• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
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• v.15 no.2
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• pp.146-156
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• 2003

Isolated rat thoracic aorta which is pharmacologically precontracted by phenylephrine induces photorelaxation when exposed to long wave length UV-light. The aim of the present study was to characterize the mechanism of UV-light induced by photorelaxation in the rat aorta. 1. UV light relaxed both endothelium-intact and -denuded rat aortic rings contracted by phenylephrine. The magnitude of relaxation on UV light was dependent on the exposure time and slightly greatly in endothelium-denuded rings than in endothelium-intact preparations. 2. L-NAME (10 nM - 100 $\mu$M) but not D-NAME completely inhibited the photorelaxation in a concentration dependent manner. 3. The UV-induced relaxation was inhibited by methylene blue (1 - 100 uM), and verapamil (100 nM), and removal of extracellular $Ca^{2+}$. In contrast, UV-light induced photorelaxation was potentiated by $N^{w}$-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) treatment. These results suggest that UV light-induced photorelaxation may be due to nitric oxide from exogenously administered L-arginine as well as endogenous nitric oxide donors such as amino acid and arginine derivatives

• Korean Journal of Veterinary Research
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• v.42 no.3
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• pp.321-326
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• 2002

The effect of nitric oxide synthase(NOS) inhibita, $N^G$-nitro-L-arginine-methyl ester(L-NAME) and prostanoid synthesis inhibiter, indomethacin on the photorelaxation, when was exposed to the long-wave length UV-light, was examined on the precontraction by the phenylephrine in the isolated pig renal artery. 1. UV-light relaxed both with-endothelium and without-endothelium in the pig renal arterial ring contracted by the phenylephrine. The magnitude of photorelaxation was dependent on the exposure time for UV-light. 2. UV-Iight induced relaxation was inhibited by L-NAME and indomethacin on the precontraction by the phenylephrine in the isolated pig renal artery. 3. UV-Iight induced relaxation was inhibited by methylene blue on the precontraction by the phenylephrine in the isolated pig renal artery. These results suggest that UV-light induced photorelaxation may be due to cGMP involved both nitric oxide and prostanoid on the precontraction by the phenylephrine in the isolated pig renal artery.

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.2 no.2
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• pp.136-140
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• 1994

To prove the hypothesis that NO- and N $O_2$-carrying molecules potentiate photorelaxation by generating NO, investigation was carried out using isolated rabbit and human corpus cavernosum. Corporal smooth muscle, in the presence or absence of endothelium, relaxed only slightly upon ultraviolet light (366 nm) irradiation. But, NO-and/or N $O_2$-containing compounds such as streptozotocin and $N^{G}$-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester significantly (p<0.01) enhanced photorelaxation in this tissue. In addition, $N^{G}$-nitro-D-arginine methyl ester, known to lack inhibitory action on NO synthase, showed concentration-dependent potentiation of the photorelaxation. Oxygen radical generating system via copper＋ascorbic acid and guanylate cyclase inhibitor, methylene blue, significantly (p<0.05) inhibited the streptozotocin-potentiated photorelaxation. Nitrite was accumulated by photolysis of streptozotocin, $N^{G}$-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester and $N^{G}$-nitro-D-arginine methyl ester, in a concentration and exposure time dependent manner. These observations indicate that NO is a potent relaxant of rabbit and human corpus cavernosum and further support the hypothesis that NO is released by photolysis from NO- and N $O_2$-carrying molecules.lecules.

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

• Biomolecules & Therapeutics
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• v.3 no.2
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• pp.149-153
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• 1995

Nitric oxide (NO) has been regarded as one of the neurotransmitters of nonadrenergic, noncholinergic (NANC) nerve stimulation in rabbit corpus cavernosum, rat gastric fundus and human intestine. PIANO (photo-induced adequate nitric oxide) is a very useful tool to investige the role of NO in various smooth muscles where NO is a mediator. The present study was undertaken to compare the physiological responses of the rat gastric smooth muscle in response to NANC nerve stimulation and to PIANO. Photolysis of L-NAME, D-NAME and streptozotocin (572) by UV light in the bathing medium caused relaxation of rat gastric fungus that contracted with carbachol, but was resistant to tetrodotoxin (TTX, 1 $\mu$M). Electrical stimulation (20 V, 2~32 Hz, 0.2 msec, 10s) of the gastric fundus, in the presence of atropine and guanethidine, induced frequency-dependent, TTX-sensitive relaxation. Sodium nitroprusside (1 nM-10 $\mu$M), a NO donor, mimicked the relaxations observed after NANC-stimulation or PIANO. Furthermore, PIANO caused UV light exposure time-dependent increase of CGMP in rat gastric fungus strips. These results provide another evidence indirectly that NO is one of the mediators of the NANC inhibitory nerve stimulation in the rat gastric fundus.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
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• v.2 no.1
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• pp.63-68
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• 1998

Nitric oxide (NO)-mediated relaxation in vascular smooth muscle involves not only activation of guanylate cyclase but also hyperpolarization of the membrane. It has been shown that depolarization decreases the [$Ca^{2+}$] sensitivity of myosin light chain kinase in arterial smooth muscle, and nitric oxide (NO)-mediated relaxation was attenuated in this situation. However, why potassium inhibits or attenuates the action of EDRF/NO is not clear. Therefore, we investigated the magnitude of relaxation and cGMP contents using measures known to release NO, such as photorelaxation, photo activated NO-mediated relaxation, and NO-donor (SNP)-mediated relaxation in porcine coronary arterial rings in which contractile conditions were made by different degree of depolarization, i.e., contraction in response to U46619 or U46619 plus KCl. In all cases, the magnitude of relaxation was significantly greater (P＜0.05) in U46619-contracted rings than in U46619+KCl-contracted ones. Although accumulation of cGMP was evident with three measures employed in the present study, no difference was found in cGMP contents between U46619 and U46619+KCl conditions, indicating that the diminished relaxation in KCl containing solution is cGMP-independent mechanism(s). To understand this further, cytosolic $Ca^{2+}$ changes due to NO were compared in rat thoracic aorta by exploiting photoactivated NO using streptozotocin (STZ) that was contracted with either NE or KCl. Fura-3 $[Ca]_{cyt}$ signal caused by NO was small and transient in high $K^+$-, but large and sustained in NE-contracted aorta. The inhibitory potency of STZ expressed in terms of $IC_{50}$ was 5.14 and 3.88 ${\mu}M$ in NE and in high $K^+$, respectively. These results suggest that modification of the cellular mobilization of $Ca^{2+}$ rather than cGMP levels may be an important mechanism for the NO-mediated relaxation when vascular membrane is depolarized, such as atherosclerosis and hypertension.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.31 no.3
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• pp.279-284
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• 1995

The aim of the present study was to know whether exogenously administered nitric oxide (NO) may differently modulate muscle mechanics between heart and aorta. We used PIANO method to generate NO. In isolated rat atrial tissues, neither heart rate nor contractility was affected by PIANO $(STZ,\;30{\sim}100\;{\mu}M)$. Only high concentration $(100\;{\mu}M)$ of 8-bromo cyclic GMP slightly depressed cardiac contractility. However, the same concentrations of 8-Br cGMP and PIANO significantly relaxed the rat thoracic aorta contracted with phenylephrine $(0.1\;{\mu}M)$. In isolated rabbit cardiac atrial myocytes, the amplitude of calcium currents were decreased in the whole voltage range by the presence of streptozotocin, which was further potentiated by UV light. Calcium currents were also decreased in those preparations treated with bradykinin, nitroprusside and 8-Br cGMP. These findings suggest that exogenous NO may modulate calcium current in cardiac myocyte. However, it remains why this does not affect myocardial contractility and heart rate. We concluded that NO may differently regulate calcium signal between aorta and heart muscle.

• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
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• v.30 no.3
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• pp.331-336
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• 1994

Our purpose was to know whether photo-induced adequate nitric oxide (PIANO)-mediated relaxation of rat aorta is involved in cyclic GMP increment as well as inhibition of phosphatidylinositide hydrolysis due to phenylephrine (PE). Isometric tension was measured in vitro in response to either agents that modulate NO production or release NO by photolysis of photosensitizing agents in rat aorta that had been contracted with PE submaximally. PIANO-mediated relaxation was accompanied by increment of cyclic GMP, which was dependent on the intensity and duration of light exposure and concentration of photosensitizers. Phosphatidylinositide (PI) turnover augmented by PE was significantly inhibited by PIANO. These findings indiate that cGMP increment is responsible for PIANO-mediated relaxation and which may account for the inhibition of PI turnover due to ${\alpha}-adrenergic$ receptor stimulation.