Iloprost is a prostacyclin analogue mainly used in the treatment of pulmonary hypertension. It is also effective for renal dysfunction during renal transplant and coronary artery bypass grafting surgery, but there have been few comparative experimental studies with iloprost. We aimed to compare vasorelaxant properties of iloprost, with those of diltiazem, nitroglycerin and papaverine on rat tho...

In this study, the possible involvement of L-type voltage-operated calcium channels in the vasorelaxant effect of the flavonoid quercetin was investigated, using the isolated aortic rings from normal male rats. Addition of quercetin (0.1 µM-1 mM) caused a significant dose-dependent relaxation of noradrenaline (NA)- and KCl-preconstricted rings and nifedipine attenuated this response, especially...

Perivascular adipose tissue (PVAT) mediates buffering of vasoconstriction through activation of endothelium-derived factors. We hypothesized that the PVAT of Dahl salt-sensitive (Dahl SS) rats has reduced ability to buffer vasoconstriction. Vascular reactivity experiments were performed on aortic rings with PVAT intact (+PVAT) or removed (-PVAT), and endothelium intact (+ENDO) or removed (-ENDO...

OBJECTIVE The chemokine fractalkine activates platelets and induces leukocyte adhesion to the endothelium. Expression of fractalkine and its receptor, CX3CR1, is elevated in coronary artery disease. We assessed the effects of fractalkine on vascular function in isolated rat aorta. METHODS AND RESULTS CX3CR1 expression was demonstrated in rat aortic endothelial and smooth muscle cells by immun...

rhododendron dauricum l. is an ancient chinese traditional herb. the pharmacological effects of r. dauricum extract have been shown in chronic tracheitis. the aim of this study was to investigate the cardiovascular effects of rhododendron dauricum l. flavonoids (rf) on rats and its mechanisms. this study was performed in isolated vascular rings and a rat model of myocardial infarction and isola...

AIMS Experimental and clinical studies indicate that tea exerts protection against cardiovascular diseases. However, a question of much debate is whether addition of milk modifies the biological activities of tea. We studied the vascular effects of tea, with or without milk, in humans and elucidated the impact of individual milk proteins in cell culture experiments, with isolated rat aortic rin...

angiotensin-converting enzyme (ace) inhibitors appear to correct many of the abnormalities associated with the vascular dysfunction found in diabetic patients. in this respect, quinapril is a unique ace inhibitor with multiple protective effects. the present study was carried out to investigate the effect of intraperitoneal administration of quinapril on the aortic reactivity of streptozotocin ...

We designed experiments to study the interaction of activated rat peritoneal neutrophils with aortas from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) compared with those from normotensive rats. In aortic rings precontracted with phenylephrine, neutrophils obtained from normotensive rats caused a cell number-dependent relaxation of normotensive rat aorta with or without endothelium, whereas relaxation...

We report on the modulatory effects of chronic subcutaneous or oral estrogen and LY117018, a selective estrogen receptor modulator, on the release of nitric oxide in rings of rat aorta studied under isometric conditions. Dilator responses to acetylcholine (ACh; 10[8] to 10[-5] M) were obtained in phenylephrine (PE; 2 microM)-contracted aorta, and constrictor dose-response curves to PE (10[-8] t...

The root of Ostericum koreanum Maximowicz has been used as a traditional medicine called "Kanghwal" in Korea (or "Qianghuo" in China). The purpose of this study was to investigate the vasorelaxant activity and mechanism of action of an ethanol extract of the O. koreanum root (EOK). We used isolated rat aortic rings to assess the effects of EOK on various vasorelaxant or vasoconstriction factors...