Shock : molecular, cellular, and systemic pathobiological aspects and therapeutic approaches : the official journal the Shock Society, the European Shock Society, the Brazilian Shock Society, the International Federation of Shock Societies
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In our study the pathomechanism of sepsis-induced early myocardial depression was investigated. We determined the effects of the inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitor and free radical scavenger mercaptoethylguanidine (MEG) on the myocardial contractility, the endothelial and inducible nitric oxide synthase (eNOS and iNOS) activities, and the activation and tissue accumulation of polymorphonuclear leukocytes in hyperdynamic endotoxemia in dogs. Group 1 served as endotoxemic control. ⋯ The compound dose-dependently decreased the in vitro activation of previously resting granulocytes. Our study demonstrates that iNOS do not contribute to the early cardiac failure in endotoxemia. MEG selectively inhibits iNOS in vivo, but its beneficial effects are rather related to the decreases in leukocyte and free radical-mediated myocardial dysfunction during early endotoxemia.
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This study was performed to determine whether ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury in rat liver results in alterations in endothelin receptor expression. Hepatic ischemia was produced in rats for 60 min followed by 6 or 24 h reperfusion. Portal inflow pressure was increased (7.38+/-0.60 mmHg) at 24 hours after reperfusion. ⋯ These changes were more pronounced at 24 h after reperfusion than at 6 h. Interestingly, the changes in ET receptors was observed identically both in ischemic and non-ischemic lobes (ischemic lobe ET(A) 41.9%, ET(B) 51%; non-ischemic lobe ET(A) 38.8%, ET(B) 49.5%). These results indicate that the major functional endothelin receptor subtype upregulated in I/R is the ET(B) receptor and that this upregulation may contribute to microvascular dysregulation and hepatic injury.