• Journal of Korean Physical Therapy Science
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• v.13 no.2
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• pp.99-119
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• 2006

Endothelin (ET) is a 21 amino acid peptide with multifunctional effects on the vasculature as well as a variety of other cell types such as respiratory, gastrointestinal, urogenital, endocrine, central nervous systems, and others. Endothelin has emerged as a modulator by autocrine and paracrine actions for many cellular activities, including vasoconstriction, cell proliferation, hormone production, neurotransmitter and/or neuromodulator. The endothelin family consists of three closely related peptides, ET-1, ET-2, and ET-3 derived from separate genes, such as chromosome 6, 1, and 20, respectively. ET-1 is the predominant isoform produced in the cardiovascular system and about which most is known. Endothelin receptors are seven-transmembrane GTP-binding protein-coupled receptors, which are classified into endothelin-A (ETA) and endothelin-B (ETB) receptors. Interestingly, recent evidence is accumulating to suggest that ET -1 may contribute to a variety of pain states such as allodynia and hyperalgesia in animals and humans. Therefore, in this review the biological characteristics and contraction-related mechanism of endothelin-1 in mammalian cells will be summarized. Especially, we focus on multifunctional roles for ET-1 in noxious stimulation-induced pain for the study of pain specialized physical therapy.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.12 no.4
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• pp.149-153
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• 2008

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is unequivocally elevated in the kidney with ischemic acute renal failure (ARF), whereas ET receptors ($ET_AR$ and $ET_BR$) are variably expressed. Although renal functional and structural changes are similar between ischemic and nephrotoxic ARF, there are few reports on the alteration in the ET system in nephrotoxic ARF. This study was, therefore, undertaken to investigate changes in renal expression of ET-l and its receptors in nephrotoxic ARF induced by cisplatin. Mice were intraperitoneally injected with 16 mg of cisplatin/kg at a single dose, and the expression of mRNA and protein was then quantified by real-time RT-PCR and Western blot, respectively. Immunohistochemistry was conducted for localization. Three days after treatment, ET-1 transcript in cisplatin-treated mice was thirteen times higher than that in controls, whereas ET-1 peptide was increased by 1.5-fold. Cisplatin caused a 2-fold increase in the levels of ETAR mRNA and protein. Most of the increased immunoreactive ET-1 and ETAR were localized in damaged tubules. Neither the expression of ETBR mRNA nor the abundance and immunoreactive level of ETBR protein were changed. The findings suggest that the individual components of the renal ET system are differentially regulated in cisplatin-induced nephrotoxic ARF.

• The Korean Journal of Pain
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• v.11 no.1
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• pp.36-40
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• 1998

Background: Recently, it has been demonstrated that endothelin(ET) and endothelin related peptides are present in the blood and plasma ET levels are increased after operation. But the causes of increasing plasma ET levels are not clearly understood. This current study was to investigate the relationship between postoperative pain and endothelin. Methods: Thirty adult patients, scheduled for upper abdominal operation under general anesthesia, were included. After operation, epidural catheterization was done for postoperative analgesia. Before induction, on complained of pain and 1 hour after analgesics administration, blood samples were obtained to measure plasma ET levels. Plasma ET concentration was determined by radioimmunoassay. Pain score was measured by visual analogue score(VAS). Mean arterial pressure(MAP) and heart rate(HR) were also recorded every sampling time. Results: There were no significant changes in plasma ET levels at the time before induction versus at the time of the pain complaints and at 1 hour after analgesic administration. Pain score was significantly reduced after epidural analgesia. There was no significant correlations between pain score and plasma ET levels. There were no significant correlation between plasma ET levels and either MAP or HR. Conclusions: These results indicate that there is lack of relationship between postoperative pain and endothelin.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.44 no.5
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• pp.1114-1124
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• 1997

Background : Endothelin(ET) is a very potent vasoconstrictive peptide produced by endothelial cells of pulmonary artery. The endothelin level was increased in plasma of primary pulmonary hypertension and acute pulmonary thromboembolism and it was suggested that the endothelin might do a critical role in the cardiopulmonary dysfunction in these two conditions. But the exact mechanism of increase of ET has not been known. In these two conditions, platelet activation and thrombosis are the main pathophysiologic findings. So there is a possibility that the platelet might stimulate endothelin secretion from endothelial cells. Therefore, we performed this study to evaluate the role of platelet and its mediators on endothelin production in bovine pulmonary artery endothelial(BPAE) cells. Method : Bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells, ATCC certified cell line 209, were cultured and treated with human platelets($10^6{\sim}10^8/ml$), thrombin (0.1~10u/ml), TGF-${\beta}1$(1~100uM), serotonin(1~100uM), and endotoxin(1ug/ml) in a final volume of 500ul for 18 hours. Levels of ir(immunoreactive)-ET in each conditioned medium were measured by a radioimmunoassay specific for ET. Result : The increase of ir-ET levels was platelet number and time dependent over 18 hours. When washed human platelets were added($10^8/ml$), the ir-ET levels were significantly higher than that of control(p<0.05) at 8 and 18 hours after culture. Subthreshold concentration of platelets($10^7/ml$) coincubated with endotoxin(1ug/ml) or subthreshold dose of thrombin(0.1u/ml) stimulated ir-ET secretion from BPAE cells significantly(p<0.05) compared with control. Thrombin(1ug/ml, 10ug/ml) and TGF-${\beta}1$(100pM, 1000pM) significantly increased ir-ET secretion from BP AE cells(p<0.05) compared with control, but serotoin(1~100uM) and endotoxin(1ug/ml) did not stimulate the ir-ET secretion. Conclusions : Platelets stimulate endothelin secretion from bovine pulmonary artery endothelial cells. The mechanism of increase of endothelin secretion seems to be a stimulation by platelet itself or by mediators, such as TGF-${\beta}1$, secreted from activated platelets. And, in this study, the priming effect of platelets on endothelin secretion from BPAE cells could be another possibility.

• Journal of Oral Medicine and Pain
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• v.26 no.4
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• pp.319-329
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• 2001

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) is a recently discovered potent vasoconstrictive peptide. It was first identified in vascular endothelial cells. ET-1 is a 21-amino acid peptide and elicits systemic effects such as stimulation of the production of atrial natriuretic peptide and release of aldosterone and corticosterone. In this study, to examine the role of ET-1 in the bone metabolism, effect of ET-1 on the proliferation and activity of osteoblastic cells was studied using HOS cells as osteoblast model. ET-1 dose-dependently increased the cell proliferation as determined by cell counting and MTT reduction assay after 48hr treatment. Alkaline phosphatase activity was inhibited by ET-1 and showed significant inhibition by 50 and 100 nM ET-1. ET-1 increased NBT reduction by HOS cells dose-dependently showing that ET-1 may increase the superoxide production by osteoblasts. Nitrite concentration in the media of HOS cell culture without cytokine stimulation was negligible and unaffected by ET-1 after 48hr treatment. Finally, after collection and concentration of conditioned media, gelatinase activity produced by HOS cells was determined by zymography. HOS cells can produce and secrete the gelatinase (gelatinase A type as determined by molecular weight of about 65,000) into culture media, however, ET-1 had no effect on the gelatinase activity. These findings suggest that ET-1 may have diverse effects on the proliferation and differentiation of osteoblasts, therefore, it may play an important role in bone metabolism.

• BMB Reports
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• v.46 no.7
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• pp.364-369
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• 2013

Endothelin-1 (ET-1) plays an indispensable role in epidermal pigmentation in hyperpigmentary disorders due to a central role in melanogenesis. Nevertheless, precise mechanism involved in ET-1-induced hyperpigmentation is still undefined. Glycoprotein (transmembrane) non-metastatic melanoma protein b (GPNMB) is a key element in melanosome formation. Therefore, we speculated that GPNMB was correlated with ET-1-induced pigmentation. After culturing with ET-1, melanin synthesis was significantly up-regulated, accompanying with increased expression of GPNMB and microphthalmia-associated transcription factor (MITF). Total number of melanosomes and melanin synthesis were sharply reduced via GPNMB-siRNA transfection, indicating ET-1-induced pigmentation by GPNMB-dependent manner. Furthermore, MITF-siRNA transfection strikingly inhibited GPNMB expression and the melanogenesis, and this suppression failed to be alleviated by ET-1 stimulation. All of these results demonstrated that ET-1 can trigger melanogenesis via the MITF-regulated GPNMB pathway. Taken together, these findings will provide a new explanation of how ET-1 induces hyperpigmentation, and possibly supply a new strategy for cosmetic studies.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.20 no.4
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• pp.386-392
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• 2012

The endothelin (ET) signaling pathway controls many physiological processes in myocardium and often becomes upregulated in heart diseases. The aim of the present study was to investigate the effects of ET receptor upregulation on the contractile function of adult ventricular myocytes. Primary cultured adult rat ventricular myocytes were used as a model system of ET receptor overexpression in the heart. Endothelin receptor type A ($ET_A$) or type B ($ET_B$) was overexpressed by Adenoviral infection, and the twitch responses of infected ventricular myocytes were measured after ET-1 stimulation. Overexpression of $ET_A$ exaggerated positive inotropic effect (PIE) and diastolic shortening of ET-1, and induced a new twitch response including twitch broadening. On the contrary, overexpression of $ET_B$ increased PIE of ET-1, but did not affect other two twitch responses. Control myocytes expressing endogenous receptors showed a parallel increase in twitch amplitude and systolic $Ca^{2+}$ in response to ET-1. However, intracellular $Ca^{2+}$ did not change in proportion to the changes in contractility in myocytes overexpressing $ET_A$. Overexpression of $ET_A$ enhanced both systolic and diastolic contractility without parallel changes in $Ca^{2+}$. Differential regulation of this nature indicates that upregulation of $ET_A$ may contribute to diastolic myocardial dysfunction by selectively targeting myofilament proteins that regulate resting cell length, twitch duration and responsiveness to prevailing $Ca^{2+}$.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.14 no.4
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• pp.223-228
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• 2010

The collecting duct endothelin (ET) system, which involves ET-1 and its two receptors, may play a role in the regulation of renal sodium in association with the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) system. We determined whether sodium retention is associated with changes in the endothelin and NOS systems at different stages (i.e., a sodium retaining stage and a compensatory stage) of nephrotic syndromes. On day 7 after puromycin aminonucleoside (PAN) injection, urinary sodium excretion was decreased, ascites had developed, and there was a positive sodium balance. ET-1 mRNA expression was increased in the inner medulla of the kidney, whereas protein expression of ET receptor type B ($ET_BR$) was unchanged. The expression of neuronal NOS (nNOS) was decreased in the inner medulla. On day 14, urinary sodium excretion was unchanged compared with controls. The expression of $ET_BR$ increased, while nNOS expression in the inner medulla was comparable to controls. These findings suggest that decreased nNOS plays a role in the development of sodium retention in the nephrotic syndrome. Recovery of nNOS and increased renal $ET_BR$ synthesis may promote sodium excretion in later stages of the nephrotic syndrome (on day 14).

• Proceedings of the Korean Society of Applied Pharmacology
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• 1996.04a
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• pp.192-192
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• 1996

Endothelin has $ET_{A}$ type and $ET_{B}$ type receptors, and it has been thought that ET-1 proves vasoconstriction effect via $ET_{A}$ receptor and vasodilation via $ET_{B}$ receptor. Recently, it has been reported that $ET_{B}$ receptor is also related to the vaso-constriction. Bosentan is a $ET_{A+B}$ receptor antagonist, and proves it's effect on trauma and ischemia. We already announced that the level of Endothelin-1 increase in the brain and spinal cord of EAE-induced lewis rat and showed the origin of ET-1 is activated macrophages. Intracisternal injection of Bosentan, $ET_{A+B}$ receptor antagonist, (300nmol/body) was done for observing the role of endothelin-1 on the pathogenesis of EAE. Bosentan ameliorated the severity of clinical score of EAE and decreased the histologically observed inflammatory region. The blocking effect on the progression of EAE model suggests that Bosentan is a physiological antagonist in terms of development of the sign of multiple sclerosis.

• Tuberculosis and Respiratory Diseases
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• v.45 no.2
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• pp.360-368
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• 1998

Background: Endothelin(ET), a potent vasoconstrictor peptide produced by endothelial cells and degraded predominantly in the pulmonary vasculature, have been implicated in the development of various organ dysfunctions. Plasma concentrations of ET-1 are reported to be elevated in patients with diffuse interstitial lung disease(DILD). But, there is no study to establish the exact source and mechanisms involved in the increased plasma ET-1 concentrations in DILD patients. Methods: 12 patients with IPF, 2 patients with sarcoidosis, 2 patients with scleroderma, 1 patient with SLE and 11 healthy volunteers were studied. ET was detected by radioimmunoassay in plasma and bronchoalveolar lavage fluid(BALF) as well as in 24-hr urine specimens. For each subjects, arterial/venous(A/V) ET ratio and renal ET clearance were calculated. Results: Elevated plasma, urine and BALF ET concentrations were found in patients with DILD compared with controls. But, no significant difference was observed in ET A/V ratio and ET renal clearance between patients with DILD and controls. Conclusion: We observed that plasma ET concentrations were elevated in patients with DILD, and that the main site of ET production may be lung parenchyme.