• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.28 no.6
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• pp.709-715
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• 2005

The purpose of this study was to investigate the effect of atropine on peripheral vasodilation and the mechanisms involved. The isometric tension of rat mesenteric artery rings was recorded in vitro on a myograph. The results showed that atropine, at concentrations greater than 1$\mu$M, relaxed the noradrenalin (NA)-precontracted rat mesenteric artery in a concentration-dependent manner. Atropine-induced vasodilatation was mediated, in part, by an endothelium-dependent mechanism, to which endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor may contribute. Atropine was able to shift the NA-induced concentration-response curve to the right, in a non-parallel manner, suggesting the mechanism of atropine was not mediated via the ${\alpha}_1$-adrenoreceptor. The $\beta$-adrenoreceptor and ATP sensitive potassium channel, a voltage dependent calcium channel, were not involved in the vasodilatation. However, atropine inhibited the contraction derived from NA and $CaCl_2$ in $Ca^{2+}$-free medium, in a concentration dependent manner, indicating the vasodilatation was related to the inhibition of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ influx through the receptor-operated calcium channels and intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ release from the $Ca^{2+}$ store. Atropine had no effect on the caffeine-induced contraction in the artery segments, indicating the inhibition of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ release as a result of atropine most likely occurs via the IP3 pathway rather than the ryanodine receptors. Our results suggest that atropine-induced vasodilatation is mainly from artery smooth muscle cells due to inhibition of the receptor-mediated $Ca^{2+}$-influx and $Ca^{2+}$-release, and partly from the endothelium mediated by EDHF.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.24 no.2
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• pp.293-303
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• 1990

The contractile action of barium $(Ba^{2+})$ was investigated in the arterial strip of rabbit renal artery. The helical strip of isolated renal artery was immersed in the Tris-buffered Tyrode's solution equilibrated with 100% $O_2$ at $37^{\circ}C$ and its isometric tension was measured. $Ba^{2+}-induced$ contraction of arterial strip was dose-dependent and its maximal tension corresponded to $92.1{\pm}4.5%$ of tension by $K^+(100\;mM)$. $Ba^{2+}-induced$ contraction did not show the tachyphylactic phenomenon in the normal Tyrode's solution. $Ba^{2+}$ induced the tonic contraction in the $Ca^{2+}-free$ tyrode's solution and that was increased by the extracellula addition of $Ca^{2+}$. During the repeated exposure of the same dose of $Ba^{2+}\;(10\;mM)$ in the $Ca^{2+}-free$ Tyrode's solution, $Ba^{2+}-induced$ contraction was progressively decreased. Even though the intracellular NE-and caffeine-sensitive $Ca^{2+}$ was depleted, $Ba^{2+}$ induced the tonic contraction. After the pretreatment of lanthnum or verapamil, $Ba^{2+}$ did not induce contraction. $Ba^{2+}-induced$contraction was suppressed by extracellular $K^+$ in the normal Tyrode's solution and that was dependent on $K^+$ concentration. Suppressive effect of $K^+\;(14\;mM)$ on the $Ba^{2+}-induced$ contraction was also dependent on the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration. From the above resuts, it is suggested that $Ba^{2+}$ activate indirectly the contractile process by promoting the mobilization of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ and the influx of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$. It is also suggested that action of $Ba^{2+}$ on the $Ca^{2+}-activated$ $K^+$ channel can result in the depolarization of cell membrane in the rabbit renal artery.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.207-217
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• 1995

To investigate the functional and immunological properties of the Ca-release channel in the sarcoplasmic reticulum(SR) of the eel skeletal muscle, $[^3H]ryanodine$ binding, SDS gel electrophoresis, $^{45}Ca\;release$ studies, and immunoblot assay were carried out in the SR of the eel skeletal muscle. Maximal binding sites(Bmax) and $K_D$ values of $[^3H]ryanodine$ for Ca-release channel of the SR of the eel skeletal muscle were $19.44{\pm}1.40\;pmole/mg$ protein and $15.55{\pm}1.69\;nM$, respectively. $[^3H]Ryanodine$ binding to RyR was increased by calcium and AMP. The SR of the eel skeletal muscle has two high molecular weight bands on the SDS PAGE. The mobility of upper band was more slower than the single band of the rabbit skeletal muscle, and that of the lower band was similar with the single band of canine cardiac muscle. Vesicular $^{45}Ca-release$ was activated by calcium. Ca-induced $^{45}Ca-release$ was significantly inhibited by $MgCl_2(2\;mM)$, ruthenium red$(10\;{/mu}M)$ or tetracaine(1 mM), but not by high concentration of calcium itself. AMP-induced $^{45}Ca-release$ was slightly occurred only in the absence of calcium, it was not inhibited by $MgCl_2$ or ruthenium red. Caffeine also increased $^{45}Ca-release$ from the SR vesicles, but it was not affected by $MgCl_2$ or ruthenium red. Polyclonal Ab against rat skeletal muscle RyR is reacted with that of rabbit, but not reacted with that of the eel skeletal muscle. These results suggested that ryanodine receptor of the SR of the eel skeletal muscle is showing some similar properties with that of mammalian skeletal muscle, but might be an another isotype channel having two bands which is less sensitive to AMP, not cross-reacted with antisera against rat RyR, and not inhibited by high concentration of calcium.