• The Korean Journal of Pharmacology
• /
• v.8 no.2
• /
• pp.63-69
• /
• 1972

The effects of omission of buffers from Krebs-Ringer medium on contractile activity, membrane potentials and ATP content of electrically stimulated isolated rat atria were investigated. 1) Contractile status: A rapid and marked depression of the contractile activity of atria occurred when buffer-free medium was substituted for the normal Krebs-Ringer medium. 2) Electrical status: The omission of buffers from medium did not alter the resting or action potential magnitudes of atria. However, the action potential duration was on initial increase followed by a decrease in the buffer-free medium. 3) ATP concentration: The omission of buffers from medium resulted in a marked decrease in the ATP levels of atria. It has been also found in the present study that bicarbonate buffer plays an important role for the maintenance of the contractility and ATP levels of the heart. The contractile depression by the omission of buffers was not directly associated with electrical alterations in resting or action potentials of the heart. In the absence of bicarbonate-buffer, glucose no longer plays to maintain the contractile activity and the ATP levels of rat atria.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology and Pharmacology
• /
• v.9 no.3
• /
• pp.137-141
• /
• 2005

This study was undertaken to investigate the effects of [$D-Ala^2$, D-Leu^5$]-enkephalin (DADLE) on the spontaneous activity of medial vestibular nuclear neurons of the rat. Sprague-Dawley rats, aged 14 to 16 days, were anesthetized with ether and decapitated. After enzymatic digestion, the brain stem portion of medial vestibular nuclear neuron was obtained by micropunching. The dissociated neurons were transferred to a recording chamber mounted on an inverted microscope, and spontaneous action potentials were recorded by standard patch-clamp techniques. The spontaneous action potentials were increased by DADLE in 12 cells and decreased in 3 cells. The spike frequency and resting membrane potential of these cells were increased by DADLE. The depth of afterhyperpolarization was not affected by DADLE. The potassium currents were decreased in 20 cells and increased in 5 cells. These results suggest that DADLE increases the neuronal activity of the medial vestibular nuclear neurons by altering resting membrane potential.

• The Journal of Korean Physical Therapy
• /
• v.13 no.1
• /
• pp.237-243
• /
• 2001

Skeletal muscle cells are activated by ${\alpha}$-motorneurons which release acetylcholine at the neuromuscular junction. This results in a local depolarization of surface membrane which triggers an action potential. The action potential propagates along the surface membrane and also into the T-tubule system. In the triads T-tubules are in close connection with the terminal cisternae of the sarcoplasmic reticulum(SR). The action potential activaies T-tubule voltage sensors(DHP receptors). which activates SR Ca$^{2+}$ release channels(ryanodinc receptors). Ca$^{2+}$ have a key role in skeletal muscle in that an increase of free myoplasmic Ca$^{2+}$ concentration. The process of coupling chemical and electrical signals at the cell surface to the intracellular release of Ca$^{2+}$and ultimate contraction of muscle fibers is termed excitation-contraction coupling(ECC). Coupling of cel1 surface signals to intracellular Ca$^{2+}$ release proceeds by several mechanisms in skeletal muscle cells. This review focus on sarcopiasmic reticulum(SR) Ca$^{2+}$ releasing mechanisms from sarcoplasmic reticulum in the skeletal muscle. The mechanisms include DCCR, CICR, and HCR.

• Structural Engineering and Mechanics
• /
• v.53 no.1
• /
• pp.173-188
• /
• 2015

Several structural calamities in the second half of the 20th century have shown that adequate collapse-resistance cannot be achieved by designing the individual elements of a structure without taking their interconnectivity into consideration. It has long been acknowledged that membrane behaviour of reinforced concrete structures can significantly increase the robustness of a structure and delay a complete collapse. An experimental large-scale test was conducted on a horizontally restrained, continuous reinforced concrete slab exposed to an artificial failure of the central support and subsequent loading until collapse of the specimen. Within this investigation the development of catenary action associated with the formation of large displacements was observed to increase the ultimate load capacity of the specimen significantly. The development of displacements, strains and horizontal forces within this investigation confirmed a load transfer process from an elastic bending mechanism to a tension controlled catenary mechanism. In this contribution a special focus is directed towards strain and crack development at critical sections. The results of this contribution are of particular importance when validating numerical models related to the development of catenary action in concrete slabs.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.32 no.12
• /
• pp.1547-1552
• /
• 2022

β-Amyrin is a pentacyclic triterpene widely distributed in leaves and stems worldwide. The ability of β-amyrin to induce the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in microorganisms suggests its potential as an antimicrobial agent. Thus, this study aimed to elucidate the antibacterial mode of action of β-amyrin. We treated Escherichia coli cells with β-amyrin and found that it triggered ROS accumulation. Excessive stress caused by ROS, particularly hydroxyl radicals, induces glutathione (GSH) dysfunction. GSH protects cells from oxidative and osmotic stresses; thus, its dysfunction leads to membrane depolarization. The resultant change in membrane potential leads to the release of apoptotic proteins, such as caspases. The activated caspases-like protein promotes the cleavage of DNA into single strands, which is a hallmark of apoptosis-like death in bacteria. Apoptotic cells usually undergo events such as DNA fragmentation and phosphatidylserine exposure, differentiating them from necrotic cells, and the cells treated with β-amyrin in this study were positive for annexin V and negative for propidium iodide, indicating apoptosis-like death. In conclusion, our findings suggest that the antibacterial mode of action of β-amyrin involves the induction of ROS, which resulted in apoptosis-like death in E. coli.

• Journal of Microbiology and Biotechnology
• /
• v.27 no.1
• /
• pp.43-48
• /
• 2017

In a previous study, we analyzed the transcriptome of Scolopendra subspinipes mutilans using next-generation sequencing technology and identified several antimicrobial peptide candidates. One of the peptides, scolopendrasin V, was selected based on the physicochemical properties of antimicrobial peptides using a bioinformatics strategy. In this study, we assessed the antimicrobial activities of scolopendrasin V using the radial diffusion assay and colony count assay. We also investigated the mode of action of scolopendrasin V using flow cytometry. We found that scolopendrasin V's mechanism of action involved binding to the surface of microorganisms via a specific interaction with lipopolysaccharides, lipoteichoic acid, and peptidoglycans, which are components of the bacterial membrane. These results provide a basis for developing peptide antibiotics.

• Membrane and Water Treatment
• /
• v.11 no.5
• /
• pp.323-331
• /
• 2020

With the increasing demand on reverse osmosis (RO) membranes for water purification worldwide, the number of disposed membrane elements is expected to increase accordingly. Thus, recycling and reuse of end-of-life RO membranes should be a global environmental action. In this work, we aim to reuse the spent RO membrane for nanofiltration (NF) and ultrafiltration (UF) process by subjecting the spent membrane to solvent and oxidizing solution treatment, respectively. Our results showed that solvent-treated RO membrane could perform as good as commercial NF membrane by achieving similar separation efficiencies, but with reduced water permeability due to membrane surface fouling. By degrading the polyamide layer of RO membrane, the transformed membrane could achieve high water permeability (85.6 L/㎡.h.bar) and excellent rejection against macromolecules (at least 87.4%), suggesting its reuse potential as UF membrane. More importantly, our findings showed that in-situ transformation on the spent RO membrane using solvent and oxidizing solution could be safely conducted as the properties of the entire spiral wound element did not show significant changes upon prolonged exposure of these two solutions. Our findings are important to open up new possibilities for the discarded RO membranes for reuse in NF and UF process, prolonging the lifespan of spent membranes and promoting the sustainability of the membrane process.

• Proceedings of the Korea Concrete Institute Conference
• /
• 2003.05a
• /
• pp.912-917
• /
• 2003

In this paper a new truss modeling technique for describing the beam shear resistance mechanism is proposed based on the reinterpretation of the well-known relationship between shear and the rate of change of bending moment in a reinforced concrete beam subjected to combined shear and moment loads. The core of the model is that a new perspective on the shear resistance can be gained by viewing the internal stress filed in terms of the superposition of two base components of shear resistance; arch action and beam action. The arch action can be described as a simple tied-arch which is consisted of a curved compression chord and a tension tie of the longitudinal steel, while the beam action between the two chords can be modeled as a membrane shearing element with forming a smeared truss action. The compatibility of deformation associated to the two action is taken into account by employing an experimental factor or internal state force factor a. Then the base equation of V=dM/dx is numerically duplicated. The new model was examined by the 362 experimental results. The shear strength predicted by the internal force state factor a show better correlation with the tested values than the present shear design.

• The Korean Journal of Physiology
• /
• v.10 no.1
• /
• pp.25-34
• /
• 1976

The action of serotonin on the sodium plus potassium activated ATPase activity in the rabbit red cell membrane has been investigated. The experiments were also designed to determine the mechanism of action of serotonin on the ATPase activity. The following results were obtained. 1) The NaK ATPase activity of rabbit red cell ghosts is stimulated by low concentration of serotonin but inhibited by higher concentration, and the concentration of serotonin for maximal activity is about 2mM. The pH optimum for the serotonin sensitive component is 8.0. 2) The activating effect of serotonin on the ATPase, with a given concentration of sodium in the medium, is increased by raising the potassium concentration but the ratio of activity is decreased. 3) The activating effect of serotonin on the ATPase, with a given concentration of potassium in the medium, is increased by raising the sodium concentration but the ratio of activity is decreased. 4) The ATPase activity is increased by small amounts of calcium but inhibited by larger amounts and the ratio of activity by serotonin is decreased by small amounts of calcium but increased by larger amounts. 5) The action of serotonin on the ATPase activity was not related to the amino group of lysine, the hydroxyl group of threonine, the carboxyl group of aspartic acid, or the imidazole group of histidine. 6) The action of serotonin on the ATPase activity is due to sulfhydryl group of the enzyme of NaK ATPase.

• Archives of Pharmacal Research
• /
• v.28 no.8
• /
• pp.930-935
• /
• 2005

We have investigated the effects of relatively high concentration of carbachol (CCh), an agonist of muscarinic acetylcholine receptor (mAChR), on cardiac automaticity in mouse heart. Action potentials from automatically beating right atria of mice were measured with conventional microelectrodes. When atria were treated with $100{\mu}M$ CCh, atrial beating was immediately arrested and diastolic membrane potential (DMP) was depolarized. After exposure of the atria to CCh for $\~4 min$, action potentials were regenerated. The regenerated action potentials had lower frequency and shorter duration when compared with the control. When atria were pre-exposed to pirenzepine $(1{\mu}M)$, an $M_1$ mAChR antagonist, there was complete inhibition of CCh-induced depolarization of DMP and regeneration of action potentials. Pre-exposure to AFDX-116 (11 ({2-[(diethylamino)-methyl]-1-piperidyl}acetyl)-5, 11-dihydro-6H-pyridol[2,3-b][1,4] benzodiazepine-6-one base, $1{\mu}M$), an $M_2$ mAChR antagonist, failed to block CCh-induced arrest of the beating. However, prolonged exposure to CCh elicited gradual depolarization of DMP and slight acceleration in beating rate. Our data indicate that high concentration of CCh depolarizes membrane potential and recovers right atrial automaticity via $M_1$ mAChR, providing functional evidence for the role of $M_1$ mAChR in the atrial myocytes.