Publications by authors named "A R Ressmeyer"
Mechanisms of airway smooth muscle relaxation induced by beta2-adrenergic agonists.
Front Biosci (Landmark Ed)
January 2010
Airway smooth muscle cell (ASMC) contraction is regulated by myosin phosphorylation to control actin-myosin cross-bridge activity. Myosin phosphorylation is determined by the antagonistic activity of myosin light chain (MLC) kinase (MLCK) and phosphatase (MLCP). MLCK activity is increased by increases in intracellular Ca2+ concentration ([Ca2+]i) associated with Ca2+ oscillations.
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- The study investigates how airway smooth muscle cell (SMC) contraction and relaxation are regulated in the context of asthma.
- Histamine causes airway contraction by raising intracellular Ca(2+) levels and enhancing Ca(2+) sensitivity, while formoterol promotes relaxation by decreasing SMC Ca(2+) sensitivity and later inhibiting Ca(2+) oscillations.
- The research utilizes human lung slices to observe these mechanisms, demonstrating their potential for understanding small airway physiology and developing treatments for asthma.
Airway mechanics and methods used to visualize smooth muscle dynamics in vitro.
Pulm Pharmacol Ther
October 2009
Contraction of airway smooth muscle (ASM) is regulated by the physiological, structural and mechanical environment in the lung. We review two in vitro techniques, lung slices and airway segment preparations, that enable in situ ASM contraction and airway narrowing to be visualized. Lung slices and airway segment approaches bridge a gap between cell culture and isolated ASM, and whole animal studies.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFA wide range of industrial chemicals can induce respiratory allergic reactions. Hence, there is an urgent need for methods identifying and characterizing the biological action of chemicals in the lung. Here, we present an easy, reliable alternative method to measure lung function changes ex vivo after exposure to chemical allergens and compare this to invasive in vivo measurements after sensitization with the industrial chemicals trimellitic anhydride (TMA) and 2,4-dinitrochlorobenzene (DNCB).
View Article and Find Full Text PDFBackground: Non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC) causes most of cancer related deaths in humans and is characterized by poor prognosis regarding efficiency of chemotherapeutical treatment and long-term survival of the patients. The purpose of the present study was the development of a human ex vivo tissue culture model and the analysis of the effects of conventional chemotherapy, which then can serve as a tool to test new chemotherapeutical regimens in NSCLC.
Methods: In a short-term tissue culture model designated STST (Short-Term Stimulation of Tissues) in combination with the novel *HOPE-fixation and paraffin embedding method we examined the responsiveness of 41 human NSCLC tissue specimens to the individual cytotoxic drugs carboplatin, vinorelbine or gemcitabine.