25 research outputs found
Influence of acute pancreatitis on the in vitro responsiveness of rat mesenteric and pulmonary arteries
<p>Abstract</p> <p>Background</p> <p>Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory disease characterized by local tissue injury and systemic inflammatory response leading to massive nitric oxide (NO) production and haemodynamic disturbances. Therefore, the aim of this work was to evaluate the vascular reactivity of pulmonary and mesenteric artery rings from rats submitted to experimental pancreatitis.</p> <p>Male Wistar rats were divided into three groups: saline (SAL); tauracholate (TAU) and phospholipase A<sub>2 </sub>(PLA<sub>2</sub>). Pancreatitis was induced by administration of TAU or PLA<sub>2 </sub>from <it>Naja mocambique mocambique </it>into the common bile duct of rats, and after 4 h of duct injection the animals were sacrificed. Concentration-response curves to acetylcholine (ACh), sodium nitroprusside (SNP) and phenylephrine (PHE) in isolated mesenteric and pulmonary arteries were obtained. Potency (pEC<sub>50</sub>) and maximal responses (E<sub>MAX</sub>) were determined. Blood samples were collected for biochemical analysis.</p> <p>Results</p> <p>In mesenteric rings, the potency for ACh was significantly decreased from animals treated with TAU (about 4.2-fold) or PLA<sub>2 </sub>(about 6.9-fold) compared to saline group without changes in the maximal responses. Neither pEC<sub>50 </sub>nor E<sub>MAX </sub>values for Ach were altered in pulmonary rings in any group. Similarly, the pEC<sub>50 </sub>and the E<sub>MAX </sub>values for SNP were not changed in both preparations in any group. The potency for PHE was significantly decreased in rat mesenteric and pulmonary rings from TAU group compared to SAL group (about 2.2- and 2.69-fold, for mesenteric and pulmonary rings, respectively). No changes were seen in the E<sub>MAX </sub>for PHE. The nitrite/nitrate (NO<sub>x</sub><sup>-</sup>) levels were markedly increased in animals submitted to acute pancreatitis as compared to SAL group, approximately 76 and 68% in TAU and PLA<sub>2 </sub>protocol, respectively.</p> <p>Conclusion</p> <p>Acute pancreatitis provoked deleterious effects in endothelium-dependent relaxing response for ACh in mesenteric rings that were strongly associated with high plasma NO<sub>x</sub><sup>- </sup>levels as consequence of intense inflammatory responses. Furthermore, the subsensitivity of contractile response to PHE in both mesenteric and pulmonary rings might be due to the complications of this pathological condition in the early stage of pancreatitis.</p
Insulin stimulates cationic amino acid transport activity in the isolated perfused rat pancreas
Extracellular concentration of homocysteine in human cell lines is influenced by specific inhibitors of cyst(e)ine transport
Melatonin reduces apoptosis and necrosis induced by ischemia/reperfusion injury of the pancreas
Severe hyperkalemia following colon diversion surgery in a patient undergoing chronic hemodialysis: a case report
Relationship between amino acid transport and protein synthesis in rat isolated pancreatic acini under stimulation with cholecystokinin
Carotenoid deficiency in chronic pancreatitis:the effect of an increase in tomato consumption
Carotenoids are potentially malabsorbed in patients with chronic pancreatitis (CP). The aims of this study were: (1) to determine the prevalence of low levels of each of the major carotenoids in subjects with CP; (2) to compare carotenoids in CP subjects with or without vascular disease and (3) to test the effect of an increase in dietary lycopene intake in patients with low plasma lycopene concentration
A Brief History of Choline
In 1850, Theodore Gobley, working in Paris, described a substance “lecithine”, which he named after the Greek “lekithos” for egg yolk. Adolph Strecker noted in 1862 that when lecithin from bile was heated, it generated a new nitrogenous chemical that he named “choline”. Three years later, Oscar Liebreich identified a new substance, “neurine”, in the brain. After a period of confusion, neurine and choline were found to be the same molecule, and the name choline was adapted. Lecithin was eventually characterized chemically as being phosphatidylcholine. In 1954, Eugene Kennedy described the cytidine 5-dihphosphocholine pathway by which choline is incorporated into phosphatidylcholine. A second route, the phosphatidylethanolamine-N-methyltransferase pathway, was identified by Jon Bremer and David Greenberg in 1960. The role of choline as part of the neurotransmitter acetylcholine was established by Otto Loewi and Henry Dale. Working in the 1930s at the University of Toronto, Charles Best showed that choline prevented fatty liver in dogs and rats. The importance of choline as an essential nutrient for human health was determined in the 1990s through controlled feeding studies in humans. Recently, an understanding of the role of genetic variation in setting the dietary requirement for choline in people is being unraveled
Umbilical choline and related methylamines betaine and dimethylglycine in relation to birth weight
Item does not contain fulltextBackground:Low birth weight (LBW) is associated with increased morbidity and mortality for the newborn and risk of chronic disease in adulthood. Choline plays an essential role in the integrity of cell membranes, methylation reactions, and memory development. We examined whether choline, betaine, and dimethylglycine (DMG) concentrations were associated with LBW in Dutch women.Methods:Blood was sampled from umbilical cords (UCs) at delivery in singleton pregnancies (n = 1,126). Maternal blood was sampled at 30-34 wk of gestational age (GA) (n = 366). We calculated birth weights standardized for GA and defined LBW as standardized birth weight </=2,500 g.Results:Maternal concentrations were lower as compared with UC concentrations and were not associated with birth weight. UC choline and betaine were inversely associated with birth weight (beta = -60 (-89, -31) and beta = -65 (-94, -36), respectively), whereas UC DMG was positively associated with birth weight (beta = 35 (6.1, 63)). Odds ratios for LBW were 4.12 (1.15, 14.78), 5.68 (1.24, 25.91), and 0.48 (0.09, 2.65) for the highest UC choline, betaine, and DMG quartiles, respectively, as compared with the lowest quartiles.Conclusion:We observed an increased risk of LBW with increased umbilical choline and betaine in venous UC blood. These results might reflect a change in choline consumption or metabolism or a disturbed placental function