Experimental evidence indicates that endothelin 1 stimulates the sympathetic nervous system by activation of the subtype A receptor. The aim of the present study was to assess whether this mechanism is active in humans and to investigate its potential role in the pathogenesis of essential hypertension. In 15 hypertensive patients and 12 normotensive subjects, blood pressure, heart rate, and mus...

BACKGROUND Although the contractile, migratory, and proliferative responses of subepithelial myofibroblasts to injury have been postulated to be important events in intestinal wound healing, contractile force generation and migration by these cells has not been investigated previously, and the signals that regulate proliferation by these cells are poorly understood. AIMS The primary aim of th...

BACKGROUND Endothelin-1 may be involved in the development of diabetic microangiopathy. We studied the effect of endothelin-1 blockade on myocardial microcirculation during coronary stenting. PATIENTS AND METHODS Patients with type 2 diabetes and stable coronary artery disease undergoing elective percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) were randomized to bolus dose of 500 mg bosentan (n = 4)...

BACKGROUND & AIMS Endothelins are expressed in many enteric neurons of the gut. Because activation of endothelin ET(A) and ET(B) receptors is known to alter intestinal muscle activity, the effect of ET(A) and ET(B) receptor agonists and antagonists on propulsive peristalsis was examined. METHODS Repetitive peristalsis in fluid-perfused segments of the guinea pig isolated small intestine was e...

We examined the intracellular signal transduction of two endothelin receptor subtypes (ETA and ETB) by transfection and stable expression of individual receptor cDNAs in Chinese hamster ovary cells. Both receptors showed a rapid and marked stimulation of phosphatidylinositol hydrolysis and arachidonic acid release in response to agonist interaction. The two receptors, however, exhibited differe...

Acute intramedullary infusion of hyperosmotic NaCl, used to simulate a high-salt diet-induced increase of medullary osmolality, increases urine production and endothelin release from the kidney. To determine whether endothelin mediates this diuretic and natriuretic response, urine flow and Na(+) excretion rate were measured during acute intramedullary infusion of hyperosmotic NaCl in anesthetiz...