• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.5 no.1
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• pp.1-8
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• 2001

Hyperpolarization of arterial smooth muscle by acetylcholine is considered to be produced by the release of an unidentified chemical substance, an endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). Several chemicals have been proposed as the candidate for EDHF. However, none of them fulfil completely the nature and property of EDHF. Ultrastructural observation with electron microscope reveals that in some arteries, gap junctions are formed between endothelial and smooth muscle cells. In small arterioles, injection of gap junction permeable dyes into an endothelial cell results in a distribution of the dye to surrounding cells including smooth muscle cells. These observations allow the speculation that myoendothelial gap junctions may have a functional significance. Simultaneous measurement of the electrical responses in both endothelial and smooth muscle cells using the double patch clamp method demonstrates that these two cell types are indeed electrically coupled, indicating that they behave as a functional syncytium. The EDHF-induced hyperpolarization is produced by an activation of $Ca^{2+}-sensitive\;K^+-channels$ that are inhibited by charybdotoxin and apamin. Agonists that release EDHF increase $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ in endothelial cells but not in smooth muscle cells. Inhibition of gap junctions with chemical agents abolishes the agonist-induced hyperpolarization in smooth muscle cells but not in endothelial cells. All these observations can be explained if EDHF is an electrotonic signal propagating from endothelium to smooth muscle cells through gap junctions.

• Korean Journal of Applied Biomechanics
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• v.16 no.3
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• pp.95-103
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• 2006

The purpose of this study was to analyze a change of maximal grip forces and EMG of agonists in upper extremity of 8 professional Ssirum players according to Satbar-grip patterns, to elucidate prime agonist muscles, contribution rate of each muscle, and a difference on EMG in upper extremity. one-way ANOVA(RM) performed for average and maximal values of each player after standardization and statistical significance was set as p<.05. The result includes the following: the highest grip force was A type with a statistic significance using one-way ANOVA and Duncan's comparison between A and C type. In summary the highest grip force was exerted on extension in the wrist than flexion in all grip types. Average and maximal values of biceps brachii and brachioradialis muscles were statistically significant and ones of flexor carpi ulnaris and extensor capi ulnaris were not.

• Physical Therapy Korea
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.30-37
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• 2008

Anticipatory postural adjustments are pre-planned by the central nervous system (CNS) before the activation of agonist muscles in the limbs, and minimize postural sway. Most previous studies on this topic have focused on upper-limb movement, and little research has been conducted on lower-limb movement. The purpose of this study was to investigate the recruitment order of left and right trunk muscles during limb movement. Fifteen healthy subjects (10 male, 5 female) were enrolled. Electro-myographic signals were recorded on the muscles of: (1) deltoid, lumbar erector spinae, latissimus dorsi and internal oblique during shoulder flexion, (2) rectus femoris, rectus abdominis, external oblique and internal oblique during hip flexion. During right upper limb flexion, the onset of left erector spinae muscle and left internal oblique muscle activity preceded the onset of right deltoid by 8.09 ms and 19.83 ms, respectively. But these differences were not significant (p>.05). A similar sequence of activation occurred with lower limb flexion. The onset of left internal oblique muscle activity preceded the onset of right rectus femoris muscle by 28.29 ms (p<.05). The onset of right internal oblique muscle activity preceded the onset of left rectus femoris muscles by 23.24 ms (p<.05). The internal oblique muscle was the first activated during limb movement. Our study established the recruitment order of trunk muscles during limb movement, and explained the postural control strategy of the trunk muscles in healthy people. We expect that this study will be used to evaluate patients with an asymmetric recruitment order of muscle activation due to impaired CNS.

• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.20-27
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• 2004

It is widely accepted that smooth muscle contraction is triggered by intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ ($[Ca^{2+}]_i$) released from intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ stores such as sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) and from the extracellular space, The increased $[Ca^{2+}]_i$ can phosphorylate the 20-kDa myosin light chain ($MLC_{20}$) by activating MLC kinase (MLCK), and this initiates smooth muscle contraction. In addition to the $[Ca^{2+}]_i$-MLCK-tension pathway, a number of intracellular signal molecules, including mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK), protein kinase C (PKC), phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K), and Rho-associated coiled coil-forming protein kinase (ROCK), play important roles in the regulation of smooth muscle contraction. However, the mechanisms regulating contraction of caldesmon (CaD), actin-binding protein, are not entirely elucidated in the presence of $Ca^{2+}$. It is known that CaD tightly interacts with actin and inhibits actomyosin ATPase activity. Therefore, the purpose of the present study was to investigate the roles of $Ca^{2+}$-dependent CaD in smooth muscle contraction. Endothelin-1 (ET-1), G-protein coupled receptor agonist and vasoconstrictor, increased both vascular smooth contraction and phosphorylation of CaD in the presence of $Ca^{2+}$. These results suggest that ET-1 induces contraction and phosphorylation of CaD in rat aortic smooth muscle, which may he mediated by the increase of $[Ca^{2+}]_i$.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.278-284
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• 1999

DK1001 is a thebain derivative, which is newly synthesized as an alkaloid analgesic. This study was designed to study effects of DK1001 on the ligands binding to the opioid receptor subtypes, and general pharmacology of DK1001. DK1001 inhibited the binding of [$^3H$]DAMGO, a selective mu-subtype agonist, to the opioid receptor of rat forebrain in a concentration-dependent manner. $EC_{50}$ of DK1001 was significantly lower than that of morphine. DK1001 inhibited the binding of 〔$^3$H〕DPDPE, a selective delta-subtype agonist concentration-dependently. DK1001(0.5 mg/kg) had no effects on behavior, body temperature, blood pressure. respiratory rate, and intestinal charcoal propulsion of mice. In addition, DK1001 did not affect on the contractilities of isolated muscle strips of aorta, ileum, and trachea of rats. These results suggest that DK1001 might be a potent analgesic without serious side effects.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.50 no.4
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• pp.293-299
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• 2006

The aim of present study was to investigate the possible influence of Rho-kinase inhibition on the plant-derived estrogen-like compounds-induced arterial relaxation. Agonist- or depolarization-induced vascular smooth muscle contractions involve the activation of Rho-kinase pathway. However there are no reports addressing the question whether this pathway is involved in genistein-or daidzein-induced vascular relaxation in rat aortae precontracted with phenylephrine or thromboxane $A_2$ mimetic U-46619. We hypothesized that Rho-kinase inhibition plays a role in vascular relaxation evoked by genistein or daidzein in rat aortae. Endothelium-intact and denuded arterial rings from male Sprague-Dawley rats were used and isometric contractions were recorded using a computerized data acquisition system. Genistein concentration-dependently inhibited phenylephrine or thromboxane $A_2-induced$ contraction regardless of endothelial function. Surprisingly, in the agonists-induced contraction, similar results were also observed in aortae treated with daidzein, the inactive congener for protein tyrosine kinase inhibition, suggesting that Rho-kinase might act upstream of tyrosine kinases in phenylephrine-induced contraction. In conclusion, in the agonists-precontracted rat aortae, genistein and daidzein showed similar relaxant response regardless of tyrosine kinase inhibition or endothelial function.

• Asian-Australasian Journal of Animal Sciences
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• v.11 no.4
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• pp.391-397
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• 1998

The present study was conducted to examine the effects of dietary protein (20, 22, 24%) with a constant protein-to-energy ratio on clenbuterol-induced performance in broilers. The protein-to-energy ratio was based on adequate level (22% protein, 3,100 kcal of energy). Female broiler chickens were used for a $3{\times}2$ factorial arrangement and fed diets with or without 1 ppm clenbuterol from 14- to 32-days of age. Feed efficiency improved with increasing dietary protein level, regardless of clenbuterol treatment. The dietary clenbuterol increased weights of breast and leg muscles (gastrocnemius and peroneus longus), and clenbuterol markedly reduced protein content of leg muscles in chickens fed the 20% protein diet, but did not in chickens fed the 22 and 24% protein diets. Feeding the 24% protein diet with clenbuterol improved the protien accretion (peroneus longus) by 8.4%. Clenbuterol decreased DNA content and increased the protein/DNA ratio in breast muscle regardless of dietary protein intake. Clenbuterol had no effect on RNA content in both breast and leg muscles. The present results demonstrated that various protein levels which retain the same protein-to-energy ratio in the diet markedly alter the protein accretion induced by ${\beta}$-agonist in broilers.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.18 no.4
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• pp.442-447
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• 2010

This study was conducted to determine whether treatment with the anti-inflammatory eupatilin influences intestinal smooth muscle contraction stimulated by carbachol and, if so, to investigate the related mechanism. Denuded ileal or colonic muscles from Sprague-Dawley rats were used for the study and measurements of isometric contractions were obtained using a computerized data acquisition system; this data was also combined with results from molecular experiments. Eupatilin from Artemisia asiatica Nakai significantly decreased carbachol-induced contractions in both ileal and colonic muscles. Interestingly, eupatilin decreased carbachol-induced phosphorylation of ERK1/2 more significantly than that of MYPT1 at Thr855 in ileal and colonic muscles. However, eupatilin significantly decreased phosphorylation of MYPT1 at Thr855, but only in ileal muscle. Therefore, thin filament regulation, including MEK inactivation and related phospho-ERK1/2 decrease, is mainly involved in the eupatilin-induced decrease of intestinal contraction induced by carbachol. In conclusion, this study provides the evidence and a possible related mechanism concerning the inhibitory effect of the flavonoid as an antispasmodic on the agonist-induced contractions in rat ileum and colonic muscles.

• Clinical and Experimental Pediatrics
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• v.48 no.6
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• pp.580-587
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• 2005

New evidence is emerging that airway smooth muscle(ASM) may act as an immunomodulatory cell by providing pro-inflammatory cytokines and chemokines, polypeptide growth factors, extracellular matrix proteins, cell adhesion receptors and co-stimulatory molecules. ASM can promote the formation of the interstitial extracellular matrix, and potentially contribute to the alterations within the extracellular matrix in asthma. In addition, extracellular matrix components can alter the proliferative, survival, and cytoskeletal synthetic function of ASM cells through integrin-directed signaling. Increased ASM mass is one of the most important features of the airway wall remodeling process in asthma. Three different mechanisms may contribute to the increased ASM mass : cell proliferation, increased migration and decreased rate of apoptosis. The major signaling pathways of cell proliferation activated by ASM mitogens are those dependent on extracellular signal-regulated kinase and phosphoinositide 3'-kinase. The key signaling mechanisms of cell migration have been identified as the p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase and the p21-activated kinase 1 pathways. ASM cells contain ${\beta}2$-adrenergic receptors and glucocorticoid receptors. They may represent a key target for ${\beta}2$-adrenergic receptor agonist/corticosteroid interactions which have antiproliferative activity against a broad spectrum of mitogens.

• Journal of Life Science
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• v.10 no.6
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• pp.584-590
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• 2000

Natural products are one of the useful source of cardiovascular drugs, in particular, when they have antioxidant activity. Gagaminine, an alkaloid isolated from the roots of Cynanchum wilfordi Hemsley, has been reported to potently inhibit the aldehyde oxidase activity ({TEX}$IC_{50}${/TEX}=0.8$\mu$M) and reduce lipid peroxidation. However, the effect of gagaminine on vascular smooth muscle has not yet been investigated. In the present study, we examined whether gagaminine relaxes vascular smooth muscle by isometric tension study. In order to observe its relaxation effect on the arteries, conductivel vessel (rat thoracic aorta) and resistance vessel (pig coronary artery) were purposely used. Results indicated that gagaminine relaxed in a concentration-dependent manner $\alpha$-adrenoceptor agonist, phenylephrine (PE)-induced contraction of rat aorta. Pretreatment with gagaminine inhibited PE-induced contraction, noncompetitively. {TEX}$Ca^{2+}${/TEX}-induced contraction was significantly diminished by gagaminine. In pig coronary artery, gagaminine relaxed thromboxane receptor (U 46619)-mediated contraction in dose-dependent manner. Pretreatment with gagaminine also reduced the maximum contraction induced by KCl. These observations strongly suggest that agagminnine relaxes vascular smooth muscle, irrespective of both resistance and conductive artery. We demonstrate that gagaminine, a potent natural antioxidant, has a significant vasodilatory effect and its action mechanism van be ascribed at least in part to {TEX}$Ca^{2+}${/TEX} antagonistic action as evidenced by inhibition {TEX}$Ca^{2+}${/TEX}-induced contraction (rat aorta) and KCl-induced contraction (porcine artery). Furthermore, neither $\alpha$ -adrenoceptor nor thromboxane receptor seems responsible for the relaxation of gagaminine.