Upon activation by formyl-methionyl-leucyl-phenylalanine (FMLP), either in the presence of absence of cytochalasin B, neutrophils from old subjects generated significantly less superoxide than did neutrophils from the young. This reduction in activity was associated with a significant decrease in the basal cytosolic calcium concentration and a diminished flux of calcium to the cytosol after act...

BACKGROUND Chemical activation is the most frequently used method for artificial oocyte activation (AOA), results in high fertilization rate. OBJECTIVE This prospective, randomized, unblinded, clinical study aimed to evaluate the efficiency of oocyte activation with calcium ionophore on fertilization and pregnancy rate after intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI) in infertile men suffer from...

We recently reported the synthesis and anti-inflammatory properties of a novel long chain polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) with an oxygen atom in the beta-position, beta-oxa-21:3 n-3 (Z,Z,Z)-(octadeca-9,12,15-trienyloxy) acetic acid). Our data, from studies aimed at elucidating the mechanism of its action, show that pretreatment of human neutrophils with the beta-oxa-PUFA substantially depress...

Angiotensin II stimulated the breakdown of phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) and the generation of inositol trisphosphate (IP3) in cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells. The decrease in PIP2 and increase in IP3 levels were rapid (measurable at 5 seconds; maximum IP3 levels at 15 seconds). The time course of these changes was comparable to that of angiotensin II-induced increases in...

The role of calcium in the pathogenesis of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy was investigated experimentally. For this purpose the calcium antagonist verapamil and the calcium ionophore A23187 were administered to pregnant rats together with triac in order to observe their effect on triac induced myocardial disarray and hypertrophy in developing rat hearts. At a low dose verapamil reduced both the le...

The effect of artificial oocyte activation (AOA) with a calcium ionophore on intracytoplasmic morphologically selected sperm injection (IMSI) was examined in patients with histories of repeated failed implantation attempts. Four singleton pregnancies and one twin pregnancy were obtained after embryos transfer (5/14, 35.7%). Therefore, AOA combined with IMSI can be considered an option for cycle...

Fertilization in sea urchins, Strongylocentrotus purpuratus, is the result of a series of interactions between the egg and sperm. Microfilament formation has been implicated in both the acrosomal process formation and the entry of the sperm into the egg. Changes in internal calcium concentrations have been linked to exocytosis reactions that occur in both the egg and the sperm. Therefore, the d...