Sodium nitroprusside (SNP) is widely used in pharmacological studies as a potent vasodilator or a nitric oxide donor. SNP-induced ataxic effects were assessed in mice by the Joulou-Couvoisier test. Swiss albino mice of both genders, 2-8 weeks of age, were acclimated at least for 2 weeks to 12 h light (rest span)/12 h dark (activity span). In 2 and 4 week old mice, maxima of ataxia were found fo...

It has been suggested that nigrostriatal dopaminergic transmission is modulated by nitric oxide (NO). Since there is evidence that gonadal hormones can affect extrapyramidal motor behavior in mammals, we investigated the effects of isosorbide dinitrate (ISD), linsidomine (SIN-1) and S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP), three pharmacologically different NO donors, on neuroleptic-induced catal...

A rarely occurring variant of human serotonin transporter (hSERT) was tested for its functional consequences in HeLa and COS-7 cells. The variant, in which Ile-425 is converted to Val, was significantly different from wild type with respect to its catalytic properties. In both cell types, rates of serotonin (5-HT) transport were higher for the I425V variant. Both an increase in Vmax and a decre...

The effects of the nitric oxide donor nitroglycerin on gastric emptying and antropyloroduodenal motility were evaluated in nine healthy male subjects (ages 19-36 yr). Antropyloroduodenal pressures were recorded with a manometric assembly that had nine side holes spanning the antrum and proximal duodenum and a pyloric sleeve sensor; gastric emptying was quantified scintigraphically. In each subj...

Six novel platinum(II) complexes 1-6 bearing different furoxan moieties as nitric oxide (NO) donors have been designed, synthesized, and characterized by elemental analysis and (1)H NMR, IR, and ESI-MS spectroscopy. The furoxan groups were introduced to the platinum complexes to release NO, which may take synergic action with the platinum-based moieties on the tumor cells. It was found that all...

We aimed to evaluate the gastric relaxant capacity of the 5-HT(1/7)-receptor agonist 5-carboxamidotryptamine (5-CT) in conscious dogs and to clarify the mechanism of action by use of selective antagonists, vagotomy, and in vitro experiments. A barostat enabled us to monitor the intragastric volume in response to different treatments (intravenously administered) before and after supradiaphragmat...

We tested the hypothesis that sildenafil, singly or in combination with nitric oxide (NO) donors, promotes ventricular tachycardia (VT) and ventricular fibrillation (VF). Vulnerability to VT/VF was tested by rapid pacing in eight isolated normal swine right ventricles (RV). The endocardial activation was optically mapped, and the dynamic action potential duration (APD) restitution curves were c...