8-isoprostaglandin E2 (8-iso PGE2) reversed cholinergic tone in a concentration-dependent manner, whereas the F-ring isoprostanes were ineffective. Desensitization with 8-iso-PGE2 and PGE2 implicated isoprostane activity at the PGE2 receptor (EP). We found that the inhibitory E-ring isoprostane responses were significantly augmented by rolipram (a type IV phosphodiesterase inhibitor), while 1 H-[1,2,4]-oxadiazolo[4,3- a]quinoxalin-1-one (a guanylate cyclase inhibitor) had no effect, suggesting a role for cAMP in isoprostane-mediated relaxations. 8-Iso-PGE2 did not reverse KCl tone, suggesting that voltage-dependent Ca2+ influx and myosin light chain kinase are not suppressed by isoprostanes. Patch-clamp studies showed marked suppression of K+ currents by 8-iso-PGE2. We conclude that E-ring isoprostanes exert PGE2receptor-directed, cAMP-dependent relaxations in canine and porcine airway smooth muscle. This activity is not dependent on K+channel activation or the direct inhibition of voltage-operated Ca2+ influx or myosin light chain kinase.


2002 ◽  
Vol 96 (2) ◽  
pp. 428-437 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chie Sakihara ◽  
Keith A. Jones ◽  
Robert R. Lorenz ◽  
William J. Perkins ◽  
David O. Warner

Background The investigation examined whether primary alcohols could be used as tools to explore the mechanism of anesthetic actions in airway smooth muscle (ASM). The hypothesis was that, like volatile anesthetics, the primary alcohols relax intact ASM by decreasing intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) and by inhibiting agonist-induced increases in the force developed for a given [Ca2+]i (Ca2+ sensitivity). Method The effects of butanol, hexanol, and octanol on isometric force in canine tracheal smooth muscle were examined. The effects of hexanol on [Ca2+]i (measured with fura-2) and the relationship between force and [Ca2+]i were studied during membrane depolarization provided by KCl and during muscarinic stimulation provided by acetylcholine. Results The primary alcohols relaxed ASM contracted by KCl or acetylcholine in a concentration-dependent manner, with potency increasing as chain length increased. The alcohols could completely relax the strips, even during maximal stimulation with 10 microM acetylcholine (median effective concentrations of 28 +/- 12, 1.3 +/- 0.4, and 0.14 +/- 0.05 mM [mean +/- SD] for butanol, hexanol, and octanol, respectively). Hexanol decreased both [Ca2+]i and force in a concentration-dependent manner. Hexanol decreased Ca2+ sensitivity during muscarinic stimulation but had no effect on the force-[Ca2+]i relationship in its absence. Conclusions Primary alcohols produce reversible, complete relaxation of ASM, with potency increasing as chain length increases, by decreasing [Ca2+]i and inhibiting increases in Ca2+ sensitivity produced by muscarinic receptor stimulation. These actions mimic those of volatile anesthetics on ASM, a circumstance suggesting that the primary alcohols may be useful tools for further exploring mechanisms of anesthetic effects on ASM.


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