The activities of serine endopeptidase, prolyl endopeptidase and neutral endopeptidase were determined in tubular fluid collected from several portions of the rat nephron as well as in urine. The enzyme activities were measured by HPLC using bradykinin (BK) as substrate. Free residual peptides of BK obtained by the action of these enzymes on the locally produced BK were also determined. The end...

Large-conductance voltage- and Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK) channels are critical regulators of detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) excitability and contractility. PKC modulates the contraction of DSM and BK channel activity in non-DSM cells; however, the cellular mechanism regulating the PKC-BK channel interaction in DSM remains unknown. We provide a novel mechanistic insight into BK channel regulation...

Large-conductance calcium-activated potassium BK channels are widely expressed in the brain and are involved in the regulation of neuronal functions such as neurotransmitter release. However, their possible role in mediating ethanol-induced GABA release is still unknown. We assessed the role of BK channels in modulating the action of ethanol on inhibitory synaptic transmission mediated via GABA...

INTRODUCTION The aim of this study was to assess the prevalence and severity of BK virus infection, BK virus nephritis, and related risk factors among kidney transplant recipients. MATERIALS AND METHODS BK viremia during the first year of kidney transplantation was assessed prospectively in 32 successive recipients. BK virus DNA was extracted and determined in all samples by real-time polymer...

Previous reports have provided evidence to support the view that the de novo synthesis of bradykinin (BK) B(1) receptor is involved in the induction of vascular responses in human umbilical vein (HUV). In the present study, we evaluated different pharmacological tools to further analyze this up-regulation process in HUV. Concentration-response curves to des-Arg(9)-BK, a selective BK B(1) recept...

Bradykinin (BK) is an endogenous peptide with diverse biological actions and is considered to be an important mediator of the inflammatory response in both the peripheral and the central nervous systems. BK has attracted recent interest as a potential mediator of K(+) conductance, Cl(-) channels, and Ca(2+)-activated K(+) channels. However, few reports have associated BK with the voltage-gated ...

Mitochondrial potassium channels have been implicated in myocardial protection mediated through pre-/postconditioning. Compounds that open the Ca2+- and voltage-activated potassium channel of big-conductance (BK) have a pre-conditioning-like effect on survival of cardiomyocytes after ischemia/reperfusion injury. Recently, mitochondrial BK channels (mitoBKs) in cardiomyocytes were implicated as ...

The Ca/voltage-gated K large conductance (BK) channel b1 subunit is particularly abundant in vascular smooth muscle. By determining their phenotype, BK b1 allows the BK channels to reduce myogenic tone, facilitating vasodilation. The endogenous steroid lithocholic acid (LCA) dilates cerebral arteries via BK channel activation, which requires recognition by a BK b1 site that includes Thr169. Whe...

The objective of this investigation was to compare bradykinin (BK) action on isolated intact or denuded human umbilical artery (HUA) in normal pregnancy, pregnancy-induced hypertension (PIH) and gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM). Bradykinin contracted HUA in a concentration-dependent manner in all investigated groups. Control BK contractions were unchanged by L-NOARG (NO-synthase inhibitor), ...

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES Nearly 30% of renal transplant recipients develops BK viremia, a prerequisite for BK nephropathy. Case reports have evaluated treatment options for BK virus, but no controlled studies have assessed prophylactic therapies. Fluoroquinolone antibiotics were studied for prevention of BK viremia after renal transplantation. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS Th...