Introduction: Aqueous leave extract of Tridax procumbens (AETPL) is reported to improve erectile functions; however, the mechanism unclear. This study investigates involved in contractile activity corpus cavernosum after AETPL treatment paroxetine-induced dysfunctional adult male Wistar rats.
 Methods: A total 20 rats were categorized into four groups five and treated orally for weeks: Gro...

G protein-coupled receptors regulate two major functions of vascular smooth muscle cells (SMCs) the vasomotor contractile response and the proliferative response. The contractile phenotype of SMCs has mainly been studied in situ within intact blood vessels, whereas the synthetic or proliferative SMC phenotypes can be studied in culture and represent a model of the SMC phenotype seen in vascular...

Smooth muscle cells (SMCs) perform diverse functions that can be categorized as contractile and synthetic. A traditional model holds that these distinct functions are performed by the same cell, by virtue of its capacity for bidirectional modulation of phenotype. However, this model has been challenged, in part because there is no physiological evidence that an adult synthetic SMC can acquire t...

Increased airway smooth muscle mass is a pathological feature that asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) have in common. This increase has gained renewed interest in view of recent developments showing that airway smooth muscle, instead of solely being a contractile partner, is capable of interacting dynamically with its environment, especially under inflammatory conditions. A...

In Dictyostelium discoideum, the Ca2+-ATPase, PAT1, is localized to membranes of the contractile vacuole and its expression is upregulated substantially when the cells are grown in Ca2+-rich medium. In this study, we have analyzed the cellular/molecular mechanisms regulating PAT1 expression and examined the role of PAT1 and the contractile vacuole in Ca2+ regulation. During both growth and deve...

BACKGROUND Progressive left ventricular (LV) diastolic dysfunction due to hypertension (HTN) alters left atrial (LA) contractile function in a predictable manner. While increased LA size is a marker of LV diastolic dysfunction and has been shown to be predictive of adverse cardiovascular outcomes, the prognostic significance of altered LA contractile function is unknown. METHODS A consecutive...