Carcinogenicity studies of astemizole in mice and rats.

The histamine H1 antagonist astemizole (Hismanal) was tested for carcinogenicity in Swiss mice and Wistar rats. Astemizole was administered with the food to mice for 18 and to rats for 24 consecutive months. The doses given--approximately 5, 20, and 80 mg/kg body weight.

Adenosine dephosphorylates myosin light chain in primary cultures of vascular smooth muscle cells from normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Objective: The aim was to determine whether vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) respond differently to adenosine than those from normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats.

Design: Confluent primary cultures of VSMC derived from SHR and WKY aorta and mesenteric arteries and cerebral arteries were used. The effect of adenosine upon cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) formation and the phosphorylation of myosin light chain (MLC) was studied.

Angiotensin II induced phosphorylation of myosin light chain in vascular smooth muscle cells from spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive rats.

Study Objective: The aim was to determine the changes in the phosphorylation of myosin light chain induced by angiotensin II in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells derived from normotensive (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR).

Design: Extracts of vascular smooth muscle cells incubated with [32P]orthophosphoric acid were subjected to 4M urea-SDS electrophoresis, followed by autoradiography and laser densitometry.

Experimental Material: Confluent primary cultures of vascular smooth muscle cells from aorta, superior mesenteric arteries and cerebral arteries were used.