The ceca play an important role in the physiology of the gastrointestinal tract in chickens. Nevertheless, there is a gap of knowledge regarding the functionality of the ceca in poultry, especially with respect to physiological cecal smooth muscle co...
Oxytocin produces an excitatory effect on gastric muscle through the activation of receptors present on stomach smooth muscle cells. However, the intracellular mechanisms that mediate oxytocin excitatory effects are still largely unknown. Therefore,...
The vagina is an essential component of the female reproductive system and is responsible for providing female sexual satisfaction. Vaginal smooth muscle contraction plays a crucial role in various physiological processes, including sexual arousal, c...
Airway smooth muscle (ASM) contraction is determined by the increase in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) caused by its release from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) or by extracellular Ca2+ influx. Major channels involved in Ca2+ influx in A...
The reaction field of abnormal vascular contraction induced by sphingosylphosphorylcholine (SPC) and the action point of SPC around the plasma membranes remain unknown. However, we found in a previous study that fisetin prevents SPC-induced vascular...
Clinical and animal studies have demonstrated that chemotherapeutic doxorubicin (DOX) increases arterial stiffness, a predictor of cardiovascular risk. Despite consensus about DOX-impaired endothelium-dependent vasodilation as a contributing mechanis...
Background: High-dose-rate radiotherapy has shown promising results with respect to normal tissue preservation. We developed an ex vivo model to study the physiological effects of experimental radiotherapy in the rodent esophageal smooth muscle. Meth...
Isoflavone-rich legumes, including soy, are used for food production, as dietary supplements and in traditional medicine. Soy consumption correlates negatively with benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) and voiding symptoms. However, isoflavone effects...
Nucleotides released by smooth muscle cells (SMCs) and by innervating nerve terminals activate specific P2 receptors and modulate bladder contraction. We hypothesized that cell surface enzymes regulate SMC contraction in mice bladder by controlling t...
Introduction: Medical treatment of lower urinary tract symptoms (LUTS) suggestive of benign prostatic hyperplasia (BPH) targets prostate smooth muscle tone for rapid relieve of symptoms and prostate size to prevent disease progression. Recently, EAU...
It has long been recognised that airway smooth muscle cells (ASMCs) possess an abundance of M2 muscarinic receptors (M2Rs). However, the contribution of postjunctional M2Rs to contractions of airway smooth muscle (ASM) induced by the release of acety...
Serotonin, or 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), is a monoamine neurotransmitter found in blood platelets, the gastrointestinal (GI) tract, and the central nervous system (CNS) of animals and humans. The signaling pathways of 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT)-ind...
Analyses of G-protein-mediated contraction and relaxation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) are usually hampered by a rigid growth surface and culture conditions promoting cell proliferation and a less contractile phenotype. Our studies indicat...
A warning sign for impending cardiovascular events is not fully established. In the process of plaque rupture, the formation of vulnerable plaque is important, and oxidized cholesterols play an important role in its progression. Furthermore, the sign...
Prostaglandin D2 (PGD2) is one of the key lipid mediators of allergic airway inflammation, including bronchial asthma. However, the role of PGD2 in the pathogenesis of asthma is not fully understood. In the present study, the effect of PGD2 on smooth...
It has previously been reported that the RhoA/Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) pathway is involved in depolarization-induced contraction triggered by high [K+] stimulation in rat caudal arterial smooth muscle. Furthermore, we reported that activation of...
The Cupressaceae family includes species considered to be medicinal. Their essential oil is used for headaches, colds, cough, and bronchitis. Cedar trees like Chamaecyparis lawsoniana (C. lawsoniana) are commonly found in urban areas. We investigated...
The fruit of Morus alba L. (MAF) has been consumed as a food worldwide. MAF has also been widely used in traditional medicine for thousands of years in East Asia, and its diverse bioactivities have been reported in numerous publications. However, no...
The present study aimed to determine the mechanisms responsible for calcium–mediated smooth muscle contractions in C. melo seeds. The phytochemicals of C. melo were identified and quantified with the aid of Liquid Chromatography Electrospray Io...
Leonurus japonicus Houtt is an exceptional medicinal herb used to treat obstetrical and gynecological diseases in traditional Chinese medicine, and it has significant effects on the treatment of dysmenorrhea and postpartum hemorrhage. This study inve...
Cocaine abuse increases the risk of atherosclerotic cardiovascular disease (CVD) and causes acute coronary syndromes (ACS) and hypertension (HTN). Significant research has explored the role of the sympathetic nervous system mediating the cocaine effe...
Polo-like kinase 1 (PLK1) is a serine/threonine protein kinase expressed in smooth muscle cells (SMCs), with emerging roles in regulating contraction. We hypothesize that PLK1 contributes to smooth muscle contractility in pudendal arteries (PA), smal...
Second messenger nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) triggers Ca2+ release via two-pore channels (TPCs) localized in endolysosomal vesicles. The aim of the present work is to evaluate the role of TPCs in the action of norepinephrine...
Myofibroblasts are contractile cells that exhibit features of both fibroblasts and smooth muscle cells. In the synepitheliochorial placenta of the cow myofibroblasts are found in the maternal stroma. However, a deeper understanding of the structure a...
Hypertension is a key risk factor for cardiovascular disease and it is a growing public health problem worldwide. The pathophysiological mechanisms of vascular smooth muscle (VSM) contraction contribute to the development of hypertension. Calcium (Ca...
We review three recent findings that have fundamentally altered our understanding of causative mechanisms underlying fungal-related asthma. These mechanisms may be partially independent of host inflammatory processes but are strongly dependent upon t...
Background: Prokinetic agents are effective in increasing gastrointestinal (GI) contractility and alleviating constipation, often caused by slow intestinal motility. Lubiprostone (LUB), known for activating CLC-2 chloride channels, increases the chlo...
The objective of this paper is to present our findings on the biomechanical aspects of the virgin passive anisotropic hyperelasticity of the porcine colon based on equibiaxial tensile experiments. Firstly, the characterization of the intestine tissue...
11 February 2021
Alzheimer’s Disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative condition characterized both by the presence of tau protein neurofibrillary tangles and amyloid beta (Aβ) containing extracellular “plaques”. The cleavage of amyloid precursor protein (APP) yields sever...
Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a chronic progressive metabolic disorder associated with several gastrointestinal complications, affecting up to 75% of patients. Knowing that Angiotensin II (AngII) also regulates intestinal contraction, we decided to evalu...
Synthetic grafts have been developed for vascular bypass surgery, however, the risks of thrombosis and neointimal hyperplasia still limit their use. Tissue engineering with the use of adipose-derived stem cells (ASCs) has shown promise in addressing...
Atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) is a cardiac hormone which plays important functions to maintain cardio-renal homeostasis. The peptide structure is highly conserved among species. However, a few gene variants are known to fall within the human ANP g...
Background/Objectives: This study is the first report on isolating a natural benzyl benzoate (nBB) from Acridocarpus smeathmannii (DC.) Guill. & Perr roots. Methods: The structure was verified using GC-MS, HPLC-UV-VIS, and two-dimensional NMR. Si...
Background: Vascular calcification is a strong predictor of cardiovascular morbidity and mortality. Oxidative stress plays a key role in promoting vascular calcification. Glutathione (GSH), as a major cellular antioxidant, is produced in response to...
Actin binding proteins are of crucial importance for the spatiotemporal regulation of actin cytoskeletal dynamics, thereby mediating a tremendous range of cellular processes. Since their initial discovery more than 30 years ago, the enabled/vasodilat...
Calcium (Ca2+) signaling is a fundamental regulatory mechanism controlling essential processes in the endothelium, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), and the extracellular matrix (ECM), including maintaining the endothelial barrier, modulation of...
Translationally controlled tumor protein (TCTP), a repressor for Na,K-ATPase has been implicated in the development of systemic hypertension, as proved by TCTP-over-expressing transgenic (TCTP-TG) mice. Aorta of TCTP-TG exhibited hypercontractile re...
Microbiota are known to play an important role in gastrointestinal physiology and pathophysiology. Microbiota and their metabolites can affect gut motility, neural regulation and the enteric endocrine systems and immune systems of the gut. The use of...
Neurogenic lower urinary tract (NLUT) dysfunction in paediatric patients can arise after congenital or acquired conditions that affect bladder innervation. With some patients, urinary tract dysfunction remains and is more difficult to treat without u...
The tunica muscularis of mammalian esophagi is composed of striated muscle and smooth muscle. Contraction of the esophageal striated muscle portion is mainly controlled by cholinergic neurons. On the other hand, smooth muscle contraction and relaxati...
Smooth muscle differentiated adipose tissue-derived stem cells are a valuable resource for regeneration of gastrointestinal tissues, such as the gut and sphincters. Hypoxia has been shown to promote adipose tissue-derived stem cells proliferation and...
Smooth muscle is a major component of most hollow organ systems (e.g., airways, vasculature, bladder and gut/gastrointestine); therefore, the coordinated regulation of contraction is a key property of smooth muscle. When smooth muscle functions norma...
Consumption of coffee has benefits in postoperative ileus. We tested the hypothesis that the benefits may be related to the effects of coffee on gut microbiota and motility and studied the mechanisms of action in rats. The in vitro and in vivo effect...
Bradykinin (BK) and bradykinin-related peptides (BRPs), which were identified from a diversity of amphibian skin secretions, exerted contractile and relaxing effects on non-vascular and vascular smooth muscle, respectively. Here, we report a novel br...
We found that, in guinea pig airway smooth muscle, the pharmacological inhibition of RTKs significantly decreased the contraction induced by 20 mM KCl. We observed that MEK pharmacological inhibitors diminished the contraction induced by 20 mM KCl, b...
Whether glucocorticoids (GC) can directly affect human testicular functions is not well understood. A predominant site of GC receptor (GR; NR3C1) expression in the adult testis are peritubular smooth muscle-like cells, which express smooth muscle act...
trans-Caryophyllene is a major component in the essential oils of various species of medicinal plants used in popular medicine in Brazil. It belongs to the chemical class of the sesquiterpenes and has been the subject of a number of studies. Here, we...
Background: Cholesterol gallstone disease (CGS) is often accompanied by gallbladder contraction dysfunction and chronic inflammation, but effective therapeutic options remain limited. This study investigates whether a low-intensity pulsed ultrasound...
The purpose of this study was to investigate the influence of changes in muscle length on the torque fluctuations and on related oscillations in muscle activity during voluntary isometric contractions of ankle plantar flexor muscles. Eleven healthy i...
During pregnancy, the uterine artery (UA) undergoes extensive remodeling to permit a 20–40 fold increase in blood flow with associated changes in the expression of a multitude of genes. This study used next-gen RNA sequencing technology to iden...
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