Sun Won Park

In this study, we investigated the effects of melatonin on adriamycin-induced cardiotoxicity both in vivo in rats and in vitro, and on the antitumor activities of adriamycin on MDA-231 and NCI breast cancer cells. Rats that received a single intraperitoneal injection of 25 mg/kg adriamycin showed a mortality rate of 86%, which was reduced to 20% by melatonin treatment (10 mg/kg, SC for 6 days). Melatonin attenuated adriamycin-induced body-weight loss, hemodynamic dysfunction, and the morphologic

We examined the effects of acute hypoxia on Ba2+-sensitive inward rectifier K+ (K(IR)) current in rabbit coronary arterial smooth muscle cells. The amplitudes of K(IR) current was definitely higher in the cells from small-diameter (<100 microm) coronary arterial smooth muscle cells (SCASMC, -12.8 +/- 1.3 pA/pF at -140 mV) than those in large-diameter coronary arterial smooth muscle cells (>200 microm, LCASMC, -1.5 +/- 0.1 pA pF(-1)). Western blot analysis confirmed that Kir2.1 protein was expres

Human adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells (hASCs) have the power to differentiate into various cell types including chondrocytes, osteocytes, adipocytes, neurons, cardiomyocytes, and smooth muscle cells. We characterized the functional expression of ion channels after transforming growth factor-β1 (TGF-β1)-induced differentiation of hASCs, providing insights into the differentiation of vascular smooth muscle cells. The treatment of hASCs with TGF-β1 dramatically increased the contracti

We investigated the effects of the vasoconstrictor endothelin-1 (ET-1) on the whole-cell ATP-sensitive K+ (KATP) currents of smooth muscle cells that were isolated enzymatically from rabbit coronary artery (CASMCs) and pulmonary artery (PASMCs). The size of the KATP current did not differ significantly between CASMCs and PASMCs. ET-1 reduced the KATP current in a concentration-dependent manner, and this inhibition was greater in PASMCs than in CASMCs (half-inhibition values of 12.20 nM and 1.98

In this review, we demonstrate the basic properties, modulation of, and pathological changes in voltage-dependent K+ (Kv) channels that are expressed in pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs). Pulmonary Kv channels are thought to play a crucial role in the maintenance of resting membrane potentials, and therefore the vascular tone of the pulmonary arteries. Although the molecular identity of pulmonary Kv channels is not clear, Kv1.1, Kv1.2, Kv1.5, Kv2.1, Kv9.3, and Kv3.1 subtypes are ex

OBJECTIVE: We investigated the effects of angiotensin II (Ang II) on inward rectifier K+ (Kir) channels in small-diameter coronary arterial smooth muscle cells (SCASMCs) of control and isoproterenol (Iso)-induced hypertrophied rabbits. METHODS AND RESULTS: Kir current amplitude and Kir channel protein expression were definitely lower in the Iso-induced hypertrophied model than in the control. In a pressurized arterial experiment, 15 mmol/L K+-induced vasodilation was greater in the control arter

Inflammasomes are a group of intracellular multiprotein platforms that play important roles in immune systems. Benzyl isothiocyanate (BITC) is a constituent of cruciferous plants and has been confirmed to exhibit various biological activities. The modulatory effects of BITC on inflammasome-mediated interleukin (IL)-1β expression and its regulatory mechanisms in Pseudomonas aeruginosa (P. aeruginosa) LPS/ATP-stimulated THP-1 cells was investigated. Monocytic THP-1 cells were treated with phorbol

We studied inward rectifier K+ (Kir) channels in smooth muscle cells isolated from rabbit coronary arteries. In cells from small- (<100 microm, SCASMC) and medium-diameter (100 approximately 200 microm, MCASMC) coronary arteries, Kir currents were clearly identified (11.2 +/- 0.6 and 4.2 +/- 0.6 pA pF at -140 mV in SCASMC and MCASMC, respectively) that were inhibited by Ba(2+) (50 microm). By contrast, a very low Kir current density (1.6 +/- 0.4 pA pF) was detected in cells from large-diameter c

We examined the effects of the protein kinase C (PKC) inhibitor staurosporine (ST) on voltage-dependent K (KV) channels in rabbit coronary arterial smooth muscle cells. ST inhibited the KV current in a dose-dependent manner with a Kd value of 1.3 microM. The inhibition of the KV current by ST was voltage-dependent between -30 and +10 mV. The additive inhibition of the KV current by ST was voltage-dependent throughout the activation voltage range. The rate constants of association and dissociatio