Impaired adaptive response to mechanical overloading in dystrophic skeletal muscle

Dystrophin contributes to force transmission and has a protein-scaffolding role for a variety of signaling complexes in skeletal muscle. In the present study, we tested the hypothesis that the muscle adaptive response following mechanical overloading (ML) would be decreased in MDX dystrophic muscle lacking dystrophin. We found that the gains in muscle maximal force production and fatigue resistance in response to ML were both reduced in MDX mice as compared to healthy mice. MDX muscle also exhibited decreased cellular and molecular muscle remodeling (hypertrophy and promotion of slower/oxidative fiber type) in response to ML, and altered intracellular signalings involved in muscle growth and maintenance (mTOR, myostatin, follistatin, AMPKα1, REDD1, atrogin-1, Bnip3). Moreover, dystrophin rescue via exon skipping restored the adaptive response to ML. Therefore our results demonstrate that the adaptive response in response to ML is impaired in dystrophic MDX muscle, most likely because of the dystrophin crucial role.

Mexiletine inhibits pharmacological actions of salbutamol through blockade of beta2-adrenoceptors in bovine tracheal smooth muscle

We examined the effects of mexiletine, a class Ib antiarrhythmic drug, on the changes in tension and adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) content induced by salbutamol and forskolin in bovine tracheal smooth muscle. Salbutamol (0.0001-1 microM) produced concentration-dependent relaxation in bovine tracheal smooth muscle contracted with methacholine (0.3 microM). Mexiletine (5-500 microM) caused the rightward shifts of concentration-response curves for the relaxant responses to salbutamol in a concentration-dependent manner. Mexiletine (5, 50 or 500 microM) did not change basal cAMP levels, whereas it concentration-dependently attenuated the salbutamol (0.1 microM)-induced cAMP accumulation. On the other hand, mexiletine (500 microM) did not change the concentration-response curves for the relaxant responses to forskolin (0.001-10 microM). Mexiletine slightly but significantly (P<0.05) increased forskolin (1 microM)-induced cAMP accumulation. In radioligand binding experiments, mexiletine concentration-dependently displaced the specific binding of [125I]cyanopindolol to beta-adrenoceptors on bovine tracheal smooth muscle membranes. By contrast, lidocaine, another class Ib antiarrhythmic drug, did not change the binding of [125I]cyanopindolol. These results demonstrate that mexiletine prevents the binding of beta2-adrenoceptor agonists to their receptors and thereby suppresses manifestation of subsequent pharmacological responses.

Lidocaine potentiates atrial natriuretic peptide-induced relaxation of bovine tracheal smooth muscle

The effect of lidocaine on the changes in tension and guanosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cGMP) content induced by atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP) and nitric oxide (NO) was examined in bovine tracheal smooth muscle preparations contracted with methacholine (0.3 microM). Lidocaine (10 microM) did not affect the methacholine-induced tensions, whereas 100 microM lidocaine significantly (P<0.01) attenuated methacholine-induced ones. Treatment of the tracheal preparations with lidocaine (10 and 100 microM) significantly (P<0.05) augmented the relaxant responses to ANP, whereas the same procedure did not alter the responses to sodium nitroprusside, (+/-)-(E)-ethyl-2-[(E)-hydroxyimino]-5-nitro-3-hexeneamide (NOR 3) or 8-bromo-cGMP. Lidocaine (100 microM) enhanced cGMP accumulation induced by ANP (0.1 microM) but not by sodium nitroprusside (0.3 microM). In contrast, mexiletine (100 microM), another class Ib antiarrhythmic, did not affect ANP- and sodium nitroprusside-induced relaxations. These results suggest that lidocaine augments ANP-induced relaxation and cGMP accumulation, probably by modulating activation mechanism of particulate guanylyl cyclase.

Role of K+ channels in N-acetylprocainamide-induced relaxation of bovine tracheal smooth muscle

We examined the relaxant effects of N-acetylprocainamide, the major hepatic metabolite of procainamide, on bovine tracheal smooth muscle, focusing on the possible involvement of K+ channels. N-acetylprocainamide produced a concentration-dependent and full inhibition of the tension development elicited by methacholine (0.3 or 1 microM). The potency of N-acetylprocainamide in diminishing methacholine-elicited tension development was one-half of that of procainamide. By comparison, N-acetylprocainamide inhibited high-K+ (40 mM)-induced contraction more potently than procainamide though both inhibitions were largely reduced when compared to those against methacholine-induced contraction. Iberiotoxin (30 nM), Ba(2+) (1 mM) or a combination of both agents significantly attenuated the relaxant effect of N-acetylprocainamide on methacholine-induced contraction, whereas apamin (100 nM), 4-aminopyridine (300 microM), and glibenclamide (10 microM) did not affect it. These results suggest that N-acetylprocainamide, similar to procainamide, elicits tracheal smooth muscle relaxation mainly through the activation of plasma membrane K+ channels.

Involvement of K(+) channel in procainamide-induced relaxation of bovine tracheal smooth muscle

The relaxant effect of procainamide, a class Ia antiarrhythmic agent, was examined in bovine tracheal smooth muscle. Procainamide produced concentration-dependent decreases in tension and full relaxation in the preparations contracted with methacholine (0.3 microM). By comparison, in preparations contracted with 40 mM K(+), procainamide had only slight relaxant effects. The relaxant effects of cromakalim and salbutamol on 40 mM K(+)-contracted preparations were significantly (P<0.01) smaller than those on 0.3 microM methacholine-contracted ones. On the other hand, the concentration-response relationships for quinidine, lidocaine, mexiletine and propafenone were not so dramatically different between 0.3 microM methacholine- and 40 mM K(+)-contracted preparations. Tetraethylammonium (300 microM), iberiotoxin (30 nM) and Ba(2+) (1 mM) significantly (P<0.05) attenuated the relaxant effects of procainamide on methacholine-induced contractions, whereas apamin (100 nM), 4-aminopyridine (300 microM), and glibenclamide (10 microM) did not affect them. The inhibitory effect of a combination of iberiotoxin and Ba(2+) was greater than that of iberiotoxin or Ba(2+) alone (P<0.01). These results suggest that the activation of at least two types of K(+) (maxi-K(+) and inward rectifier K(+)) channels contributes to the procainamide-induced relaxation of bovine tracheal smooth muscle.

Lidocaine potentiates the relaxant effects of cAMP-elevating agents in bovine tracheal smooth muscle

The effect of lidocaine on the relaxation and accumulation of adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) induced by salbutamol, forskolin and 3-isobutyl-1-methylxanthine (IBMX) was examined in bovine tracheal smooth muscle preparations precontracted with methacholine (0.3 microM). Lidocaine attenuated the methacholine-induced contraction in a concentration-dependent manner. Pretreatment of the preparations with lidocaine (100 microM) caused significant leftwards shifts of concentration/response curves for the relaxant responses to salbutamol, forskolin, and IBMX, whereas it did not change the responses to diltiazem. Similar leftwards shifts were observed when the preparations were treated with procaine (6 microM) or bupivacaine (40 microM). Lidocaine (100 microM) augmented cAMP accumulation induced by salbutamol (10 nM) and forskolin (1 microM). These results suggest that lidocaine augments the relaxant responses to cAMP-elevating agents through enhancement of cAMP accumulation.

Y-27632 potentiates relaxant effects of beta 2-adrenoceptor agonists in bovine tracheal smooth muscle

We examined how (+)-(R)-trans-4-(1-aminoethyl)-N-(4-pyridyl)cyclohexanecarboxamide (Y-27632), an inhibitor of Rho-associated coiled coil-forming protein kinase (ROCK I) and Rho kinase (ROCK II), affects the relaxant responses to beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists in bovine tracheal smooth muscle preparations precontracted with methacholine. Y-27632 (0.3-30 microM) caused a concentration-dependent attenuation of precontraction with methacholine (0.3-3 microM). Pretreatment with Y-27632 (1 microM) significantly (P<0.05) augmented salbutamol (0.3-100 nM) and terbutaline (0.3 nM-1 microM)-induced relaxations. These results suggest that the ROCK inhibitor could become a new type bronchodilator and its combination with beta(2)-adrenoceptor agonists may become a novel strategy for the long-term treatment of asthma.