We have developed a panel of rabbit polyclonal antipeptide antibodies against the five human somatostatin receptor subtypes (hSSTR1-5) and used them to analyze pattern expression hSSTR1-5 in normal islet cells by quantitative double-label confocal fluorescence immunocytochemistry. All hSSTR were variably expressed islets. The number SSTR immunopositive showed rank order SSTR1 > SSTR5 SSTR2 SSTR3 SSTR4. was strongly colocalized with insulin all beta-cells. also an abundant isotype,...

Growth hormone, acting through its receptor (GHR), plays an important role in carbohydrate metabolism and promoting postnatal growth. GHR gene-deficient (GHR(-/-)) mice exhibit severe growth retardation proportionate dwarfism. To assess the physiological relevance of hormone actions, GHR(-/-) were used to investigate their phenotype glucose pancreatic islet function. Adult exhibited significant reductions levels blood insulin, as well insulin mRNA accumulation. Immunohistochemical analysis...

A chemically diverse family of small-molecule signals, the ascarosides, control developmental diapause (dauer), olfactory learning, and social behaviors nematode model organism, Caenorhabditis elegans. The ascarosides act upstream conserved signaling pathways, including insulin, TGF-β, serotonin, guanylyl cyclase pathways; however, sensory processes underlying ascaroside function are poorly understood. Because often multifunctional show strongly synergistic effects, characterization their...

Niemann–Pick type C disease (NP-C) is an inherited neurovisceral lipid storage disorder characterized by progressive neurodegeneration. Most cases of NP-C result from inactivating mutations NPC1 , a recently identified member family genes encoding membrane-bound proteins containing putative sterol sensing domains. By using specific antipeptide antibody to human NPC1, we have here investigated the cellular and subcellular localization regulation NPC1. light electron microscopic...

Pulsatile growth hormone (GH) secretion differs between males and females regulates the sex-specific expression of cytochrome P450s in liver. Sex steroids influence secretory dynamics GH, but neuroendocrine mechanisms have not been conclusively established. Because periventricular hypothalamic somatostatin (SST) is greater than females, we generated knockout (Smst–/–) mice to investigate whether SST peptides are necessary for sexually differentiated GH action. Despite marked increases nadir...

Using quantitative double-label fluorescence immunocytochemistry and confocal microscopy, we have analysed the pattern of expression SSTR1-5 in normal rat pituitary somatotrophes. Antipeptide rabbit polyclonal antibodies were produced against extracellular domains SSTR1-5. SSTR antigens colocalized GH positive cells using rhodamine conjugated secondary antibody for SSTRs FITC-conjugated GH. SSTR5 was predominant subtype which expressed 86 ± 9.7% followed by SSTR2 42± 6.4% cells. SSTR4 SSTR3...

The mechanism by which intramuscular injection of BoNTA into the craniofacial muscles decreases migraine headaches is not known. In a blinded study, effect on mechanical and chemical responsiveness individual temporalis muscle nociceptors neurogenic vasodilation was investigated in female rats. Mechanical threshold measured for 3h following or vehicle, 10 min after subsequent algogen glutamate. Injection significantly increased without altering surface temperature blocked glutamate-induced...

Autonomic dysreflexia (AD), which describes episodic hypertension, is highly prevalent in people with spinal cord injury (SCI). In non-SCI, primary hypertension depresses cardiac contractile reserve via β-adrenergic mechanisms. this study, we investigated whether AD contributes to the impairment function that accompanies SCI. We induced SCI rodents and stratified them into sham, SCI, or plus repetitive induction of AD. At 6-week post-SCI, assessed using vivo (speckle-tracking...

Most medications targeting optic neuropathies are administered as eye drops. However, their corneal penetration efficiencies typically < 5%. There is a clear, unmet need for novel transcorneal drug delivery vehicles. To this end, we have developed stimulus-responsive, in situ-forming, nanoparticle-laden hydrogel controlled release of poorly bioavailable drugs into the aqueous humor eye. The formulated composite hyaluronic acid (HA) and methylcellulose (MC). amphiphilic nanoparticles composed...

Recent studies from our laboratory demonstrated that increased expression of the small GTP-binding protein RhoA and activation RhoA/rho kinase (ROCK) pathway play an important role in contractile dysfunction associated with diabetic cardiomyopathy hearts streptozotocin (STZ)-induced rats. Nitric oxide (NO) has been reported to be a positive regulator vascular smooth muscle, we have previously found inducible NO synthase (iNOS) is STZ-diabetic Therefore, this study, investigated hypothesis...

Impaired cardiovascular function in diabetes is partially attributed to pathological overexpression of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) tissues. We examined whether the hyperglycemia-induced increased expression iNOS protein kinase C-beta(2) (PKCbeta(2)) dependent and selective inhibition PKCbeta reduces corrects abnormal hemodynamic streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetic rats.Cardiomyocytes aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from nondiabetic rats were cultured low (5.5 mmol/l)...

Insulin resistance is often found to be associated with high blood pressure. We propose that in insulin-resistant hypertension, endothelial dysfunction the consequence of increased activity vascular MMP-2. As MMP-2 proteolytically cleaves a number extracellular matrix proteins, we hypothesized impairs function by proteolytic degradation NOS (eNOS) or its cofactor, heat shock protein 90 (HSP90).We tested our hypothesis bovine coronary artery cells and fructose-fed hypertensive rats (FHR),...

Previous studies have shown that 5-HT3-antagonists reduce muscle pain, but there are no investigated the expression of 5-HT3-receptors in human muscles. Also, tetrodotoxin resistant voltage gated sodium-channels (NaV) involved peripheral sensitization and found trigeminal ganglion neurons innervating rat masseter muscle. This study aimed to investigate frequency nerve fibers express 5-HT3A-receptors alone combination with NaV1.8 muscles compare it between healthy pain-free men women,...

We previously demonstrated that propofol, an intravenous anesthetic with anti-oxidative properties, activated the phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K)/AKT pathway to increase expression of B cell lymphoma (Bcl)-2 and, therefore anti-apoptotic potential on cardiomyocytes. Here, we wanted determine if propofol can also activate Janus kinase (JAK) 2/signal transducer and activator transcription (STAT) 3 pathway, another branch cardioprotective signaling. The cellular response nuclear factor kappa...

In the present study, we combined immunohistochemical experiments with in vivo single unit recordings to examine whether 5-HT(3) receptors are expressed by masticatory (masseter and temporalis) sensory ganglion neurons investigate effects of intramuscular injection 5-HT on excitability mechanical threshold rat muscle afferent fibers. The expression was examined using techniques. extracellular recording techniques were used assess changes individual Immunohistochemical detected a relatively...