scholarly journals Nitric oxide synthase acutely regulates progesterone production by in vitro cultured rabbit corpora lutea

1999 ◽  
Vol 160 (2) ◽  
pp. 275-283 ◽  
Author(s):  
A Gobbetti ◽  
C Boiti ◽  
C Canali ◽  
M Zerani

We examined the presence and the regulation of nitric oxide (NO) synthase (NOS) using in vitro cultured corpora lutea (CL) obtained from rabbits at days 4 and 9 of pseudopregnancy. The role of NO and NOS on steroidogenesis was also investigated using the same CL preparations after short-term incubations (30 min and 2 h) with the NO donor, sodium nitroprusside (NP), the NOS inhibitor, Nomega-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester (l-NAME) and prostaglandin (PG) F-2alpha. The basal NOS activity was greater in CL at day 4 than at day 9, and was also differently modulated by PGF-2alpha, depending on the age of the CL. The addition of PGF-2alpha to day 4 CL had no effect, but PGF-2alpha on day 9 caused a threefold increase in NOS activity. NP caused a two- to fivefold decrease in release of progesterone from CL of both ages, and this inhibitory effect on steroidogenesis was reversed by l-NAME. All treatments failed to modify basal androgens and 17beta-oestradiol was not detectable in either control or treated CL. These results suggest that NO is effectively involved in the regulation process of steroidogenesis, independently of 17beta-oestradiol. PGF-2alpha had no effect on day 4, but induced luteolysis on day 9, by reducing progesterone (P</=0. 01) to about 18% of control. The luteolytic action of PGF-2alpha was completely reversed by co-incubation with l-NAME, thus supporting the hypothesis that luteolysis is mediated by NO. The addition of NP or l-NAME did not modify the in vitro release of PGF-2alpha. We hypothesised that PGF-2alpha upregulates NOS activity and, consequently, the production of NO, which acutely inhibits progesterone release from day 9 CL of pseudopregnant rabbits.

2005 ◽  
Vol 17 (2) ◽  
pp. 204
Author(s):  
A.K. Kadanga ◽  
D. Tesfaye ◽  
S. Ponsuksili ◽  
K. Wimmers ◽  
M. Gilles ◽  
...  

Nitric oxide (NO) is a free radical that serves as a key-signal molecule in various physiological processes including reproduction. Four isoforms of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) have been characterized: endothelial (eNOS), inducible (iNOS), neuronal (nNOS), and mitochondrial (mtNOS). The first two isoforms are reported to be expressed in mouse follicles, oocytes, and pre-implantation embryos (Nishikimi A et al. 2001 Reproduction 122, 957–963). However, the role of any of these isoforms have not yet been investigated in bovine embryos. Here we aimed to examine the role of NOS in in vitro development of bovine embryos by treating embryos with NOS inhibitor, N-omega-L-nitro-arginine methyl esther (L-NAME), and examining the localization of the protein in pre-implantation embryos. Oocytes and embryos were grown in the media with NOS inhibitor added at a level of 0 mM (control), 1 mM, and 10 mM to either maturation or culture medium. Each experiment was conducted in four replicates each containing 100 oocytes for IVP. Cleavage and blastocyst rate were recorded at Days 2 and 7, respectively. Data were analyzed using the General Linear Model in SAS version 8.02 (SAS Institute, Inc., Cary, NC, USA) with the main factors being the level of L-NAME and the point of application. Pairwise comparisons were done using the Tukey test. Protein localization in bovine oocytes and embryos was performed by immunocytochemistry using eNOS- and iNOS-specific antibodies. Embryos were fixed in 3.7% paraformaldehyde, permeabilized in 0.1% Triton-X100, and washed three times in PBS supplemented with BSA. They were incubated with eNOS and iNOS primary antibody (1:200 dilutions) and washed before incubation with secondary antibody conjugated to FITC. After washing they were mounted on glass slides and examined under a confocal laser scanning microscope (Carl Zeiss Jena, Carl Zeiss AG, Oberkochen, Germany). In the controls the primary antibodies were omitted. As shown in the table below, the presence of L-NAME in the maturation medium significantly reduced the cleavage and blastocyst rate independent of the dosage applied. However the presence of L-NAME in the culture medium had an influence only on the blastocyst rate. The immunocytochemical staining results showed that both eNOS and iNOS are expressed in the cytoplasm of the MII oocytes, and during the pre-implantation stage the fluorescence signal was observed in nuclei and cytoplasm. However, the nuclear signal was much weaker. In conclusion, the present study is the first to determine the role of NO and to detect NOS protein in bovine oocytes and pre-implantation embryos. These results indicate that nitric oxide may play an important role as diffusible regulator of bovine oocyte maturation and preimplantation embryo development. Table 1. Effect of l-name addition in maturation or culture medium on embryo development


1997 ◽  
Vol 82 (1) ◽  
pp. 359-363 ◽  
Author(s):  
Thomas W. Balon ◽  
Jerry L. Nadler ◽  

Balon, Thomas W., and Jerry L. Nadler. Evidence that nitric oxide increases glucose transport in skeletal muscle. J. Appl. Physiol. 82(1): 359–363, 1997.—Nitric oxide synthase (NOS) is expressed in skeletal muscle. However, the role of nitric oxide (NO) in glucose transport in this tissue remains unclear. To determine the role of NO in modulating glucose transport, 2-deoxyglucose (2-DG) transport was measured in rat extensor digitorum longus (EDL) muscles that were exposed to either a maximally stimulating concentration of insulin or to an electrical stimulation protocol, in the presence of N G-monomethyl-l-arginine, a NOS inhibitor. In addition, EDL preparations were exposed to sodium nitroprusside (SNP), an NO donor, in the presence of submaximal and maximally stimulating concentrations of insulin. NOS inhibition reduced both basal and exercise-enhanced 2-DG transport but had no effect on insulin-stimulated 2-DG transport. Furthermore, SNP increased 2-DG transport in a dose-responsive manner. The effects of SNP and insulin on 2-DG transport were additive when insulin was present in physiological but not in pharmacological concentrations. Chronic treadmill training increased protein expression of both type I and type III NOS in soleus muscle homogenates. Our results suggest that NO may be a potential mediator of exercise-induced glucose transport.


2011 ◽  
Vol 56 (No. 6) ◽  
pp. 284-291 ◽  
Author(s):  
Heidari Amale M ◽  
Zare Shahne A ◽  
A. Abavisani ◽  
S. Nasrollahi

Nitric oxide (NO) is a biological signaling molecule that plays a crucial role in oocyte maturation of mammalians. It is generated by the nitric oxide synthase (NOS) enzyme from l-arginine. Although the effect of NO has been shown in oocyte maturation of some species, there is no report about its effect on the in vitro maturation of sheep oocyte. So, this study aimed to investigate the importance of NO/NOS system in the in vitro maturation of ovine oocytes. Different concentrations of L-NAME (a NOS inhibitor) (0.1, 1 and 10mM) were added to maturation medium to evaluate the effect of inhibiting NOS on cumulus expansion and meiotic resumption of sheep oocytes. After 26 h culture, low and medium concentrations of L-NAME (0.1 and 1mM) had no significant effect on cumulus expansion, however, its higher concentration (10mM) decreased percentage of oocytes with total cumulus expansion as compared to control (P &lt; 0.05). The extrusion of the first polar body was also suppressed in a dose-dependent manner, so that the addition of 10mM L-NAME to maturation medium significantly stopped oocytes in GV stage (P &lt; 0.05). Moreover, to confirm the results and to evaluate if this effect is reversible, 0.1mM sodium nitroprusside (SNP, a NO donor) was added only to the maturation medium which had the highest concentration of L-NAME (10mM). The concomitant addition of NOS inhibitor with NO donor reversed the inhibitory effect of L-NAME on cumulus expansion and meiotic maturation. These results indicated that NO/NOS system is involved in the maturation of sheep oocytes.


1993 ◽  
Vol 4 (5) ◽  
pp. 1127-1132
Author(s):  
R M Edwards ◽  
W Trizna

The inhibition of nitric oxide production has been shown to reduce RBF. The effects of the nitric oxide synthase inhibitors, N omega-nitro-L-arginine and NG-monomethyl-L-arginine, on afferent and efferent arterioles isolated from rabbit kidneys were examined. Under basal conditions, N omega-nitro-L-arginine (10(-7) to 10(-3) M) had no effect on efferent arteriole lumen diameter but caused a 40% decrease in the lumen diameter of afferent arterioles. In afferent and efferent arterioles precontracted with norepinephrine, N omega-nitro-L-arginine and NG-monomethyl-L-arginine (3 x 10(-4) M) markedly attenuated the vasorelaxant effects of the endothelium-dependent vasodilator acetylcholine. In both arterioles, the inhibitory effect of N omega-nitro-L-arginine on acetylcholine-induced relaxation could be reversed by L- but not D-arginine (10(-3) M). However, N omega-nitro-L-arginine had no effect on the relaxation produced by the endothelium-independent vasodilators prostaglandin E2 (afferent) and dopamine (efferent). These observations demonstrate that under the in vitro conditions used in this study, afferent arterioles but not efferent arterioles synthesize and release nitric oxide in the basal state. However, both arterioles release nitric oxide in response to an endothelium-dependent vasodilator. The results of this study provide further evidence for an important role of nitric oxide in the regulation of renal hemodynamics.


1999 ◽  
Vol 277 (4) ◽  
pp. R1051-R1056 ◽  
Author(s):  
Akio Hosokawa ◽  
Takahiro Nagayama ◽  
Kimiya Masada ◽  
Makoto Yoshida ◽  
Mizue Suzuki-Kusaba ◽  
...  

We examined the effects of sarafotoxin 6c (S6c), an endothelin-B (ETB) receptor agonist, on adrenal catecholamine secretion in response to cholinergic stimuli in pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized dogs. Drugs were administered intra-arterially into the adrenal gland through the phrenicoabdominal artery. Infusion of S6c attenuated increases in adrenal catecholamine output induced by splanchnic nerve stimulation. The inhibitory effect of S6c on the catecholamine secretion response was suppressed with a selective ETB receptor antagonist N- cis2,6-dimethylpiperidinocarbonyl-l-γ-methylleucyl-d-1-methoxycarbonyltryptophanyl-d-norleucine (BQ-788), a nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitor N ω-nitro-l-arginine methyl ester, and a neuronal NOS inhibitor 7-nitroindazole monosodium salt (7-NINA). Similar results were obtained with the catecholamine secretion response induced by injection of ACh. 7-NINA alone did not affect these catecholamine secretion responses. These results suggest that ETB receptors play an inhibitory role in adrenal catecholamine secretion by activating neuronal NOS, whereas neuronal NOS is unlikely to be involved in regulation of adrenal catecholamine secretion in the absence of simultaneous ETB receptor stimulation.


2006 ◽  
Vol 290 (4) ◽  
pp. F873-F879 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ming-Guo Feng ◽  
L. Gabriel Navar

Previous studies have shown that L-type Ca2+ channel (LCC) blockers primarily dilate resting and ANG II-constricted afferent arterioles (AA), but do not influence either resting or ANG II-constricted efferent arterioles (EA). In contrast, blockade of T-type Ca2+ channels (TCC) dilate EA and prevent ANG II-mediated efferent constriction. The present study determined the role of LCC and TCC in mediating the AA and EA constriction following inhibition of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and tested the hypothesis that inhibition of NOS increases the influence of LCC on EA. With the use of an isolated blood-perfused rat juxtamedullary nephron preparation, single AA or EA were visualized and superfused with a NOS inhibitor, N-nitro-l-arginine (l-NNA), with or without concomitant treatment with an LCC blocker, diltiazem, or a TCC blocker, pimozide. In response to l-NNA (1, 10, and 100 μmol/l), AA and EA diameters decreased significantly by 6.0 ± 0.3, 13.7 ± 1.7, and 19.9 ± 1.4%, and by 6.2 ± 0.5, 13.3 ± 1.1, and 19.0 ± 1.9%, respectively. During TCC blockade with pimozide (10 μmol/l), l-NNA did not significantly constrict afferent (0.9 ± 0.6, 1.5 ± 0.5, and 1.7 ± 0.5%) or efferent (0.4 ± 0.1, 2.1 ± 0.7, and 2.5 ± 1.0%) arterioles. In contrast to the responses with other vasoconstictors, the l-NNA-induced constriction of EA, as well as AA, was reversed by diltiazem (10 μmol/l). The effects were overlapping as pimozide superimposed on diltiazem did not elicit further dilation. When the effects of l-NNA were reversed by superfusion with an NO donor, SNAP (10 μmol/l), diltiazem did not cause significant efferent dilation. As a further test of LCC activity, 55 mmol/l KCl, which depolarizes and constricts AA, caused only a modest constriction in resting EA (8.7 ± 1.3%), but a stronger EA constriction during concurrent treatment with l-NNA (23.8 ± 4.8%). In contrast, norepinephrine caused similar constrictions in both l-NNA-treated and nontreated arterioles. These results provide evidence that NO inhibits LCC and TCC activity and that NOS inhibition-mediated arteriolar constriction involves activation of LCC and TCC in both AA and EA. The difference in responses to high KCl between resting and l-NNA-constricted EA and the ability of diltiazem to block EA constriction caused by l-NNA contrasts with the lack of efferent effects in resting and SNAP-treated l-NNA-preconstricted arterioles and during ANG II-mediated vasoconstriction, suggesting a recruitment of LCC in EA when NOS is inhibited. These data help explain how endothelial dysfunction associated with hypertension may lead to enhanced activity of LCC in postglomerular arterioles and increased postglomerular resistance.


2005 ◽  
Vol 79 (3) ◽  
pp. 1966-1969 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sara Åkerström ◽  
Mehrdad Mousavi-Jazi ◽  
Jonas Klingström ◽  
Mikael Leijon ◽  
Åke Lundkvist ◽  
...  

ABSTRACT Nitric oxide (NO) is an important signaling molecule between cells which has been shown to have an inhibitory effect on some virus infections. The purpose of this study was to examine whether NO inhibits the replication cycle of the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (SARS CoV) in vitro. We found that an organic NO donor, S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine, significantly inhibited the replication cycle of SARS CoV in a concentration-dependent manner. We also show here that NO inhibits viral protein and RNA synthesis. Furthermore, we demonstrate that NO generated by inducible nitric oxide synthase, an enzyme that produces NO, inhibits the SARS CoV replication cycle.


2000 ◽  
Vol 278 (4) ◽  
pp. H1211-H1217 ◽  
Author(s):  
Roby D. Rakhit ◽  
Richard J. Edwards ◽  
James W. Mockridge ◽  
Anwar R. Baydoun ◽  
Amanda W. Wyatt ◽  
...  

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of nitric oxide (NO) in a cellular model of early preconditioning (PC) in cultured neonatal rat ventricular myocytes. Cardiomyocytes “preconditioned” with 90 min of stimulated ischemia (SI) followed by 30 min reoxygenation in normal culture conditions were protected against subsequent 6 h of SI. PC was blocked by N G-monomethyl-l-arginine monoacetate but not by dexamethasone pretreatment. Inducible nitric oxide synthase (NOS) protein expression was not detected during PC ischemia. Pretreatment (90 min) with the NO donor S-nitroso- N-acetyl-l,l-penicillamine (SNAP) mimicked PC, resulting in significant protection. SNAP-triggered protection was completely abolished by 1H-[1,2,4]oxadiazolo[4,3-a]quinoxalin-1-one (ODQ) but was unaffected by chelerythrine or the presence of glibenclamide and 5-hydroxydecanoate. With the use of RIA, SNAP treatment increased cGMP levels, which were blocked by ODQ. Hence, NO is implicated as a trigger in this model of early PC via activation of a constitutive NOS isoform. After exposure to SNAP, the mechanism of cardioprotection is cGMP dependent but independent of protein kinase C or ATP-sensitive K+ channels. This differs from the proposed mechanism of NO-induced cardioprotection in late PC.


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