Tachykinins, such as substance P, might be involved in the development of airway hyperresponsiveness (AHR) and airway inflammation. However, it is unknown which tachykinin receptors mediate these biological activities. The effects of two antagonists of tachykinin neurokinin-1 (NK1) and tachykinin neurokinin-2 (NK2) receptors, SR 140333 and SR 48968, respectively, were investigated on substance ...

OBJECTIVE To observe the changes of intracellular free calcium level ([Ca(2+)]i) in gallbladder cells of guinea pigs with gallstones so as to study the mechanisms of gallstone formation and the prevention and treatment function of traditional Chinese herbs for nourishing the liver. METHODS Eighty guinea pigs were randomly divided into four groups, which were normal control group, untreated gr...

Age-related changes of pyridinoline, a mature cross-link of collagen fibers, in tissues of guinea pigs which cannot synthesize L-ascorbic acid (AsA) were investigated. Male guinea pigs, 2 weeks old, were fed a commercial diet until they were 40 weeks old. Based on the data of body weight gain, it is assumed that guinea pigs require 10 weeks to reach maturity. The content of AsA in serum, adrena...

In xiphophorine fish suffering from a genetically caused melanoma, both suppression of melanoma development and regression of the existing melanoma were observed after treatment of the fish with an "anti-melanoma immune RNA." This RNA was extracted from the lymphoid organs of guinea pigs immunized with fish melanoma. RNA from guinea pigs immunized with fish skin or liver and RNA from nonimmuniz...

Tumor-specific delayed hypersensitivity was transferred to peritoneal exÃodate cells obtained from unimmunized strain 2 guinea pigs after the peritoneal exÃodatecells were incubated with RNA-rich extracts from lymphoid tissues of syngeneic guinea pigs previously immunized to either of two antigenically distinct diethylnitrosamine-induced transplantable hepatomas. Tumor-specific delayed hypersen...

A water-soluble tuberculin-active peptidoglycan (TAPG) with a molecular weight of ca. 28,000 to 30,000 was isolated from the culture filtrate of Mycobacterium tuberculosis. TAPG was approximately four to five times more potent than tuberculin purified protein derivative S in guinea pigs sensitized with M. tuberculosis or M. bovis (freeze-dried BCG). It showed little or no cross-reactivity at a ...

BACKGROUND The onset of diabetes causes disruption of respiratory epithelial mediators. The present study investigates whether diabetes modifies the epithelium mediated bronchial responses in hyper-reactive airway smooth muscle (ASM) primarily through nitric oxide (NO), cyclooxygenase (COX), and epithelium derived hyperpolarizing factor (EpDHF) pathways. METHODS Experimental model of guinea p...

Male albino guinea-pigs of initial body-weight 250 g were used throughout. The experimental conditions, diet and dosing technique were those previously described (Evans & Hughes, 1963). Paired feeding between the normal and the ‘scorbutic’ groups was not practised, as the levels of ascorbic acid given daily (8 and 0.4 mg, respectively) have been shown to have no marked effect on food intake (Ev...

The present study is an attempt to obtain information on the behavior of lymphocytes in guinea pigs with eczematous hypersensitivity when the lymphocytes are brought into contact with antigen in vitro. Unexpectedly, it was observed that some of the peripheral lymphocytes of 2 ,4-dinitro-1-chlorobenzene (DNCB) sensitized guinea pigs lyse "spontaneously" in vitro, and that the lysis is inhibited ...

Gonococcal infections of relatively long duration were produced in guinea pigs with minimal infective doses ranging from 10(1) to 10(2) colony-forming units. After spontaneous eradication and upon rechallenge with >/=10(8) gonococcal colony-forming units, guinea pigs were refractory to infection. Serum from these guinea pigs was bactericidal in vitro and protected virgin guinea pigs from in viv...