• PNF and Movement
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• v.20 no.3
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• pp.409-416
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• 2022

Purpose: This study compared and analyzed the contractility of the abductor hallucis (AbdH), an intrinsic foot muscle, between flat feet and normal feet during a movement control test (single-leg small knee band test) using ultrasonography. Methods: A total of 23 subjects with (n = 11) and without (n = 12) flatfoot were included in the study. Each subject performed the short foot exercises (SFE) with a single-leg small knee bend (SLSKB) test, which is a functional movement. An ultrasound device was used to collect data regarding the changes in the contractility of the AbdH. Results: Intergroup comparison showed that dorsoplantar thickness was significantly reduced at baseline and during the SFE with SLSKB in the flatfoot group (p < 0.05). Intragroup comparison showed that the cross-sectional area significantly improved when the SFE was performed with SLSKB in the control group (p < 0.05). Conclusion: In this study, it was observed that the AbdH had inadequate contractility during the SLSKB test in subjects with flatfoot; therefore, it is important to train the contraction of the AbdH via functional movements during clinical interventions for subjects with flatfoot.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.28 no.2
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• pp.159-167
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• 1994

The contraction of rabbit basilar artery was examined as a function of changes in the $Na^+$ electrochemical gradient in order to determine the contribution of $Na^+/Ca^{2+}$ exchange to the modulation of contractility. Ouabain $(10^{-5}\;M)$ or $K^+-free$ Tyrode solution caused an increase in tonic tension even in the presence of a $Ca^{2+}$ channel blocker $(10^{-6}\;M\;verapamil)$ and an ${\alpha}-receptor$ blocker $(10^{-5}\;M\;phentolamine)$. After treatment with ouabain $(10^{-5}\;M)$, contractions were augmented by reduction of external $Na^+$ concentration. The longer the treatment with ouabain $(10^{-5}\;M)$ was, the larger the amplitude of $Na^+-free$ contracture was. $Na^+-free$ contracture wag induced by either substitution of equimolar Tris for $Na^+$ or substitution of equimolar $Li^+\;for\;Na^+$. The competition between $Na^+\;and\;Ca^{2+}$ for the $Na^+/Ca^{2+}$ exchange carrier would exist, because it was observed that contractility was dependent on the $Na^+$ electrochemical gradient or the extracellular $Ca^{2+}$ concentration (2 mM, 4 mM). Ryanodine $(10^{-7}\;M)$, the blocker of intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum, did not suppress the development of $Na^+-free$ contracture. The contractile response to norepinephrine $(10^{-6}\;M)$ was augmented by reducing the extracellular $Na^+$ concentration. The relaxation rate from caffeine-induced contraction was dependent on the extracellular $Na^+$ concentration (0 mM, 140 mM). From the above results, it could be suggested that $Na^+/Ca^{2+}$ exchange can move $Ca^{2+}$ either into or out of rabbit basilar arterial smooth muscle. $Ca^{2+}$ entry or extrusion is dependent upon the $Na^+$ electrochemical gradient. $Na^+/Ca^{2+}$ exchange plays a significant role in the regulation of contractility in rabbit basilar arterial smooth muscle.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.3 no.6
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• pp.615-621
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• 1999

In spite many evidences has supported the cardioprotective effect of bradykinin, its direct effects at the cell level are still under question. We investigated the both effects of bradykinin (BK) on $Ca^{2+}-related$ ionic currents using whole cell voltage clamp technique in rabbit cardiomyocytes and on the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ transient using calcium sensitive fluorescence dye, indo-1AM. Simultaneously with recording intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ transients, cell contractility was estimated from the changes in length of the electrical stimulated rat cardiac myocytes. L-type $Ca^{2+}$ current decreased by bradykinin at the entire voltage range. Inward tail current increased initially up to its maximum about 4 min after exposing myocytes to BK, and then gradually decreased again by further exposure to BK. This tail current decreased remarkably at washing BK off but slowly recovered ca. 20 min later. The change in cell contractility was similar to that in tail current showing initial increase followed by gradual decrease. Removal of BK brought remarkable decrease in contractility, which was recovered $15{\sim}20$ min after cessation of electrical stimulation. Bradykinin increased $Ca^{2+}$ transient initially but after some time $Ca^{2+}$ transient also decreased coincidentally with contractility. From these results, it is suggested that bradykinin exerts directly its cardioprotective effect on the single myocytes by decreasing the intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ level followed by an initial increase in $Ca^{2+}$ transient.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.22 no.5
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• pp.577-584
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• 2018

Bladder dysfunction is a common complication of diabetes mellitus (DM). However, there have been a few studies evaluating bladder smooth muscle contraction in DM in the presence of pharmacological inhibitors. In the present study, we compared the contractility of bladder smooth muscle from normal rats and DM rats. Furthermore, we utilized pharmacological inhibitors to delineate the mechanisms underlying bladder muscle differences between normal and DM rats. DM was established in 14 days after using a single injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg, intraperitoneal) in Sprague-Dawley rats. Bladder smooth muscle contraction was induced electrically using electrical field stimulation consisting of pulse trains at an amplitude of 40 V and pulse duration of 1 ms at frequencies of 2-10 Hz. In this study, the pharmacological inhibitors atropine (muscarinic receptor antagonist), U73122 (phospholipase C inhibitor), DPCPX (adenosine $A_1$ receptor antagonist), udenafil (PDE5 inhibitor), prazosin (${\alpha}_1$-receptor antagonist), verapamil (calcium channel blocker), and chelerythrine (protein kinase C inhibitor) were used to pretreat bladder smooth muscles. It was found that the contractility of bladder smooth muscles from DM rats was lower than that of normal rats. In addition, there were significant differences in percent change of contractility between normal and DM rats following pretreatment with prazosin, udenafil, verapamil, and U73122. In conclusion, we suggest that the decreased bladder muscle contractility in DM rats was a result of perturbations in $PLC/IP_3$-mediated intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ release and PDE5 activity.

• The Journal of Internal Korean Medicine
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• v.31 no.2
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• pp.212-223
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• 2010

Objectives : The aims of this study were to evaluate whether gastric contractility could be measured by bowel sound of rats, and whether gastrointestinal side effect of any herbal restoratives would be related with their inhibition of gastric contraction. Methods : Streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats were used as a gastric hypocontraction model. At the time of 6 weeks after induction of diabetes, 2mL of normal saline (NS) and 2mL of extract solution each containing 125mg/kg of Bojoongikki-tang (BJ), Sipjeondaebo-tang (SJ), Youngkaechulgam-tang (YG) were given to Normal (NR) and diabetic rats (DR), respectively. Bowel sound was recorded for 30 minute in fasting, and 120 minute of their administration. Gastric motility index was serially calculated with the ratio of accumulated potentials of post-administration/fasting state every 10 minutes. Results : Gastric contractility between NR and DR could be significantly distinguished by bowel sound auscultation. BJ had a decreasing effect, SJ had a bidirectional effect, and YG had an increasing effect on gastric contractility measured by bowel sound auscultation. Conclusions : BJ showed the possibility of inhibitory effects on gastric contraction. So, before administration, a gastric motility test should be recommended to prevent possible side effects in patients with gastric hypocontractility.

• YAKHAK HOEJI
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• v.29 no.4
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• pp.199-205
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• 1985

It was previously reported that the deterioration rate of contractile force of the isolated heart from ginseng extract treated rat was slower than that from control. Present study was carried out to investigate the mechanism of the action of ginseng on the contractile force of the papillary muscle in terms of calcium metabolism. Rats weighing 200-300g were administered orally with ginseng ethanol extract (100mg/kg/day) for more than 10 days. The isolated papillary muscles from rat hearts were suspended in bath containing Krebs-Henseleit solution. When equilibration of contractile force of papillary muscle was reached, the rates of deterioration of contractile forces of papillary muscle from ginseng component treated rats were determined by washing with Ca-free Krebs-Henseleit solution and compared with that of normal hearts. At the beginning of washing, the rate of deterioration of contractile force of the papillary muscle was slower significantly in ginseng treated rats than in control rats, suggesting that calcium may be somehow involved in sustaining the contractility in ginseng treated hearts. Anoxia of papillary muscle with nitrogen gas to muscles inhibited the contractility, but differences between control and ginseng treated groups in the rate of deterioration were not observed. Influence of diltiazem, calcium blocker, on the contractility of papillary muscle from ginseng treated and control hearts was studied. Contractility of papillary muscle from control and ginseng treated hearts was inhibited by diltiazem in dose dependent manner but the inhibition of the ginseng treated muscles was much weak. The effect was significantly different. From the results, it seemed that slowing in deterioration rate of papillary muscle from ginseng treated hearts might be related to calcium which was mobilized from plasma membrane of internal organelle by ginseng.

• Journal of Industrial Convergence
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• v.20 no.7
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• pp.131-137
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• 2022

In the study, we endeavored to assess the convergence effect of Silybum marianum-derived silymarin and epidemiologically-correlated alcohol intake on vascular contractility and to determine the mechanism involved. There were few reports addressing the question whether thin or thick filament modulation is included in ethanol and silymarin-induced regulation. We hypothesized that ethanol at a low concentration and silymarin play a role in agonist-dependent regulation of vascular contractility. Denuded arterial muscles of Sprague-Dawley male rats were suspended in organ baths and isometric tensions were transduced and recorded using isometric transducers and an automatic data acquisition system. Interestingly, both silymarin and ethanol didn't encourage silymarin alone-induced inhibition in agonists-induced contraction suggesting that endothelial nitric oxide synthesis might be involved in ethanol or silymarin-induced modulation of vascular contractility and additional pathways besides endothelial nitric oxide synthesis such as ROCK inactivation might be involved in the silymarin-induced modulation of vascular contractility.

• Journal of Ginseng Research
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• v.22 no.3
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• pp.200-205
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• 1998

Isolated rabbit jejunal segments were used to study the effects of ginseng total saponins (GTS) , protopanaxatriol saponins (PT) and protopanaxadiol saponins (PD) on intestinal contractility. GTS, PT and PD caused a dose-dependent decrease in intestinal spontaneous movements, and PT was the most efficacious of them. The effect of GTS, PT and PD were not blocked by pretreatment with phentolamine (10-6 M), yohimbine (10-6 M), d1-propranolol (10-6 M), naloxone(10-6∼10-5M), Nu-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (10-4 M), methylene blue (10-5M), and N-ethylmaleimide (10-4 M). However, pretreatment with tetraethylammonium chloride (3-10 mM) antagonized the effect of GTS, PT and PD. Furthermore, 4-amlnopyridine (1 mM) also inhibited the effect of GTS, PT and PD. The results suggest that GTS, PT and PD inhibited the spontaneous movements in isolated rebait jejunum by causing hyperpolarization through an activation of K+ channels directly.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
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• v.24 no.1
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• pp.77-90
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• 1990

There have been conflicting reports concerning the effect of Panax ginseng on the contractility of vascular smooth muscle, i.e., Panax ginseng extract has been reported to cause relaxation, contraction or to have no effect on the tension of vascular smooth muscle. A further investigation of $Ca^{++}$ stores which supply $Ca^{++}$ for contraction of vascular smooth muscle is needed to understand the underlying mechanisms of this conflicting effect of ginseng alcohol extract (GAE). The present study was intended to examine the sources of calcium mobilized for contraction of vascular smooth muscle by GAE. Aortic ring preparations were made from the rabbit thoracic aorta and endothelial cells were removed from the ring. The contractility of the aortic ring was measured under various experimental conditions and $Ca^{++}$ flux across the membrane of aortic ring and the sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria were measured with a calcium selective electrode. The result were summarized as follows; 1) At low concentration of extracellular $Ca^{++}$, GAE increased the contractility of vascular smooth muscle in dose-dependent fashion except high concentration $Ca^{++}$ (1 mM). 2) In the presence of ryanodine, GAE still increased contractility of vascular smooth muscle as much as control group, but in the presence of caffeine, GAE increased it significantly. i.e. Their effects seemed to be additive. 3) In the presence of verapamil+lanthanum, and verapamil+lanthanum+ryanodine, the contractility of the vascular smooth muscle was decreased, but a dose dependent increase in vascular tension was still demonstrated by GAE although total tension was low. 4) GAE increased $Ca^{++}$ efflux from vascular smooth muscle cells, but have no effect on $Ca^{++}$ influx. 5) GAE increased $Ca^{++}$ efflux from sarcoplasmic reticulum and mitochondria vesicles. From the above results, it may be concluded that GAE increased the release of $Ca^{++}$ from sarcoplasmic reticulum, mitochondria or other intracellular $Ca^{++}$ stores of vascular smooth muscle, but it does not increase $Ca^{++}$ influx across the plasma membrane.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.26 no.2
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• pp.121-126
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• 1990

The contractility of isolated rat atria, suspended in Krebs-Ringer bicarbonate medium containing 5.5mM glucose, was depressed approximately 50% by 0.1 mM of lidocaine. Partial recovery of the lidocaine-depressed contractility was achieved by the metabolizable substrates pyruvate, acetate, and fructose, but not by addition of glucose. Glucose produced the dose-dependent increase in the force of contraction of normal atria, whereas pyruvate, acetate, and fructose produced no significant effect in the contractile activity of the normal atria. In the absence of exogenous glucose lidocaine produced more marked depression of atrial contractility than that in the presence of exogenous glucose. The results of this study may confirm that the utilization of cardiac glycogen is also inhibited by lidocaine at sites of the glucose phosphate isomerase step or step between glycogen to glucose-6-phosphate.