Calcium is an essential signaling molecule that controls vascular smooth muscle cell (VSMC) contraction, proliferation, and differentiation. Here, we show that the calcium antagonist nifedipine inhibits VSMC dedifferentiation in vitro and in vivo. Differentiated VSMCs cultured on laminin-coated dishes were transferred to laminin-free dishes to induce dedifferentiation. Induction of dedifferenti...

BACKGROUND The clinical course in primary pulmonary hypertension (PPH) is improved by calcium channel blocker therapy in those with a favorable hemodynamic response during a trial of high-dose oral nifedipine. Although trials of nifedipine are performed only in patients who demonstrate pulmonary vasodilator reserve to short-acting agents, this response does not predict the safety of nifedipine ...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the effects of two tocolytics, nifedipine and magnesium sulfate, on Doppler indices in maternal and fetal vessels. MATERIALS AND METHODS We recruited 100 pregnant women with preterm birth between 24-36 gestational weeks who were admitted to our tertiary center over a two-year period. Patients were allocated to nifedipine (n=49) and magnesium sulfate (n=51) groups and ...

BACKGROUND Dihydropyridines block calcium channels; however, they also influence endothelial cells, which do not express calcium channels. We tested the hypothesis that nifedipine can prevent ischemia-induced endothelial permeability increases by inhibiting protein kinase C (PKC) in cultured porcine endothelial cells. METHODS AND RESULTS Ischemia was induced by potassium cyanide/deoxyglucose,...

We investigated the effects of a single dose of nifedipine (10 mg orally) on exercise performance during progressive incremental cycle ergometry in nine sedentary normal subjects in a double-blind, placebo-controlled crossover study. Maximum work load after nifedipine (213 +/- 42 watts; mean +/- SD) was less than after placebo (222 +/- 41 watts; p less than 0.05). Maximum oxygen consumption was...

The objective of this study was to evaluate possible changes caused by multiple cocaine administration, alone and in combination with 1,4-dihydropiridine calcium channel blocker nifedipine, on cytochrome P450 levels both in the brain and liver. The experiment was done on male Wistar rats divided in four groups: control, treated with nifedipine (5 mg kg(-1) i.p. for five days), treated with coca...

We have reported previously that dihydropyridine-type calcium-channel antagonists (DTCCA) such as nifedipine decrease plasma markers of oxidative stress damage in systemic sclerosis (SSc). To clarify the cellular basis of these beneficial effects, we investigated the effects in vivo and in vitro of nifedipine on superoxide anion (O2*-) production by peripheral blood monocytes. We compared 10 he...

Preliminary clinical and laboratory observations suggest that nifedipine might prevent progression of threatened myocardial infarction by reversing coronary spasm or might limit necrosis during the course of acute myocardial infarction. We screened 3143 patients with ischemic pain of greater than 45 min duration and randomly assigned 105 eligible patients with threatened myocardial infarction a...

in this study the anticonvulsant effect of two dihydropyridine derivatives [diethyl -1,4- dihydro -2,6- dimethyl -4-(4- fluoro benzyl-2- methylthio -5- imidazolyl)-3,5- pyridine dicarboxilat ( a ) and diethyl -1,4- dihydro -2,6- diethyl -4-(4- fluoro benzyl-2- methylthio -5- imidazolyl)-3,5- pyridine dicarboxilat ( b )] by pentylenetetrazole (ptz) and electroshock in mice was evaluated. the lat...

The efficacy of lisinopril 10-40 mg once daily was compared with that of nifedipine tablets 20-40 mg twice daily in a multicentre double-blind randomized parallel group study of 16 weeks duration involving 127 patients with mild to moderate hypertension. The groups randomized to lisinopril or to nifedipine were not significantly different with respect to any demographic variable. An analysis of...