Bathing in carbon dioxide-enriched water alters protein expression in keratinocytes of skin tissue in rats.

Beneficial effects of balneotherapy using naturally occurring carbonated water (CO enriched) have been known since the Middle Ages. Although this therapy is clinically applied for peripheral artery disease and skin disorder, the underlying mechanisms are not fully elucidated.Under controlled conditions, rats were bathed in either CO-enriched water (CO content 1200 mg/L) or tap water, both at 37 °C, for 10 min daily over 4 weeks.

Mechanism of sarpogrelate action in improving cardiac function in diabetes.

Although sarpogrelate, a 5-HT(2A) receptor antagonist, has been reported to exert beneficial effects in diabetes, the mechanisms of its action are not understood. In this study, diabetes was induced in rats by an injection of streptozotocin (65 mg/kg) and the animals were assessed 7 weeks later. Decreased serum insulin as well as increased serum glucose, cholesterol, and triglyceride levels in diabetic animals were associated with increased blood pressure and heart/body weight ratio.

Antiplatelet agents sarpogrelate and cilostazol affect experimentally-induced ventricular arrhythmias and mortality.

Antiplatelet agents, sarpogrelate (SAR), a 5-hydroxy tryptamine 2A receptor antagonist and cilostazol (CIL), a phosphodiesterase-III inhibitor, were observed to be beneficial in attenuating cardiac remodeling and improving cardiac function in congestive heart failure due to myocardial infarction in rats; however, CIL increased ventricular tachycardia and mortality. In order to study the effects of these antiplatelet agents on arrhythmias, Sprague-Dawley rats were pretreated with either SAR or CIL (5 mg/kg/day) for 2 weeks and were then either injected cumulative doses of epinephrine (Epi) or subjected to coronary occlusion. Saline-treated animals served as controls.

Antiplatelet therapy mitigates cardiac remodeling and dysfunction in congestive heart failure due to myocardial infarction.

Antiplatelet agents such as sarpogrelate (SAR), a 5-hydroxytryptamine antagonist, and cilostazol (CIL), a phosphodiesterase-III inhibitor, are used in the management of peripheral vascular disease. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that both SAR and CIL prevent cardiac remodeling and improve cardiac function in congestive heart failure (CHF) due to myocardial infarction (MI). Post-MI rats (3 weeks after the occlusion of coronary artery) received either vehicle (MI+V, n = 36), SAR (MI+SAR; 5 mg xc kg(-1) x day(-1), n = 35) or CIL (MI+CIL; 5 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1), n = 34) from day 21 to day 56.

Antiplatelet therapy attenuates subcellular remodelling in congestive heart failure.

Antiplatelet agents, sarpogrelate (SAR), a 5-HT(2A) receptor antagonist, and cilostazol (CIL), a phosphodiesterase III (PDE-III) inhibitor, are used for the treatment of peripheral vascular disease. We tested whether these agents affect cardiac function and subcellular remodelling in congestive heart failure (CHF) induced by myocardial infarction (MI). Three weeks after MI, rats were treated daily with 5 mg/kg SAR or CIL as well as vehicle for 5 weeks.

Therapeutic potentials of sarpogrelate in cardiovascular disease.

In view of the pivotal role of serotonin (5-HT) in a wide variety of cardiovascular disorders, extensive effort has been made to develop different types of 5-HT receptor antagonists for therapeutic use. On the basis of experimental studies, this article is focused on the potentials of sarpogrelate, a specific 5-HT2A receptor antagonist as an antiplatelet, antithrombotic, antiatherosclerotic and antianginal agent. The major effects of sarpogrelate are due to the inhibition of 5-HT-induced platelet aggregation and smooth muscle cell proliferation.

Attenuation of the serotonin-induced increase in intracellular calcium in rat aortic smooth muscle cells by sarpogrelate.

Although serotonin (5-HT) induced proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells is considered to involve changes in intracellular Ca2+ ([Ca2+]i), the mechanism of Ca2+ mobilization by 5-HT is not well defined. In this study, we examined the effect of 5-HT on rat aortic smooth muscle cells (RASMCs) by Fura-2 microfluorometry for [Ca2+]i measurements. 5-HT was observed to increase the [Ca2+]i in a concentration- and time-dependent manner.

Blockade of 5-HT(2A) receptors by sarpogrelate protects the heart against myocardial infarction in rats.

Background: It has been shown that serotonin (5-hydroxytryptamine, 5-HT) is involved in exacerbating vascular abnormalities; however, its role in mediating changes in cardiac function due to myocardial injury has yet to be established. This study examined the effect of sarpogrelate, a 5-HT(2A) receptor blocker, in preventing cardiac dysfunction due to myocardial infarction (MI).

Methods And Results: Rats were treated 3 days before surgery with or without 5 mg x kg(-1) x day(-1) sarpogrelate, and the left coronary artery was ligated for 3 weeks to induce MI.