title: Reversal by relaxin of altered ileal spontaneous contractions in dystrophic (mdx) mice through a nitric oxide-mediated mechanism.
abstract: Altered nitric oxide (NO) production/release is involved in gastrointestinal motor disorders occurring in dystrophic (mdx) mice. Since the hormone relaxin (RLX) can upregulate NO biosynthesis, its effects on spontaneous motility and NO synthase (NOS) expression in the ileum of dystrophic (mdx) mice were investigated. Mechanical responses of ileal preparations were recorded in vitro via force-displacement transducers. Evaluation of the expression of NOS isoforms was performed by immunohistochemistry and Western blot. Normal and mdx mice were distributed into three groups: untreated, RLX pretreated, and vehicle pretreated. Ileal preparations from the untreated animals showed spontaneous muscular contractions whose amplitude was significantly higher in mdx than in normal mice. Addition of RLX, alone or together with l-arginine, to the bath medium depressed the amplitude of the contractions in the mdx mice, thus reestablishing a motility pattern typical of the normal mice. The NOS inhibitor N(G)-nitro-L-arginine (L-NNA) or the guanylate cyclase inhibitor ODQ reversed the effects of RLX. In RLX-pretreated mdx mice, the amplitude of spontaneous motility was reduced, thus resembling that of the normal mice, and NOS II expression in the muscle coat was increased in respect to the vehicle-pretreated mdx animals. These results indicate that RLX can reverse the altered ileal motility of mdx mice to a normal pattern, likely by upregulating NOS II expression and NO biosynthesis in the ileal smooth muscle.
authors.affiliation: Department of Physiological Sciences, University of Florence, V.le G.B. Morgagni 63, I-50134, Florence, Italy. mcaterina.baccari@unifi.it
authors.forename: M C
authors.initials: MC
authors.lastname: Baccari
authors.forename: S
authors.initials: S
authors.lastname: Nistri
authors.forename: M G
authors.initials: MG
authors.lastname: Vannucchi
authors.forename: F
authors.initials: F
authors.lastname: Calamai
authors.forename: D
authors.initials: D
authors.lastname: Bani
mesh_terms: D000818:Animals; D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors / Q000494:pharmacology; D005769:Gastrointestinal Motility / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D007082:Ileum / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology*; D008297:Male; D051379:Mice; D008810:Mice, Inbred C57BL; D018101:Mice, Inbred mdx; D009119:Muscle Contraction / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009130:Muscle, Smooth / Q000187:drug effects / Q000502:physiology; D009137:Muscular Dystrophy, Animal / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism*; D020388:Muscular Dystrophy, Duchenne / Q000188:drug therapy / Q000378:metabolism; D009569:Nitric Oxide / Q000378:metabolism*; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II / Q000037:antagonists & inhibitors / Q000378:metabolism; D019335:Nitroarginine / Q000494:pharmacology; D012065:Relaxin / Q000097:blood* / Q000494:pharmacology
chemical_list: D004791:Enzyme Inhibitors; C492607:Rln1 protein, mouse; D019335:Nitroarginine; D009569:Nitric Oxide; D012065:Relaxin; D052248:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type I; D052247:Nitric Oxide Synthase Type II; C496321:Nos1 protein, mouse; C496317:Nos2 protein, mouse