• Herbal Formula Science
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• v.17 no.2
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• pp.175-186
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• 2009

The vasorelaxant effect of an extract of Lophatherum gracile Brongn (ELB) and its possible action mechanism were ascertained in aortic tissues isolated from rats. ELB relaxed endothelium-intact thoracic aorta in a dose-dependent manner. However, the induced vascular relaxation was abolished by removal in endothelium of the thoracic aorta. Pretreatment of endothelium-intact vascular tissues with $N^G$-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or 1H-[1,2,4]-oxadiazole-[4,3-$\alpha$]-quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) significantly inhibited vascular relaxation induced by ELB. Moreover, ELB significantly increased cGMP production in aortic tissues, which was blocked by pretreatment with L-NAME or ODQ. The vasorelaxant effect of ELB was attenuated by tetraethylammonium (TEA), and glibenclamide. ELB-induced vasorelaxation was not blocked by atropine, propranolol, indomethacin, verapamil, and diltiazem. Taken together, the present study demonstrates that ELB dilates vascular smooth muscle via an endothelium-dependent NO-cGMP signaling pathway, which may be at least in part related with the function of $K^+$ channels.

• Natural Product Sciences
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• v.23 no.3
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• pp.169-174
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• 2017

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect and action mechanism of quercetin on penile corpus cavernosum smooth muscle (PCCSM). PCCSM precontracted with phenylephrine (Phe) was treated with four different concentrations of quercetin ($10^{-7}$, $10^{-6}$, $10^{-5}$ and $10^{-4}M$). PCCSM were preincubated with N-Nitro-L-arginine methyl ester hydrochloride (L-NAME) and 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) to block nitric oxide synthase and guanylate cyclase, respectively. The changes in PCCSM tension were recorded, and cyclic nucleotides in the perfusate were measured by radioimmunoassay. The interactions of quercetin with phosphodiesterase type 5 inhibitors (PDE5-Is) such as sildenafil, udenafil and mirodenafil, were also evaluated. PCCSM relaxation induced by quercetin occurred in a concentrationdependent manner. The application of quercetin to PCCSM pre-treated with L-NAME and ODQ significantly inhibited the relaxation. Quercetin significantly increased cGMP in the perfusate. Furthermore, quercetin enhanced PDE5-Is-induced relaxation of PCCSM. Quercetin relaxed the PCCSM by activating the NO-cGMP signaling pathway, and it may be a therapeutic candidate or an alternative treatment for patients with erectile dysfunction who do not completely respond to PDE5-Is.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.19 no.1
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• pp.68-74
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• 1998

The complexation of ethylammonium ion by alkyl p-tert-butylcalix[6]aryl ester derivatives was studied via measurements of proton and carbon spin-lattice relaxation times $(T_1)$ and chemical shift changes in solution state $(CDCl_3)$. The results indicate that the endo-type complexes are formed and that the overall tumbling rates of these complexes are more rapid than those of the corresponding free hosts. The association constants for these complexes in $THF-d_8$ were determined by $^1H$ NMR titration at several different temperatures to estimate the relevant thermodynamic parameters. The logK's for ethylammonium complexes of methyl, ethyl, and propyl esters at 313 K, for example, were found to be 1.56, 3.41, and 3.08, respectively. The complexes formed may be thought of as being kinetically stable in view of their $^1H$ NMR behavior in 2 : 1 host/guest solution.

• Journal of Physiology & Pathology in Korean Medicine
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• v.19 no.3
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• pp.797-801
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• 2005

While conducting an in vitro screening of various medicinal plant extracts, an aqueous extract of Rosa rugosa Radix (ARR) was found to exhibit a distinct vasorelaxant activity. ARR induced a concentration-dependent relaxation of the phenylephrine-precontracted aorta. This effect disappeared with the removal of functional endothelium. Pretreatment of the aortic tissues with NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) or 1H-[1,2,4]-oxadiazole-[4,3-]-quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) completely inhibited the relaxation induced by ARR. ARR-induced vascular relaxations were also markedly attenuated by addition of diltiazem or verapamil. However, the relaxant effect of ARR was not blocked by pretreatment with indomethacine, tetraethylammonium (TEA), glibenclamide, atropine, or propranolol. Taken together, the present study suggests that ARR dilates vascular smooth muscle via endothelium-dependent NO/cGMP signaling.

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.44 no.4
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• pp.515-522
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• 2004

The vasorelaxant effect of serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine was investigated in rat isolated thoracic aorta. Fluoxetine induced a concentration-dependent relaxation in aorta precontracted with phenylephrine (PE) and KCl. These relaxations were suppressed by removal of the endothelium (-E) or pretreatment of nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) and N(omega)-nitro-Larginine methyl ester (L-NAME), guanylate cyclase inhibitors, methylene blue (MB) and 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo [4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ), and $Ca^{2+}$ channel blockers, nifedipine and verapamil, in PE-precontracted +E rings. However, fluoxetine-induced relaxations were not suppressed by pretreatment of $K^{+}$ channel blockers, tetrabutylammonium and glibenclamide, in PE-precontracted endothelium intact (+E) rings. The fluoxetine-induced relaxations were not suppressed by removal of the endothelium or pretreatment of LNNA and MB in KCl-precontracted +E rings. Also, fluoxetine inhibited PE-induced sustained contraction in +E rings. These inhibitory effects of fluoxetine on contractions could be reversed by removal of the endothelium or pretreatment of L-NNA, L-NAME, MB, ODQ, nifedipine and verapamil, but not by pretreatment of etrabutylammonium and glibenclamide. These findings suggest that the vasorelaxant effect of fluoxetine is modulated by intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ with an involvement of endothelial NO-cGMP pathway and also may be related to the inhibition of $Ca^{2+}$ entry through voltage-gated channel.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.18 no.1
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• pp.41-46
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• 2014

In order to obtain information on the structural geometry of $NH_4HSeO_4$ near the phase transition temperature, the spectrum and spin-lattice relaxation time in the rotating frame $T_{1{\rho}}$ for the ammonium and hydrogen-bond protons were investigated through $^1H$ MAS NMR. $T_{1{\rho}}$ for the hydrogen-bond protons abruptly decreased at high temperature and it is associated with the change in the structural geometry in $O-H{\cdots}O$ bonds. This mobility of the hydrogen-bond protons may be the main reason for the high conductivity.

• Journal of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.36 no.2
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• pp.329-334
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• 1992

Ultrasonic absorption was measured in bovine serum albumin (BSA) aqueous solution (50 g/l) in the frequency range from 100 kHz to 1600 MHz at neutral pH. Three experimental techniques were used to cover the wide frequency range : plano-concave resonator, conventional Bragg reflection, and high-resolution Bragg reflection methods. The absorption spectrum at neutral pH fitted the relaxation curve well using the distribution function of a mirror image of Davidson-Cole function. The relaxaition behavior was interpreted in terms of various degree of hydration of BSA molecules.

• Bulletin of the Korean Chemical Society
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• v.35 no.6
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• pp.1706-1712
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• 2014

The OH($X^2{\Pi}$, ${\upsilon}^{\prime\prime}=0,1$) internal state distribution following the reaction of electronically excited oxygen atom ($O(^1D_2)$) with cyclo-$C_3H_6$ has been measured using laser-induced fluorescence, and compared with that following the reaction of $O(^1D_2)$ with $C_3H_8$. The overall characteristics of the OH internal energy distributions for both reactions were qualitatively similar. The population propensity of the ${\Pi}(A^{\prime})$ ${\Lambda}$-doublet sub-level suggested that both reactions proceeded via an insertion/elimination mechanism. Bimodal rotational population distributions supported the existence of two parallel mechanisms for OH production, i.e., statistical insertion and nonstatistical insertion. However, detailed analysis revealed that, despite the higher exoergicity of the reaction, the rotational distribution of the OH following the reaction of $O(^1D_2)$ with $C_3H_8$ was significantly cooler than that with cyclo-$C_3H_6$, especially in the vibrational ground state. This observation was interpreted as the effect of the flexibility of the insertion complex and faster intramolecular vibrational relaxation (IVR).

• The Korean Journal of Ceramics
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• v.6 no.3
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• pp.258-261
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• 2000

Highly (h00)-oriented (Ba, Sr)TiO$_3$(BST) thin films were grown by pulsed laser deposition on the perovskite LaNiO$_3$(LNO) metallic oxide layer as a bottom electrode. The LNO films were deposited on SiO$_2$/Si substrates by rf-magnetron sputtering method. The crystalline phases of the BST film were characterized by x-ray $\theta$-2$\theta$, $\omega$-rocking curve and $\psi$-scan diffraction measurements. The surface microsturcture observed by scanning electron microscopy was very dense and smooth. The low-frequency dielectric responses of the BST films grown at various substrate temperatures were measured as a function of frequency in the frequency range from 0.1 Hz to 10 MHz. The BST films have the dielectric constant of 265 at 1 kHz and showed multiple dielectric relaxation at the low frequency region. The origin of these low-frequency dielectric relaxation are attributed to the ionized space charge carriers such as the oxygen vacancies and defects in BST film, the interfacial polarization in the grain boundary region and the electrode polarization. We studied also on the capacitance-voltage characteristics of BST films.

• Journal of the Korean Magnetic Resonance Society
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• v.11 no.2
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• pp.64-72
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• 2007

[ $^1H$ ] nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) experiments have been performed at 30 - 300 K and 7 T to investigate dynamics of hydrogen bond network in the single crystal $(NH_4)_3H(SO_4)_2$. The two proton sites, ammonium proton and hydrogen-bond proton, are identified from the $^1H$ NMR MAS spectrum at 340 K. As temperature decreases, the $^1H$ NMR spectrum shifts to the higher frequency side with a larger linewidth. The spectrum at 65 K shows a distinctive change in line shape toward the ferroelectric transition at 63 K. The measured values of $T_1$ for ammonium and hydrogen-bond protons are similar in the whole range of temperature. $T_1$ of $^1H$ NMR shows a gradual decrease down to 120 K and starts to steeply increase below 100 K. Then $T_1$ shows abrupt decrease below 70 K with a sharp minimum at 63 K, where the ferroelectric transition occurs. This temperature dependence of spectrum and $T_1$ clearly prove that the large change in the dynamics of hydrogen bond network is associated with the ferroelectric phase transition at 63 K.