Our experiments show that octopamine receptors are present on the developing follicles of an insect, Rhodniusprolixus. Application of D,L-octopamine decreased the duration and overshoot of calcium-dependent action potentials (APs), and increased the intrafollicular concentration of cyclic AMP. The threshold concentration of D,L-octopamine for the reduction in electrical excitability was between...

Nasal hyperresponsiveness is one of the characteristic features of the pathogenesis of allergic rhinitis. This study examined whether repetitive inhalation of antigen (Japanese cedar pollen) led to the development of nasal hyperresponsiveness to histamine in sensitized conscious guinea-pigs. Guinea-pigs were repeatedly challenged by pollen inhalation once every week following sensitization by m...

A newly developed multivariate method involving net analyte preprocessing (NAP) was tested using central composite calibration designs of progressively decreasing size regarding the multivariate simultaneous spectrophotometric determination of three active components (phenylephrine, diphenhydramine and naphazoline) and one excipient (methylparaben) in nasal solutions. Its performance was evalua...

Previous work has shown that the genes encoding each alpha1-adrenoceptor subtype are coexpressed throughout the peripheral vascular system. We have evaluated subtype-selective antibodies as tools to determine the extent of protein expression in arteries. The alpha1A-, alpha1B-, and alpha1D-adrenoceptors were detected in the medial layer of the aorta, caudal, femoral, iliac, renal, superior mese...