Ghrelin signaling in human mesenteric arteries.

The hypothesis is that the ghrelin signal pathway consists of new participants including a local second mediator in human mesenteric arteries. The contractile force of isometric artery preparations was measured using a wire-myograph. Whole-cell patch clamp experiments were performed on freshly isolated single smooth muscle cells from the same tissue.

Pancreatic islet overproduction of H2S and suppressed insulin release in Zucker diabetic rats.

Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) has been traditionally known for its toxic effects on living organisms. The role of H(2)S in the homeostatic regulation of pancreatic insulin metabolism has been unclear. The present study is aimed at elucidating the effect of endogenously produced H(2)S on pancreatic insulin release and its role in diabetes development.

Ghrelin signalling in guinea-pig femoral artery smooth muscle cells.

Aim: Our aim was to study the new signalling pathway of ghrelin in the guinea-pig femoral artery using the outward I(K) as a sensor.

Methods: Whole-cell patch-clamp experiments were performed on single smooth muscle cells, freshly isolated from the guinea-pig femoral artery. The contractile force of isometric preparations of the same artery was measured using a wire-myograph.

Cocaine- and amphetamine-regulated transcript (CART) peptide as an in vivo regulator of cardiac function in Rana ridibunda frog.

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of CART peptide on cardiac performance and on the physiological signalling pathways involved using Rana ridibunda frog heart preparations in vivo. The CART peptide, when injected into the venous sinus, significantly and reproducibly increased the force of frog heart contractions by up to 33.0 +/- 6.

Contractile effect of ghrelin on isolated guinea-pig renal arteries.

Ghrelin, a 28-amino acid peptide, known to exist in both acylated and des-acylated varieties, was identified as the first endogenous ligand of growth hormone secretagogue receptor in 1999. Various arteries are known to express ghrelin receptors, but the direct action of ghrelin on blood vessels has been unclear. In the present study we show that ghrelin concentration-dependently potentiates endothelin-1 (ET-1) induced tension development of guinea-pig renal artery, as measured using a wire-type isometric myography of vascular segments.