70-kDa heat shock protein expression in cultured rat astrocytes after hypoxia: regulatory effect of almitrine

Stress response to hypoxia in gerbil brain: HO-1 and Mn SOD expression and glial activation

Hypoxic preconditioning has been shown to induce neuroprotection against a subsequent damaging insult. In order to study the underlying molecular and cellular mechanisms of hypoxic preconditioning, we investigated, in gerbil hippocampus, the effects in vivo of transient exposure to hypoxia (4% O(2) for 6 min followed by either 48 h or 7 days of reoxygenation) (i) on the induction of 72 kDa heat shock protein (HSP72), heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) and manganese superoxide dismutase (Mn SOD) as assessed by Western immunoblotting and (ii) on the astroglial and microglial activation as detected by both immunohistochemistry and Western immunoblotting for GFAP, and histochemistry for isolectin B4, respectively. Our data show that, although hypoxia and subsequent reoxygenation led to neither neuronal damage nor HSP72 induction in gerbil hippocampus, it induced a progressive and sustained expression of HO-1 and Mn SOD. As expected from the absence of neuronal death, hypoxia was not associated with microglial activation but led to a significant astrocytic activation. These findings demonstrate that transient hypoxia enhances the antioxidative enzymatic defenses of the brain, which are susceptible to increased tolerance against a subsequent damaging insult.

Extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields and heat shock can increase microvesicle motility in astrocytes

The effect of extremely low frequency electromagnetic fields (EMF) on microvesicles was examined in rat astrocytes by video-enhanced microscopy in combination with a perfusable cell chamber. The EMF effect was compared with the effect of heat shock (HS) and with a combination of them both. The velocity of microvesicles was measured using image processing software (NIH Scion image 1.61). After exposure of astrocytes to EMF (50 Hz, 100microT, 1 h), the velocity of microvesicles in astrocytes increased from 0.32 +/- 0.03 microm/s (n = 120, 95% CI) in the untreated control group to 0.41 +/- 0.03 microm/s (n = 175, 95% CI). Fifteen minutes after HS (45 degrees C, 10 min) the microvesicles showed a velocity of 0.56 +/- 0.03 microm/s (n = 125, 95% CI). Combination of HS and EMF led to an increase in velocity up to 0.54 +/- 0.03 microm/s (n = 110, 95% CI). No significant difference between HS and HS+EMF was found. Compared to the untreated control group, the increased microvesicle velocity of the exposed cells might be a stress response of the cell. It is possibly a sign of intensified intracellular traffic required to adjust the metabolic needs.

Effect of almitrine on upper airway muscle contraction in young and old rats

The effects of almitrine on the contractile properties of isolated geniohyoid and sternohyoid muscles were determined in physiological salt solution at 30 degrees C in young and old rats. In young rats, almitrine had no effect on twitch or tetanic tension, twitch:tetanic tension ratio, contractile kinetics, active or passive tension-length relationships or frequency-tension relationship in both muscles. Almitrine significantly increased resistance to fatigue in both muscles. In old rats, almitrine had no effect on twitch or tetanic tension, twitch:tetanic tension ratio, contractile kinetics, active or passive tension-length relationships, frequency-tension relationship or fatigue in both muscles. These results show that almitrine, in both young and old rats, has no effect on most of the contractile properties of isolated geniohyoid and sternohyoid muscles. However, almitrine increases resistance to fatigue in both muscles in young but not in old rats.

Almitrine and doxapram decrease fatigue and increase subsequent recovery in isolated rat diaphragm

The effects of almitrine bimesylate and doxapram HCl on isometric force produced by in vitro rat diaphragm were studied during direct muscle activation at 37 degrees C. Doxapram and almitrine ameliorate respiratory failure clinically by indirectly increasing phrenic nerve activity. This study was carried out to investigate possible direct actions of these agents on the diaphragm before and after fatigue of the fibers. Two age groups of animals were chosen [6-14 wk (group 1) and 50-55 wk (group 2)] because it is known that increasing age decreases a muscle fiber's resistance to fatigue. Muscle strips were isolated from both group 1 and group 2 and directly stimulated (2-ms pulse duration, 5-15 V) to produce twitch tensions of 1.3 and 2.1 N/cm2, respectively. At low concentrations, doxapram (</=20 microg/ml) and almitrine (</=12 microg/ml) had no effect on twitch contraction or 100-Hz tetanic tension. However, 40 microg/ml doxapram and 30 microg/ml almitrine increased twitch tension by 9.0 +/- 1.4 and 11.6 +/- 1.9%, respectively, in animals of group 2 (n = 5). A fatigue protocol consisting of low-frequency stimulation (30-Hz trains, 250-ms duration every 2 s for 5 min) caused a reduction of twitch tension in animals of group 1 (48 +/- 4% of control) and group 2 (28 +/- 4% of control). At 90 min postfatigue, the twitch tension recovered to 72 +/- 3 and 42 +/- 2% of control values in group 1 and group 2, respectively. In the presence of doxapram (20 microg/ml), there was a significant increase in the recovery of twitch tension at 90 min in group 1 and group 2 (84.5 +/- 3.2 and 80.1 +/- 2.8%, respectively) compared with controls at 90 min postfatigue. In the presence of almitrine (12 microg/ml), there was a full recovery from fatigue in group 1 animals (100% of control) and a recovery to 95.6 +/- 2.1% of control in group 2 animals at 90 min. These results demonstrate a significant improvement in the rapidity and magnitude of recovery from fatigue in the rat diaphragm muscle in the presence of both doxapram and, especially, almitrine. These effects may be due to changes in intracellular calcium, ADP/ATP ratios, or oxygen free radical scavenging.