• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.14 no.3
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• pp.143-147
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• 2006

In the mouse leukemic monocyte cell line RAW 264.7, the vacuolar-type $(H^+)$-ATPase (V-ATPase) inhibitor bafilomycin $A_1$ at 10 and 100 nM decreased cell growth and survival as determined by 3-(4,5-dimethyl(thiazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT) assay in a concentration-dependent manner. At such concentrations, bafilomycin $A_1$ induced nitric oxide (NO) production through the expression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). The bafilomycin $A_1$-induced NO production was inhibited by the NOS inhibitor $N^G$-monomethyl-L-arginine acetate (L-NMMA). Our findings suggest that the V-ATPase inhibitor bafilomycin $A_1$ induces NO production through the expression of iNOS protein.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.20 no.5
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• pp.441-447
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• 2016

Despite the complex vascular effects of dexmedetomidine (DEX), its actions on human pulmonary resistance arteries remain unknown. The present study tested the hypothesis that DEX inhibits vascular tension in human pulmonary arteries through the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) mediated production of nitric oxide (NO). Pulmonary artery segments were obtained from 62 patients who underwent lung resection. The direct effects of DEX on human pulmonary artery tension and changes in vascular tension were determined by isometric force measurements recorded on a myograph. Arterial contractions caused by increasing concentrations of serotonin with DEX in the presence or absence of L-NAME (endothelial nitric oxide synthase inhibitor), yohimbine (${\alpha}_2$-adrenoceptor antagonist) and indomethacin (cyclooxygenase inhibitor) as antagonists were also measured. DEX had no effect on endothelium-intact pulmonary arteries, whereas at concentrations of $10^{-8}{\sim}10^{-6}mol/L$, it elicited contractions in endothelium-denuded pulmonary arteries. DEX (0.3, 1, or $3{\times}10^{-9}mmol/L$) inhibited serotonin-induced contraction in arteries with intact endothelium in a dose-dependent manner. L-NAME and yohimbine abolished DEX-induced inhibition, whereas indomethacin had no effect. No inhibitory effect was observed in endothelium-denuded pulmonary arteries. DEX-induced inhibition of vasoconstriction in human pulmonary arteries is mediated by NO production induced by the activation of endothelial ${\alpha}_2$-adrenoceptor and nitric oxide synthase.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.301-305
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• 2003

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important bioactive agent that mediates a wide variety of physiological and pathophysiological events. NO overproduction by inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) results in severe hypotension and inflammation. This investigation is part of a study to discover new iNOS inhibitors from medicinal plants using a macrophage cell culture system. Two sesquiterpenes (1 and 2) were isolated from Artemisia iwayomogi (Compositae) and were found to inhibit NO synthesis ($IC_{50} 3.64 \mu g/mL and 2.81 \mu$g/mL, respectively) in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated RAW 264.7 cells. Their structures were identified as 3-Ο-methyl-iso-secotanapartholide (1) and iso-secotanapartholide (2). Compounds 1 and 2 inhibited the LPS-induced expression of the iNOS enzyme in the RAW 264.7 cells. The inhibition of NO production via the down regulation of iNOS expression may substantially modulate the inflammatory responses.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.8 no.3
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• pp.161-165
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• 2004

Exogenous carbon monoxide (0.2%) increases L-type calcium $(Ca^{2+})$ current in human jejunal circular smooth muscle cells. The stimulatory effect of carbon monoxide (CO) on L-type $Ca^{2+}$ current is inhibited by pre-application of L-NNA, a classical competitive inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) with no significant isoform selectivity (Lim, 2003). In the present study, we investigated which isoform of NOS affected CO induced stimulation of L-type $Ca^{2+}$ current in human jejunal circular smooth muscle cells. Cells were voltage clamped by whole-cell mode patch clamp technique, and membrane currents were recorded with 10 mM barium as the charge carrier. Before the addition of CO, cells were pretreated with each inhibitor of three NOS isoforms for 15 minutes. CO-stimulating effect on L-type $Ca^{2+}$ current was partially blocked by N-(3-(Amino-methyl) benzyl) acetamidine 2HCl (1400W, an iNOS inhibitor). On the other hand, 3-bromo-7-nitroindazole (BNI, a nNOS inhibitor) or $N^5-(1-Iminoethyl)-L-ornithine$ dihydrochloride (L-NIO, an eNOS inhibitor) completely blocked the CO effect. These data suggest that low dose of exogenous CO may stimulate all NOS isoforms to increase L-type $Ca^{2+}$ channel through nitric oxide (NO) pathway in human jejunal circular smooth muscle cells.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.42 no.5
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• pp.519-526
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• 1998

This study was performed in order to investigate the effect of renal function of NG-nitro-L-arginine (L-NOARG), inhibitor of nitric oxide (NO) synthase, in dog and ra bbit. L-NOARG, when given intravenously in dogs, exhibited the decrease in urine flow (vol), renal plasma flow (RPF), osmolar clearance ($C_{osm}$) and amounts of sodium and potassium excreted in urine($E_{Na},\;E_K$). These renal functions of L-NOARG showed the same aspect in rabbit, too. L-NOARG, when administered into a renal artery, showed the same pattern as was obtained when given intravenously in both experimental and control kidney in dog. L-NOARG administered into the carotid artery showed the decrease in Vol, RPF, $E_{Na}$, in a low doses that did not show any effect when given intravenously. Above results suggest that L-NOARG produces antidiuretic action in dog and rabbit, and these antidiuretic actions may be mediated by central action.

• Toxicological Research
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.303-308
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• 1995

Nitric oxide, a physiological transmitter, is reported to mediate cellular injury in various tissues. Its reactivity to free radical is believed to be one of the reasons for its involvement in cytotoxicity. Menadione, a representative quinone, is cytotoxic to several cell systems including isolated hepatocyte, endothelial cell and red blood cells. Its toxic mechanism is related to oxidative stress, mediated by toxic free radicals. Our previous studies demonstrated that menadione induced cell lysis and increase of oxygen consumption in platelets. It has been reported that platelets have nitric oxide producing enzyme, nitric oxide synthase. Thus, we have investigated to manifest the role of nitric oxide.in menadione-induced cytotoxicity in rat platelets. Menadione induced cytotoxicity in platelets was unaffected by $N^G$-nitro-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), selective and competitive inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase. We also invesitgated the role of extracellular nitric oxide in menadione-induced cytotoxicity of platelets by addition with sodium nitroprusside (SNP). SNP did not affect platelet cytotoxicity by menadione. These results suggested that nitric oxide which was generated endogeneously or exogeneously might have a negligible role in menadione-induced cytotoxicity in rat platelets.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.2 no.4
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• pp.511-519
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• 1998

This study investigated the role of nitric oxide on the oxidative damage in gastric mucosa of rats which received ischemia/reperfusion and its relation to mucus. Nitric oxide synthesis modulators such as L-arginine and $N^G-nitro-L-arginine$ methyl ester, and sodium nitroprusside, a nitric oxide donor, were injected intraperitoneally to the rats 30 min prior to ischemia/reperfusion which was induced by clamping the celiac artery and the superior mesenteric artery for 30 min and reperfusion for 1 h. Lipid peroxide production, the contents of glutathione and mucus, and glutathione peroxidase activities of gastric mucosa were determined. Histological observation of gastric mucosa was performed by using hematoxylin-eosin staining and scanning electron microscopy. The result showed that ischemia/reperfusion increased lipid peroxide production and decreased the contents of glutathione and mucus as well as glutathione peroxidase activities of gastric mucosa. Ischemia/reperfusion induced gastric erosion and gross epithelial disruption of gastric mucosa. Pretreatment of L-arginine, a substrate for nitric oxide synthase, and sodium nitroprusside prevented ischemia/reperfusion-induced alterations of gastric mucosa. However, $N^G-nitro-$ L- arginine methyl ester, a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor, deteriorated oxidative damage induced by ischemia/reperfusion. In conclusion, nitric oxide has an antioxidant defensive role on gastric mucosa by maintaining mucus, glutathione, and glutathione peroxidase of gastric mucosa.

• Biomedical Science Letters
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.180-187
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• 2013

Hypoxia is an integral part of the environment during luteolysis. In this study we examined whether hypoxia could directly stimulate endothelial cells to produce nitric oxide (NO). Endothelial cells were cultured in hypoxic (5% $O_2$) or normoxic (20% $O_2$) conditions and the levels of total NO, inducible NO and endothelial NO was measured. We found that hypoxia but not normoxia upregulated NO production. The increased NO levels correlated with increased inducible NO synthase (iNOS) expression whereas expression of endothelial NOS (eNOS) expression remained constant. Addition of the iNOS specific inhibitor 1400W to hypoxic cultures prevented NO production suggesting that hypoxia-induced NO production in endothelial cells was due mainly to upregulation of iNOS. We also found that prostaglandin $F_{2{\alpha}}$ (PGF) production was unaffected by hypoxia suggesting that upregulation of NO was not due to increased synthesis of PGF. In summary, we report that endothelial cells cultured under hypoxic conditions produce NO via the iNOS pathway. This study provides the importance of the relation between the hypoxic environment and the induction of NO by endothelial cells during regression of the corpus luteum in the ovary.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
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• v.22 no.4
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• pp.410-413
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• 1999

In bioassay-guided search for inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibitory compounds from higher plants of South Korea, two $\beta$-carboline (2) have been isolated form the cortex of Melia azedarach var. japonica. The structures of these compounds were elucidated on the basis of spectroscopic data. Compounds 1 to 2 showed marked inhibitory activity of iNOS on LPS-and interferon-${\gamma}$-stimulated RAW 264.7 cells.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.7 no.3
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• pp.210-215
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• 1999

Nitric oxide (NO) can mediate numerous physiological processes, including vasodilation, neurotransmission, cytotoxicity, secretion and inflammatory response. The regulation of NO production by inducible NO synthase (iNOS) is considered to be the possible target of the development of anti-inflammatory agent, based on the observation that NO can activate cyclooxygenase, which results in the synthesis of prostaglandins. In an effort to screen new inhibitor of NO production from about 352 species of herbal extracts, we found 9 species with 50% or more inhibitory effect on NO production. Especially, the dose-dependent inhibition of NO production in lipopolysaccharide-treated macrophages by two of the herbal extracts (Artemisiae asiaticae Herba and Saussureae Radix) was due to the decrease in the expression of iNOS.