Fluorescing valvular nerves in the guinea-pig heart

Résumé Des plexus fluorescents de nerfs dans les valvules du cur du Cobaye sont décrits. Bien que du tissu musculaire et des nerfs cholinergiques fussent présents dans les valvules atrioventriculaires, les nerfs adrénergiques de la valvule pulmonaire ne se rapportaient qu'au tissu connectif fibreux. Puisque dans cette situation il n'y a pas d'emplacement effecteur évident ou que ces nerfs influencement des nerfs dont la présence n'est pas révélée par des techniques de cholinesterase ou qu'ils sont de caractère afférent.

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Acknowledgment. The author thanks Prof.G. A. G. Mitchell for his continued interest.     

Adrenergic and non-adrenergic valvular nerves of the heart

Résumé Toutes les valvules du rat, sauf une valvule de l'aorte, contiennent des nerfs adrénergique et cholinergique. Très souvent, les deux types d'axones courent très près l'un de l'autre comme ceux de l'iris du rat.     

Adenosine activates a potassium conductance in guinea-pig atrial heart muscle

Adenosine shortens the action potential and diminishes the force of contraction in guinea-pig left atria. These effects may be brought about by the activation of a potassium conductance. This assumption is supported by voltage clamp and 42K release experiments.     

Kinetics and inotropic action of probenecid in guinea-pig heart in vitro

Summary Probenecid (100–750 g·ml^–1) was found to inhibit cardiac contraction force in untreated and digoxin-treated (100 g·ml^–1) isolated right guinea-pig atrium in vitro by a reversible process, without influencing beating frequency. At low concentrations (1.5–60 g·ml^–1),¹⁴C-probenecid was accumulated into right atrium by an oxygen-dependent process. Correlation between uptake and negative inotropic action of probenecid could not be found.     

Prostaglandin A2 (PGA2) increases the coronary vascular resistance in the guinea-pig isolated heart preparation

Summary Prostaglandin A₂ (PGA₂) in concentrations of 1.5·10^–8 to 3·10^–6 M was found to produce concentration-dependent increase in the coronary vascular resistance of the guinea-pig isolated heart without alterations in myocardial contractile force and oxygen consumption.Supported by the Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

Critical comment on the ‘Trophic’ influence of the effector organ on the sympathetic nerves of the male sex accessories of the guinea-pig

Summary There is no absolute parallelism between organ noradrenaline content and organ weight in the male sex accessories during normal development or following regression after castration.     

Effect of heavy physical training on the catecholamine content of the heart and adrenals of the guinea-pig

Zusammenfassung Ein langdauerndes Training bewirkt keine Herabsetzung der Catecholamine in Herz und Nebennieren des Meerschweinchens.

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This work has been supported by a grant from Svenska Nationalföreningen mot Hjärt- och Lungsjukdomar.     

Critical comment on the "trophic" influence of the effector organ on the sympathetic nerves of the male sex accessories of the guinea-pig.

There is no absolute parallelism between organ noradrenaline content and organ weight in the male sex accessories during normal development or following regression after castration.     

Distribution of contractile proteins and adrenergic nerves in the adrenal gland of guinea-pig,rat and ox as revealed by immunofluorescence and the glyoxylic acid technique

Summary Myosin and actin were localized in the adrenal gland, using antibodies against these proteins which were isolated from chicken gizzard. Myosin and actin were preferentially located in vascular walls including endothelial cells and in the capsule. In rat and guinea-pig adrenal cortex, the amount of contractile elements in vascular walls corresponded well to the density of adrenergic nerves as revealed with the glyoxylic acid method.Supported by grants from Deutsche Forschungsgemeinschaft.     

Divergent effects of theophylline on adenylate cyclase preparations from guinea-pig heart and lung

Zusammenfassung Theophyllin verringert die Aktivität der Adenyl-Cyclase (AC) in der plasmamembranreichen Fraktion der Meerschweinchenlunge in Konzentrationen von 6–10 mM; es hat dagegen keinen Einfluss auf die Aktivität der AC in Meerschweinchenherzen. Diese Resultate weisen darauf hin, dass in verschiedenen Geweben geringe Unterschiede in der Enzym-Katalyse bestehen können.     

Neutral proteases in the guinea-pig lymphocytes

Summary Partial purification of neutral proteolytic enzymes in guinea-pig lymphocytes yielded 2 enzymes. Both enzymes were heat-labile and inhibited by thiol reagents. The molecular weights were more than 200,000 and 150,000–200,000, and optimal pH around 9 and 8, respectively.We thank Prof. Hideo Hayashi and Yoshimasa Morino, Kumamoto University, for valuable discussions. This work was supported in part by grants from the Ministry of Education in Japan, the Naito Research Grant, Tokyo, and the Mitsukoshi Foundation, Tokyo.     

Distribution of contractile proteins and adrenergic nerves in the adrenal gland of guinea-pig, rat and ox as revealed by immunofluorescence and the glyoxylic acid technique.

Myosin and actin were localized in the adrenal gland, using antibodies against these proteins which were isolated from chicken gizzard. Myosin and actin were preferentially located in vascular walls including endothelial cells and in the capsule. In rat and guinea-pig adrenal cortex, the amount of contractile elements in vascular walls corresponded well to the density of adrenergic nerves as revealed with the glyoxylic acid method.     

Neuropeptide Y in the guinea-pig biliary tract

Summary High concentrations of neuropeptide Y (NPY) have been demonstrated in the gall bladder (16.7±5.4 pmol/g), cystic duct (25.4±9.2 pmol/g) and common bile duct (54.7±11.5 pmol/g) of the guinea-pig using a recently developed radio-immunoassay. Immunoreactive NPY containing nerves were demonstrated in all layers of the biliary tree using immunocytochemistry, being particularly dense in the myenteric and mucosal plexuses.Acknowledgments. JMA is a recipient of a Wellcome Trust Training Fellowship. JG is a visiting scholar from the Department of Pathology, Peking Medical College, Peking, China.     

Neuropeptide Y in the guinea-pig biliary tract

High concentrations of neuropeptide Y (NPY) have been demonstrated in the gall bladder (16.7 +/- 5.4 pmol/g), cystic duct (25.4 +/- 9.2 pmol/g) and common bile duct (54.7 +/- 11.5 pmol/g) of the guinea-pig using a recently developed radioimmunoassay. Immunoreactive NPY containing nerves were demonstrated in all layers of the biliary tree using immunocytochemistry, being particularly dense in the myenteric and mucosal plexuses.     

Neutral proteases in the guinea-pig lymphocytes.

Partial purification of neutral proteolytic enzymes in guinea-pig lymphocytes yielded 2 enzymes. Both enzymes were heat-labile and inhibited by thiol reagents. The molecular weights were more than 200,000 and 150,000-200,000, and optimal pH around 9 and 8, respectively.     

Cholinergic nerves in the rat portal vein

Summary The innervation of the rat portal vein was studied using the cholinesterase histochemical method 2 plexuses of cholinergic nerve fibers were found; an external plexus localized at the level of the outer adventitial layers and an inner plexus at the level of the adventitial-medial transitional zone and in the outer layers of the media.Acknowledgments. We thank Dr C. Cavallotti for his kind help and criticism. The kind help of Dr W. Collier and of the staff of the laboratory of Neurobiology as well as the bibliographic assistance of Istituto Superiore di Sanità (Serv. Documentazione, Dr Magliola) are gratefully acknowledged.     

Catecholamine-containing nerves in the submucosa of the ureter

Résumé Les nerfs de la submuqueuse de l'urêtre des Rongeurs examinés contiennent de la monoamine. Les uns accompagnent les vaisseaux sanguins, d'autres en sont indépendants. Ils ne s'étendent pas au delà de la couche inférieure de l'épithélium. Les cellules ganglionnaires et chromaffines semblent manquer. Le rôle possible des nerfs contenant de la catécholamine sans être reliés à un élément effecteur est discuté.

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Acknowledgments. The authors thank Prof.G. A. G. Mitchell for his constant interest and Mr.A. N. Waas for skilful technical assistance.     

Electrocardiographic and behavioral effects ofl-DOPA in the guinea-pig

Conclusions The effects ofl-DOPA administered per os on conditioning, spontaneous behavior and the electrocardiogram of the guinea-pig are reported and compared.l-DOPA is able to inhibit the conditioned behavior in doses per os without any effect on spontaneous behavior or motility. Moreoverl-DOPA in doses up to 15 times higher than the average therapeutic daily dose pro kg used in man (TDD), does not alter the ECG of the guinea-pig. We did not observe ECG changes even after a total dose pro kg 60 times higher than TDD, which induced behavioral alterations in the 4 treated animals and one death.The present results may indicate psychotropic properties forl-DOPA and do confirm the low toxicity and cardiotoxicity of the drug, when supplied in a pure preparation of quality 12.

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Zusammenfassung Verabreicht manl-Dopa (1000 mg/kg per os) an Meerschweinchen, so kann dadurch das konditionierte Verhalten gehemmt werden, während das Spontanverhalten und die Motilität unverändert bleiben. Es sind keine Modifikationen des Elektrokardiogramms festzustellen, selbst dann nicht, wenn die 60fache mittlere therapeutische Tagesdosis gegeben wird.