• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.2 no.2
• /
• pp.233-239
• /
• 1998

Stimulated alveolar macrophages and neutrophils produce nitric oxide, a free radical by an inducible nitric oxide synthase(iNOS), which reacts with superoxide anion to form peroxynitrite, a more highly reactive toxic species. The objectives of the present study were to evaluate acute inflammatory lung injury and to determine iNOS mRNA induction and nitric oxide production by rat broncho-alveolar lavage cells following intratracheal treatment of silica. After 4 h exposure to silica, differential counts of broncho-alveolar lavage cells and lactate dehydrogenase(LDH) activity as well as total protein in the broncho-alveolar lavage fluid were determined. Broncho-alveolar lavage cells were also assayed for iNOS mRNA and the productions of nitrite and nitrate measured in the cells cultured. Differential analysis of broncho-alveolar lavage cells showed that the number of alveolar macrophages slightly decreased following silica treatment; however, red blood cells, lymphocytes, and neutrophils significantly were increased by 9-, 14-, and 119-fold following silica treatment, respectively, compared with the saline control. It was also found significant increases in the LDH activity and total protein in the lavage fluid obtained from silica-treated rats, indicating silica-induced acute lung injury. Northern blot analysis demonstrated that the steady state levels of iNOS mRNA in broncho-alveolar lavage cells were increased following silica treatment. The productions of nitrite and nitrate in the cultured cells were significantly increased by 2-fold following silica treatment, respectively, which were attenuated by the NOS inhibitor $N{\omega}-nitro-L-arginine-methyl$ ester(L-NAME) and partially reversed by L-arginine. These findings suggest that nitric oxide production in alveolar macrophages and recruited neutrophils is increased in response to silica. Nitric oxide may contribute in part to acute inflammatory lung injury.

• Journal of Life Science
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.8-14
• /
• 2017

Died Gardenia jasminoides fruit is used as a dye in the food and clothes industries in Asia. The present study investigated the anti-inflammatory effects of aqueous extract of G. jasminoides fruits (GJ) in BV-2 microglial cells. GJ inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide (NO) secretion, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) expression, and reactive oxygen species production, without affecting cell viability. Furthermore, GJ increased the expression of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) in a dose-dependent manner. Moreover, the inhibitory effect of GJ on iNOS expression was abrogated by small interfering RNA-mediated knock-down of HO-1. In addition, GJ induced nuclear translocation of nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2), a transcription factor that regulates HO-1 expression. GJ-mediated expression of HO-1 was suppressed by LY294002, a phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI-3K) inhibitor, and SB203580, a p38 kinase inhibitor, but not by the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) inhibitor PD98059 or c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) inhibitor SP600125. GJ also enhanced the phosphorylation of Akt and p38. These results suggest that GJ suppresses the production of NO, a pro-inflammatory mediator, by inducing HO-1 expression via PI-3K/Akt/p38 signaling. These findings illustrate a novel molecular mechanism by which extract from G. jasminoides fruits inhibits neuroinflammation.

• Journal of Photoscience
• /
• v.9 no.2
• /
• pp.205-208
• /
• 2002

Nitric oxide (NO) is a newly described transmitter involved with cell to cell communication that is generated in biologic tissues by specific types of nitric oxide synthase (NOS), which metabolize L-arginine and molecular oxygen to citrulline and nitric oxide. In the skin. NO has been reported to play an important role in such diseases as psoriasis, atopic dermatitis, and contact dermatitis, as well as act as an important modulator in UVB-induced erythema. Ultraviolet B irradiation to the skin evokes an increase in NO production in the epidermis through two pathways; induction of inducible NOS, mediated by inflammatory cytokines, and elevation of constitutive neuronal NOS activity. In a cell culture system, it has been demonstrated that NO functions as a melanogen after being produced in keratinocytes in response to UVB-irradiation. NO-stimulated melanogenesis in melanocytes is mediated by the cGMP/PKG pathway. In this study, up-regulation of tyrosinase gene expression by NO-stimulation and the involvement of NO in UVB-induced pigmentation were examined. In NO-induced melanogenesis, protein synthesis and tyrosinase activity increased along with an up-regulation of tyrosinase gene expression. In an animal model, UVB-induced pigmentation in skin was suppressed by sequential daily treatments with a specific inhibitor of NOS. Thus, NO plays an important role in UVB-induced pigmentation, where its function as a melanogen is considered to be one of the mechanisms. Together with its role in the development of erythema, NO contributes to the total protective response of skin against UVB-irradiation.

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

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.183-187
• /
• 2001

Nitric oxide (NO) produced in large amounts by the inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) is known to be responsible for the vasodilation and hypotension observed in septic shock and inflammation. The inhibitors of iNOS, thus, may be useful candidate for the treatment of inflammatory diseases accompanied by the overproduction of NO. We prepared alcoholic extracts of Chinese medicinal plants and screened their inhibitory activity against NO production in lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-activated macrophages. Among the 80 kinds of extracts of herbal drugs, 15 extracts showed potent inhibitory activity of NO production above 80% at the concentration o$50\mu\textrm{g}/ml$. These potent extracts showed dose dependent inhibition of NO production of LPS-activated macrophages at the concentration of 50, 30,$10\mu\textrm{g}/ml$. Especially, Rhus chinensis, Senecio scandens and Wikstroemia indica showed most potent inhibition above 50% at the concentration of $10\mu\textrm{g}/ml$. These plants are promising candidates for the study of the activity-guided purification of active compounds and would be useful for the treatment of inflammatory diseases and endotoxemia accompanying the overproduction of NO.

• Toxicological Research
• /
• v.13 no.3
• /
• pp.215-222
• /
• 1997

The features of seizure-related brain injuries in rats poisoned i.p. with diisopropylfiuorophosphate were investigated. Pyridostigmine bromide (0.1 mg/kg) and atropine methylnitrate (20 mg/kg), which are centrally inactive, were pretreated i.m. 30 min and 10 min, respectively. before diisopropylfluorophosphate (10 mg /kg, $2LD_50$) poisoning to reduce the mortality and eliminate peripheral signs. Diisopropylfluorophosphate induced severe limbic seizures, and early necrotic and delayed apoptotic brain injuries. The necrotic brain injury, which was closely related to seizure intensity, was exerted as early as 1 hr predominently in hippocampus and piriform cortex. showing spongiform change (malacia) of neurophils in severe cases, in contrast to a typical apoptotic (TUNEL-positive)pattern after 12 hr in thalamus, and a mixed type in amygdala. Nitric oxide content in cerebrospinal fiuid significantly increased after 2 hr, reaching a maximal level at 6 hr. Pretreatment with $_L-N^G$-nitroarginine, an inhibitor of nitric oxide synthase, reduced nitric oxide content and attenuated only apoptotic brain injury in all four brain regions examined without affecting seizure intensity and necrotic injury. Taken together, early necrotic and delayed apoptotic brain injuries induced by diisopropylfiuorophosphate poisoning in rats may be related to seizure intensity and nitric oxide production, respectively.

• The Journal of Korean Medicine
• /
• v.22 no.4
• /
• pp.37-44
• /
• 2001

Objectives : Cellular death by apoptosis is an active process, depending on gene transcription and protein synthesis. It was reported that nitric oxide can induce apoptosis in several cancer cell-lines. We have previously observed that proliferation of Ll210 cells was inhibited by the administration of Gleditsiae Spina water extract (GE). In this present study, the mechanism of inhibitory action on the proliferation of L l210 cells was examined. Methods : The cell proliferation was determined by MTT assay and DNA fragmentation was determined by a flow cytometry. Results : The administration of GE decreased proliferation of L1210 cells and enhanced DNA fragmentation in vivo system. DNA fragmentation of L1210 cells was enhanced by co-culture of peritoneal macrophages obtained from GE-administered mice in vitro and it was partly inhibited by L-NMMA, nitric oxide synthetase inhibitor. In addition, GE increased nitric oxide production from peritoneal macrophages of L1210-transplanted mice. Conclusions : These results suggest that the inhibitory action of GE on proliferation of transplanted-L1210 cells is partly caused by an induction of apoptosis via production of nitric oxide in macrophages.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.13 no.2
• /
• pp.95-100
• /
• 2005

This study was performed to investigate the mechanism of cerebral blood flow of adenosine $A_{2B}$ receptor agonist in the rats, and to define whether its mechanism is mediated by nitric oxide (NO) and guanylate cyclase. In pentobarbital-anesthetized, pancuronium-paralyzed and artificially ventilated male Sprague-Dawley rats, all drugs were applied topically to the cerebral cortex. Blood flow from cerebral cortex was measured using laser-doppler flowmetry. Topical application of an adenosine $A_{2B}$ receptor agonist, 5'-N-ethylcar-boxamidoadenosine (NECA; $4{\mu}mol/l$) increased cerebral blood flow. This effect of NECA ($4{\mu}mol/l$) was blocked by pretreatment with NO synthase inhibitor, $N^G$-nitro-L-argine methvlester (L-NAME; $40{\mu}mol/l$) and guanylate cyclase inhibitor, LY-83,583 ($10{\mu}mol/l$). These results suggest that adenosine $A_{2B}$ receptor increases cerebral blood flow. It seems that this action of adenosine $A_{2B}$ receptor is mediated via the NO and the activation of guanylate cyclase in the cerebral cortex of the rats.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.21 no.1
• /
• pp.83-90
• /
• 2017

Advanced age is one of the risk factors for vascular diseases that are mainly caused by impaired nitric oxide (NO) production. It has been demonstrated that endothelial arginase constrains the activity of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and limits NO generation. Hence, arginase inhibition is suggested to be vasoprotective in aging. In this study, we examined the effects of intravenous injection of Piceatannol, an arginase inhibitor, on aged mice. Our results show that Piceatannol administration reduced the blood pressure in aged mice by inhibiting arginase activity, which was associated with NO production and reactive oxygen species generation. In addition, Piceatannol administration recovered $Ca^{2+}$/calmodulin-dependent protein kinase II phosphorylation, eNOS phosphorylation and eNOS dimer stability in the aged mice. The improved NO signaling was shown to be effective in attenuating the phenylephrine-dependent contractile response and in enhancing the acetylcholine-dependent vasorelaxation response in aortic rings from the aged mice. These data suggest Piceatannol as a potential treatment for vascular disease.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
• /
• v.3 no.1
• /
• pp.58-62
• /
• 1995

We investigated whether nitric oxide (NO) may serve a role in bladder function by immunohistochemical analysis of the distribution of intrinsic NADPH-diaphorase and functional study of isometric tension recordings via a photo-induced adequate nitric oxide (PIANO) generating system using rat bladder. Results suggest that a small number of NADPH-diaphorase-positive perikarya are present within the bladder wall and within adjacent small ganglia. Furthermore, NADPH-diaphorase-positive nerve fibers were observed in the adventitial and muscular layers, subjacent to the urothelium and perivascular fibers. Rat bladder strips precontracted with 3$\mu$M carbachol were reversibly relaxed upon NO generation by UV irradiation. PIANO-mediated relaxation was sensitive to oxygen free radicals. In addition, tissue cGMP levels were increased by the PIANO generating system and elevated cGMP levels were decreased by pretreatment of guanylate cyclase inhibitor, methylene blue. These results indicate that NO may serve a role in modulating bladder tone in the rat.