Possible Involvement of Nitric Oxide in the Antipruritic Effect of Metformin on Chloroquine-Induced Scratching in Mice

Dermatology ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 236 (2) ◽  
pp. 151-159
Author(s):  
Nazgol-Sadat Haddadi ◽  
Saeed Shakiba ◽  
Khashayar Afshari ◽  
Arvin Haj-Mirzaian ◽  
Sara Vesaghati ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Methyl Ester ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Inhibitory Effects ◽  
Nitrite Level ◽  
Effective Doses ◽  
Nos Inhibitor ◽  
Acute Injection ◽  
Oxide Synthase ◽  
Antipruritic Effect

Background: Metformin ameliorates non-histamine-mediated itch. We have recently reported that the nitric oxide (NO) pathway is involved in chloroquine (CQ)-induced scratching behavior. Here we investigated the involvement of the NO pathway in the antipruritic effect of metformin on CQ-induced itch. Methods: Metformin (5–200 mg/kg, given intraperitoneally [i.p.]) was injected 4 h before CQ (400 µg/site, given intradermally [i.d.]) or compound 48/80 (100 µg/site, i.d.). A nonspecific nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; 1 and 10 mg/kg, i.p.), or an NO precursor, L-arginine (10 and 100 mg/kg, i.p.) was administered 30 min before injection of CQ. A neural NOS (nNOS) inhibitor, 7-nitroindazole (7-NI; 1 and 10 nmol/site, i.d.) was concurrently administered with CQ. The scratching behavior was recorded for 30 min following the injection of CQ. We studied the changes in skin and spinal nitrite levels after treatments. Results: Our results showed that metformin (100 and 200 mg/kg) significantly reduced the CQ-induced scratching behavior but not the compound 48/80-induced scratching behavior. L-Arginine inhibited the antipruritic effect of metformin, while L-NAME and 7-NI significantly potentiated the inhibitory effects of a subeffective dose of metformin on the CQ-induced scratching behavior. The skin but not the spinal nitrite level was significantly increased after CQ administration. The elevated cutaneous nitrite level was reversed by effective doses of either metformin or 7-NI, but not by the subeffective doses of metformin + 7-NI. Conclusion: Acute injection of metformin significantly inhibits CQ-induced scratching behavior. This effect is mediated through inhibition of the NO pathway, especially by inhibiting the dermal nNOS enzyme.

Role of Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase as a Trigger and Mediator of Isoflurane-induced Delayed Preconditioning in Rabbit Myocardium

2005 ◽  
Vol 103 (1) ◽  
pp. 74-83 ◽  
Author(s):  
Pascal C. Chiari ◽  
Martin W. Bienengraeber ◽  
Dorothee Weihrauch ◽  
John G. Krolikowski ◽  
Judy R. Kersten ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Methyl Ester ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Infarct Size ◽  
Coronary Occlusion ◽  
Nos Inhibitor ◽  
Neuronal Nos ◽  
Oxide Synthase ◽  
Inducible Nos

Background Isoflurane produces delayed preconditioning in vivo. The authors tested the hypothesis that endothelial, inducible, or neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is a trigger or mediator of this protective effect. Methods In the absence or presence of exposure to isoflurane (1.0 minimum alveolar concentration) 24 h before experimentation, pentobarbital-anesthetized rabbits (n = 128) instrumented for hemodynamic measurement received 0.9% saline (control), the nonselective NOS inhibitor N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (10 mg/kg), one of two of the selective inducible NOS antagonists aminoguanidine (300 mg/kg) or 1400W (0.5 mg/kg), or the selective neuronal NOS inhibitor 7-nitroindazole (50 mg/kg) administered before exposure to isoflurane (trigger; day 1) or left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion (mediator; day 2). All rabbits underwent 30 min of coronary occlusion followed by 3 h of reperfusion. Tissue samples for reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction and immunohistochemistry were also obtained in the presence or absence of N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester with or without isoflurane pretreatment. Results Isoflurane significantly (P < 0.05) reduced infarct size (23 +/- 5% [mean +/- SD] of the left ventricular area at risk; triphenyltetrazolium chloride staining) as compared with control (42 +/- 7%). N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester administered before isoflurane or coronary occlusion abolished protection (49 +/- 7 and 43 +/- 10%, respectively). Aminoguanidine, 1400W, and 7-nitroindazole did not alter infarct size or affect isoflurane-induced delayed preconditioning. Isoflurane increased endothelial but not inducible NOS messenger RNA transcription and protein translation immediately and 24 h after administration of the volatile agent. Pretreatment with N-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester attenuated isoflurane-induced increases in endothelial NOS expression. Conclusions The results suggest that endothelial NOS but not inducible or neuronal NOS is a trigger and mediator of delayed preconditioning by isoflurane in vivo.

Increasing dihydrobiopterin causes dysfunction of endothelial nitric oxide synthase in rats in vivo

2011 ◽  
Vol 301 (3) ◽  
pp. H721-H729 ◽  
Author(s):  
Katsuhiko Noguchi ◽  
Naobumi Hamadate ◽  
Toshihiro Matsuzaki ◽  
Mayuko Sakanashi ◽  
Junko Nakasone ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Control Treatment ◽  
Enos Uncoupling ◽  
Nos Inhibitor ◽  
Oxide Synthase ◽  
Endothelial Nitric Oxide ◽  
First Time

An elevation of oxidized forms of tetrahydrobiopterin (BH4), especially dihydrobiopterin (BH2), has been reported in the setting of oxidative stress, such as arteriosclerotic/atherosclerotic disorders, where endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is dysfunctional, but the role of BH2 in the regulation of eNOS activity in vivo remains to be evaluated. This study was designed to clarify whether increasing BH2 concentration causes endothelial dysfunction in rats. To increase vascular BH2 levels, the BH2 precursor sepiapterin (SEP) was intravenously given after the administration of the specific dihydrofolate reductase inhibitor methotrexate (MTX) to block intracellular conversion of BH2 to BH4. MTX/SEP treatment did not significantly affect aortic BH4 levels compared with control treatment. However, MTX/SEP treatment markedly augmented aortic BH2 levels (291.1 ± 29.2 vs. 33.4 ± 6.4 pmol/g, P < 0.01) in association with moderate hypertension. Treatment with MTX alone did not significantly alter blood pressure or BH4 levels but decreased the BH4-to-BH2 ratio. Treatment with MTX/SEP, but not with MTX alone, impaired ACh-induced vasodilator and depressor responses compared with the control treatment (both P < 0.05) and also aggravated ACh-induced endothelium-dependent relaxations ( P < 0.05) of isolated aortas without affecting sodium nitroprusside-induced endothelium-independent relaxations. Importantly, MTX/SEP treatment significantly enhanced aortic superoxide production, which was diminished by NOS inhibitor treatment, and the impaired ACh-induced relaxations were reversed with SOD ( P < 0.05), suggesting the involvement of eNOS uncoupling. These results indicate, for the first time, that increasing BH2 causes eNOS dysfunction in vivo even in the absence of BH4 deficiency, demonstrating a novel insight into the regulation of endothelial function.

Glucose uptake during contraction in isolated skeletal muscles from neuronal nitric oxide synthase μ knockout mice

2015 ◽  
Vol 118 (9) ◽  
pp. 1113-1121 ◽  
Author(s):  
Yet Hoi Hong ◽  
Tony Frugier ◽  
Xinmei Zhang ◽  
Robyn M. Murphy ◽  
Gordon S. Lynch ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Skeletal Muscle ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Glucose Uptake ◽  
Ex Vivo ◽  
Organ Bath ◽  
Skeletal Muscle Glucose Uptake ◽  
Nos Inhibitor ◽  
Amp Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Oxide Synthase

Inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) significantly attenuates the increase in skeletal muscle glucose uptake during contraction/exercise, and a greater attenuation is observed in individuals with Type 2 diabetes compared with healthy individuals. Therefore, NO appears to play an important role in mediating muscle glucose uptake during contraction. In this study, we investigated the involvement of neuronal NOSμ (nNOSμ), the main NOS isoform activated during contraction, on skeletal muscle glucose uptake during ex vivo contraction. Extensor digitorum longus muscles were isolated from nNOSμ−/−and nNOSμ+/+mice. Muscles were contracted ex vivo in a temperature-controlled (30°C) organ bath with or without the presence of the NOS inhibitor NG-monomethyl-l-arginine (L-NMMA) and the NOS substrate L-arginine. Glucose uptake was determined by radioactive tracers. Skeletal muscle glucose uptake increased approximately fourfold during contraction in muscles from both nNOSμ−/−and nNOSμ+/+mice. L-NMMA significantly attenuated the increase in muscle glucose uptake during contraction in both genotypes. This attenuation was reversed by L-arginine, suggesting that L-NMMA attenuated the increase in muscle glucose uptake during contraction by inhibiting NOS and not via a nonspecific effect of the inhibitor. Low levels of NOS activity (∼4%) were detected in muscles from nNOSμ−/−mice, and there was no evidence of compensation from other NOS isoform or AMP-activated protein kinase which is also involved in mediating muscle glucose uptake during contraction. These results indicate that NO regulates skeletal muscle glucose uptake during ex vivo contraction independently of nNOSμ.

Endothelium-dependent vasodilation of cerebral arteries is altered with simulated microgravity through nitric oxide synthase and EDHF mechanisms

2006 ◽  
Vol 101 (1) ◽  
pp. 348-353 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rhonda D. Prisby ◽  
M. Keith Wilkerson ◽  
Elke M. Sokoya ◽  
Robert M. Bryan ◽  
Emily Wilson ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Methyl Ester ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Cerebral Perfusion ◽  
Simulated Microgravity ◽  
Cerebral Arteries ◽  
Caveolin 1 ◽  
Fluid Shifts ◽  
Oxide Synthase

Cephalic elevations in arterial pressure associated with microgravity and prolonged bed rest alter cerebrovascular autoregulation in humans. Using the head-down tail-suspended (HDT) rat to chronically induce headward fluid shifts and elevate cerebral artery pressure, previous work has likewise shown cerebral perfusion to be diminished. The purpose of this study was to test the hypothesis that 2 wk of HDT reduces cerebral artery vasodilation. To test this hypothesis, dose-response relations for endothelium-dependent (2-methylthioadenosine triphosphate and bradykinin) and endothelium-independent (nitroprusside) vasodilation were determined in vitro in middle cerebral arteries (MCAs) from HDT and control rats. All in vitro measurements were done in the presence and absence of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitor NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (10−5 M) and cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (10−5 M). MCA caveolin-1 protein content was measured by immunoblot analysis. Endothelium-dependent vasodilation to 2-methylthioadenosine triphosphate and bradykinin were both lower in MCAs from HDT rats. These lower vasodilator responses were abolished with NG-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester but were unaffected by indomethacin. In addition, HDT was associated with lower levels of MCA caveolin-1 protein. Endothelium-independent vasodilation was not altered by HDT. These results indicate that chronic cephalic fluid shifts diminish endothelium-dependent vasodilation through alterations in the endothelial nitric oxide synthase signaling mechanism. Such decrements in endothelium-dependent vasodilation of cerebral arteries could contribute to the elevations in cerebral vascular resistance and reductions in cerebral perfusion that occur after conditions of simulated microgravity in HDT rats.

Human placental and fetal membrane nitric oxide synthase activity before, during and after labour at term

1995 ◽  
Vol 7 (6) ◽  
pp. 1505 ◽  
Author(s):  
Iulio JL Di ◽  
NM Gude ◽  
RG King ◽  
SP Brennecke
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Caesarean Section ◽  
Normal Vaginal Delivery ◽  
Fetal Membrane ◽  
High Concentration ◽  
Experimental Conditions ◽  
Nos Inhibitor ◽  
Tissue Specimens ◽  
Oxide Synthase

The aim of this study was to determine whether any labour-associated changes in nitric oxide synthase (NOS) activity occur in human placenta and fetal membranes. NOS activity in amnion, choriodecidua, and placenta obtained from women before (at Caesarean section, not in labour), during (at Caesarean section, in labour) and after (spontaneous onset labour, normal vaginal delivery) labour was assessed by measuring conversion of radio-labelled L-arginine to L-citrulline. NOS activity, as judged by its inhibition by the specific NOS inhibitor N omega-nitro-L-arginine, was present in placental and amnionic tissues, but not in choriodecidual tissue specimens. Activity detected in choriodecidua was significantly blocked during incubation with a high concentration of valine, suggesting that L-arginine was being consumed by reactions other than NOS under the experimental conditions in that tissue. There were no significant differences among the labour groups in either amnion or placental NOS activities measured in the presence of 1 microM L-arginine. Amnion NOS activity was significantly less than that in placenta. Placental V(max) and Km values (determined after removal of endogenous L-arginine) did not differ significantly among the different labour groups.

Nitric oxide-dependent and -independent components of cerebrovasodilation elicited by hypercapnia

1994 ◽  
Vol 266 (2) ◽  
pp. R546-R552 ◽  
Author(s):  
C. Iadecola ◽  
F. Zhang
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Methyl Ester ◽  
Time Course ◽  
Slow Time ◽  
Independent Components ◽  
Arterial Partial Pressure ◽  
Partial Pressure Of Co2 ◽  
Nos Inhibitor ◽  
Oxide Synthase ◽  
Doppler Flowmeter

We studied the effect of nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME), a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor, on the increases in cerebral blood flow (CBF) elicited by stepwise elevations in arterial partial pressure of CO2 (PaCO2) from normocapnia up to 204 mmHg. Rats were anesthetized with halothane and ventilated. CBF was monitored over the parietal cortex using a laser-Doppler flowmeter. Increasing levels of hypercapnia elicited graded elevations in CBF that reached a plateau at PaCO2 = 82 +/- 1 mmHg (CBF +215 +/- 25%; n = 8; P < 0.05, analysis of variance). L-NAME (40 mg/kg i.v.; n = 8), but not nitro-D-arginine methyl ester (n = 8), reduced resting CBF (-42 +/- 4%) and attenuated the increase in CBF elicited by hypercapnia. The attenuation occurred only at PaCO2 40-80 mmHg and was maximal (-75 +/- 8%; P < 0.05) at 54 +/- 2 mmHg. At PaCO2 > or = 100 mmHg, L-NAME (40-80 mg/kg) did not attenuate the response (P > 0.05). Reduction of resting CBF (-50 +/- 4%; n = 6) by administration of chloralose (20-40 mg/kg i.v.) did not attenuate the CBF response to hypercapnia (P > 0.05). We also found that the attenuation by L-NAME of resting CBF (n = 5) and of the cerebrovasodilation elicited by hypercapnia (n = 6) has a relatively slow time course, the effects reaching a maximum 45-60 min after intravenous administration of the drug. We conclude that L-NAME does not attenuate the CBF response to CO2 uniformly at all levels of hypercapnia.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

The Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitor NG-nitro-L-Arginine Methyl Ester Potentiates Insulin Secretion Stimulated by Glucose and L-Arginine Independently of its Action on ATP-Sensitive K+ Channels

1998 ◽  
Vol 18 (1) ◽  
pp. 19-28 ◽  
Author(s):  
Albert Salehi ◽  
Fariborz Parandeh ◽  
Ingmar Lundquist
Keyword(s):  
Nitric Oxide ◽  
Insulin Secretion ◽  
Methyl Ester ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase ◽  
Insulin Release ◽  
Glucagon Secretion ◽  
Nitric Oxide Synthase Inhibitor ◽  
Insulin And Glucagon Secretion ◽  
Synthase Inhibitor ◽  
Oxide Synthase

The nature of the action of the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) on hormone release from isolated islets was investigated. We found that glucose-induced insulin release was potentiated by L-NAME in the absence or presence of diazoxide, a potent K+ATP channel opener, as well as in the presence of diazoxide plus a depolarizing concentration of K+. At a low, physiological glucose concentration L-NAME did not influence insulin secretion induced by K+ but inhibited glucagon secretion. L-arginine-induced insulin release was potentiated by L-NAME. This potentiation was observed also in the presence of K+ plus diazoxide. Further, glucagon release induced by L-arginine as well as by L-arginine plus K+ and diazoxide was suppressed by L-NAME. The results strongly suggest that the L-NAME-induced potentiation of insulin secretion in response to glucose or L-arginine as well as the inhibitory effects on glucagon secretion are largely mediated by L-NAME directly suppressing islet NOS activity. Hence NO apparently affects insulin and glucagon secretion independently of membrane depolarization events.

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