European journal of pharmacology
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The effects of sarco-endoplasmic reticulum Ca(2+)-ATPase (SERCA) activators, ellagic acid and gingerol, on the contraction and Ca(2+) transient were examined in isolated myocardia from streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice and compared with control mice. The time required for relaxation of the right ventricular free wall was significantly longer in streptozotocin-treated mice. The basal Ca(2+) concentration of isolated ventricular myocytes from streptozotocin-treated mice was significantly higher than those from control mice. ⋯ Both ellagic acid and gingerol accelerated the rate of relaxation and the rate of Ca(2+) transient decay; these effects were larger in the streptozotocin-treated mice. The acceleration of relaxation by ellagic acid and gingerol was completely inhibited by cyclopiazonic acid. These results suggest that the diabetes mellitus-induced myocardial diastolic dysfunction is partly caused by reduction of SERCA function and can be ameliorated by SERCA activators.
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Acute kidney injury (AKI) is a common problem characterized by an inflammatory response in the kidney and oxidative stress. However, there are no interventions to prevent AKI. Glutamine is an important precursor of glutathione and has also been shown to induce heat shock proteins (HSP). ⋯ However, quercetin did not affect glutamine's anti-oxidative effects. These results suggest that glutamine's renal-protective effects are mainly related to its activation of HSP-70, which mitigates inflammatory response, renal neutrophil infiltration and subsequent AKI. Regulating neutrophil infiltration might be a potential therapeutic target for AKI.