Cardiac metabolism remains altered for an extended period of time after myocardial infarction. Studies have shown fibroblasts from normal hearts express KATP channels in culture. It is unknown whether fibroblasts from infarcted hearts express KATP channels and whether these channels contribute to scar and border zone electrophysiology. KATP channel subunit expression levels were determined in f...

Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) has been implicated as a mediator in myocardial protection, but this property of iNOS is still conflicting. Therefore, the present study was designed to assess whether iNOS really contributes to the ischemically and pharmacologically induced delayed cellular protection (DCP) in mice myocytes. The following groups of cultured iNOS gene-knockout (iNOS-/-), a...

Mechanisms by which Pco2 controls cerebral vascular tone remain uncertain. We hypothesize that potassium channel activation contributes to the neonatal cerebrovascular dilation in response to increases in Paco2. To test this hypothesis, experiments were performed on newborn pigs with surgically implanted, closed cranial windows. Hypercapnia was induced by ventilation with elevated Pco2 gas in t...

This study was aimed to evaluate resveratrol (1-100 μM) effect on the spontaneous rhythmic contractions (SRC), oxytocin-induced (0.2 nM, POxC) phasic and tonic (20 nM, TOxC) contractions of isolated rat uterus. The SRC and POxC were more sensitive to resveratrol than TOxC (pD2 values: 4.53 and 4.66 versus 4.06). Different blockers of K(+) channels (glibenclamide, tetraethylamonium, iberiotoxin,...

Kir6.1/SUR2B channel is the major isoform of K(ATP) channels in the vascular smooth muscle. Genetic disruption of either subunit leads to dysregulation of vascular tone and regional blood flows. To test the hypothesis that the Kir6.1/SUR2B channel is a target molecule of arginine vasopressin (AVP), we performed studies on the cloned Kir6.1/SUR2B channel and cell-endogenous K(ATP) channel in rat...

Although ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) channel openers depress force, channel blockers have no effect. Furthermore, the effects of channel openers on single action potentials are quite small. These facts raise questions as to whether 1) channel openers reduce force via an activation of KATP channels or via some nonspecific effects and 2) the reduction in force by KATP channels operates by changes in ...

Previously, we have shown that A(2A) adenosine receptor (A(2A)AR) mediates aortic relaxation via cytochrome P-450 (CYP)-epoxygenases. However, the signaling mechanism is not understood properly. We hypothesized that ATP-sensitive K(+) (K(ATP)) channels play an important role in A(2A)AR-mediated relaxation. Organ bath and Western blot experiments were done using isolated aorta from A(2A)KO and c...

AIM To investigate whether ATP-sensitive potassium (K(ATP)) channels modulate the tocolytic effect of β2-adrenergic receptor (β2-AR) agonists (ritodrine and salmeterol) in early-pregnant (day 6) and late-pregnant (day 22) rat uterus in vitro, in order to examine the relation between the K(ATP) channel sulphonylurea-binding regulatory subunit (SUR) expression and pharmacological reactivity of β2...

AIMS ATP-sensitive potassium channels represent promising drug targets for treating specific bladder diseases. The inhibitory effects of ATP-selective potassium channel openers (PCOs) on the carbachol-response curve in porcine detrusor muscle were examined. MATERIALS AND METHODS Each of the three substances used in the study represent one prototype of a different class of PCO: cromakalim belo...

Ischemic postconditioning (IPC) and ATP sensitive potassium channel (KATP) agonists (e.g. pinacidil and diazoxide) postconditioning are effective methods to defeat myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, but their specific mechanisms of reducing I/R injury are not fully understood. We observed an intracellular free calcium ([Ca2+]i) overload in Anoxia/reoxygenation (A/R) cardiomyocytes, w...