Intracellular calcium stores in beta-escin skinned rat and guinea-pig bladders

β-Escin: An Updated Review of Its Analysis, Pharmacology, Pharmacokinetics, and Toxicity

[Formula: see text]-Escin is an oleanane-type pentacyclic triterpenoid saponin extracted from the seeds of Aesculus hippocastanum (AH), which is more widely distributed. [Formula: see text]-Escin sodium has been approved by the American FDA for clinical usage. This paper is intended to summarize an updated and comprehensive review of the pharmacological activities, pharmacokinetic properties, toxicity, and analytical methods of [Formula: see text]-escin. Studies have shown that [Formula: see text]-escin has significant antitumor, antiviral, anti-inflammatory, and other activities alongside less adverse effects and higher safety than other compounds. The review shows that the pharmacological effects of [Formula: see text]-escin involve mechanisms such as ATM/[Formula: see text]H2AX, RhoA/Rock, GSK-3[Formula: see text]/[Formula: see text]-Catenin, HER2/HER3/Akt, and PI3K/Akt signaling pathways, and Cyclin A, p21[Formula: see text], survivin, Bcl-2, Mcl-1, Caspases, TGF-[Formula: see text], MMPs, and TNF-[Formula: see text] among other inflammatory factors. [Formula: see text]-Escin has significant cytotoxicity; the use of the chitosan/xanthan gum-based polyelectrolyte complexes PA1 and PC-11 to modify it not only to reduces its toxicity, but also improves its drug efficacy. Because of this, these compounds may become a new research hotspot. [Formula: see text]-Escin in vivo metabolism can be converted by the CYP1A2 enzyme in the intestinal flora to produce [Formula: see text]-escin, deacylated, deglycosylated, and 21[Formula: see text]-[Formula: see text]-crotonoyl-protoescin, and the binding rate of the plasma proteins is higher than 90%. These are mainly metabolized by the liver, kidneys, and other organs, and excreted in the form of urine and feces. The number of reports on the specific mediators of the metabolism of [Formula: see text]-escin and their mechanisms and metabolites is relatively small; furthermore, the results are vague. Therefore, a complete and in-depth exploration of the pharmacokinetic characteristics of [Formula: see text]-escin is needed to provide a more complete and effective theoretical reference for the study of its pharmacodynamic activity.

Determination of the roles of cADPR and NAADP as intracellular calcium mobilizing messengers in S1P-induced contractions in rat bladders having IC/PBS

AIMS

Interstitial cystitis/painful bladder syndrome (IC/PBS) is characterized by lower abdominal pain and increased frequency and urgency of urine. Sphingosine 1-phosphate (S1P) is a bioactive sphingolipid that plays role in calcium homeostasis in smooth muscle. The intracellular calcium mobilizing secondary messengers are also involved in smooth muscle contraction. The role of intracellular calcium storing depots in S1P-induced contraction was investigated in permeabilized detrusor smooth muscle having cystitis.

MAIN METHODS

IC/PBS was induced by cyclophosphamide injection. The detrusor smooth muscle strips isolated from rats were permeabilized with β-escin.

KEY FINDINGS

S1P-induced contraction was increased in cystitis. S1P-induced enhanced contraction was inhibited by cyclopiazonic acid, ryanodine and heparin showing involvement of sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) calcium stores. Inhibition of S1P-induced contraction by bafilomycin and NAADP suggested the participation of lysosome-related organelles.

SIGNIFICANCE

IC/PBS triggers S1P-induced increase in intracellular calcium from SR and lysosome-related organelles in permeabilized detrusor smooth muscle.

Aging changes agonist induced contractile responses in permeabilized rat bladder

Aging alters bladder functions where a decrease in filling, storage and emptying is observed. These changes cause urinary incontinence, especially in women. The aim of this study is to examine how aging affects the intracellular calcium movements due to agonist-induced contractions in permeabilized female rat bladder. Urinary bladder isolated from young and old female Sprague-Dawley rats were used. Small detrusor strips were permeabilized with β-escin. The contractile responses induced with agonists were compared between young and old groups. Carbachol-induced contractions were decreased in permeabilized detrusor from old rats compared to young group. Heparin and ryanodine decreased carbachol-induced contractions in young rats where only heparin inhibited these contractions in olds. Caffeine-induced contractions but not inositol triphosphate (IP3)-induced contractions were decreased in old group compared to youngs. The cumulative calcium response curves (pCa 8-4) were also decreased in old rats. Carbachol-induced calcium sensitization responses did not alter by age where GTP-β-S and GF-109203X but not Y-27632 inhibited these responses. Carbachol-induced contractions decrease with aging in rat bladder detrusor. It can be postulated as IP3-induced calcium release (IICR) is primarily responsible for the contractions in older rats where the decrease in carbachol contractions in aging may be as a result of a decrease in calcium-induced calcium release (CICR), rather than carbachol-induced calcium sensitization.

Central role of the BK channel in urinary bladder smooth muscle physiology and pathophysiology

The physiological functions of the urinary bladder are to store and periodically expel urine. These tasks are facilitated by the contraction and relaxation of the urinary bladder smooth muscle (UBSM), also known as detrusor smooth muscle, which comprises the bladder wall. The large-conductance voltage- and Ca(2+)-activated K(+) (BK, BKCa, MaxiK, Slo1, or KCa1.1) channel is highly expressed in UBSM and is arguably the most important physiologically relevant K(+) channel that regulates UBSM function. Its significance arises from the fact that the BK channel is the only K(+) channel that is activated by increases in both voltage and intracellular Ca(2+). The BK channels control UBSM excitability and contractility by maintaining the resting membrane potential and shaping the repolarization phase of the spontaneous action potentials that determine UBSM spontaneous rhythmic contractility. In UBSM, these channels have complex regulatory mechanisms involving integrated intracellular Ca(2+) signals, protein kinases, phosphodiesterases, and close functional interactions with muscarinic and β-adrenergic receptors. BK channel dysfunction is implicated in some forms of bladder pathologies, such as detrusor overactivity, and related overactive bladder. This review article summarizes the current state of knowledge of the functional role of UBSM BK channels under normal and pathophysiological conditions and provides new insight toward the BK channels as targets for pharmacological or genetic control of UBSM function. Modulation of UBSM BK channels can occur by directly or indirectly targeting their regulatory mechanisms, which has the potential to provide novel therapeutic approaches for bladder dysfunction, such as overactive bladder and detrusor underactivity.

Genetically encoded Cl-Sensor as a tool for monitoring of Cl-dependent processes in small neuronal compartments

Chloride (Cl) participates in a variety of physiological functions. To study processes connected with Cl homeostasis we need effective and quantitative probes allowing measurements of intracellular Cl concentration ([Cl(-)](i)) in different cell types, particularly in specialized small cellular compartments such as dendrites and dendritic spines. Of the different tools proposed for monitoring [Cl(-)](i), the genetically encoded Cl-sensitive indicators are the most promising. Recently, a ratiometric CFP-YFP based construct, termed "Cl-Sensor", with a relatively high sensitivity to Cl has been proposed (Markova et al., 2008). In the present study, we have developed conditions for the efficient expression of Cl-Sensor in tiny neuronal compartments including distal dendrites and spines. We also propose a new approach for the calibration of intracellularly expressed probes using a natural triterpenoid saponin, β-escin. We have mapped [Cl(-)](i) distribution in different neuronal compartments of cultured hippocampal and spinal cord neurons. The maximum Cl concentration was observed in the soma and it had a tendency to decrease gradually along dendritic branches, reaching minimum values in thin distal dendrites. We have also monitored transient increases in intracellular Cl in dendritic spines caused by glutamate application. These results demonstrate that Cl-Sensor enables non-invasive monitoring of the [Cl(-)](i) distribution in different types of neurons with variable morphology. This probe represents an effective tool for the quantitative estimation of [Cl(-)](i) in various cellular compartments including dendritic spines.

TPC2 proteins mediate nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP)- and agonist-evoked contractions of smooth muscle

Agonists such as those acting at muscarinic receptors are thought to induce contraction of smooth muscle primarily through inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate production and release of Ca²⁺ from sarcoplasmic reticulum. However, the additional Ca²⁺-mobilizing messengers cyclic adenosine diphosphate ribose (cADPR) and nicotinic acid adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAADP) may also be involved in this process, the former acting on the sarcoplasmic reticulum, the latter acting on lysosome-related organelles. In this study, we provide the first systematic analysis of the capacity of inositol 1,4,5-trisphosphate, cADPR, and NAADP to cause contraction in smooth muscle. Using permeabilized guinea pig detrusor and taenia caecum, we show that all three Ca²⁺-mobilizing messengers cause contractions in both types of smooth muscle. We demonstrate that cADPR and NAADP play differential roles in mediating contraction in response to muscarinic receptor activation, with a sizeable role for NAADP and acidic calcium stores in detrusor muscle but not in taenia caecum, underscoring the heterogeneity of smooth muscle signal transduction systems. Two-pore channel proteins (TPCs) have recently been shown to be key components of the NAADP receptor. We show that contractile responses to NAADP were completely abolished, and agonist-evoked contractions were reduced and now became independent of acidic calcium stores in Tpcn2^−/− mouse detrusor smooth muscle. Our findings provide the first evidence that TPC proteins mediate a key NAADP-regulated tissue response brought about by agonist activation of a cell surface receptor.

Deletion of SM-B, the high ATPase isoform of myosin, upregulates the PKC-mediated signal transduction pathway in murine urinary bladder smooth muscle

Detrusor smooth muscle (DSM) hypertrophy induced by partial bladder outlet obstruction (PBOO) is associated with changes in the NH2-terminal myosin heavy chain isoform from predominantly SM-B to SM-A, alteration in the Ca2+ sensitization pathway, and the contractile characteristics from phasic to tonic in rabbits. We utilized the SM-B knockout (KO) mouse to determine whether a shift from SM-B to SM-A without PBOO is associated with changes in the signal transduction pathway mediated via PKC and CPI-17, which keeps the myosin phosphorylation (MLC20) level high by inhibiting the myosin phosphatase. DSM strips from SM-B KO mice generated more force in response to electrical field stimulation, KCl, carbachol, and phorbol 12,13-dibutyrate than that of age-matched wild-type mice. There was no difference in the ED50 for carbachol but the maximum response was greater for the SM-B KO mice. DSM from SM-B KO mice revealed increased mass and hypertrophy. The KO mice also showed an overexpression of PKC-alpha, increased levels of phospho-CPI-17, and an elevated level of IP3 and DAG upon stimulation with carbachol. Two-dimensional gel electrophoresis revealed an increased level of MLC20 phosphorylation in response to carbachol. Together, these changes may be responsible for the higher level of force generation and maintenance by the DSM from the SM-B KO bladders. In conclusion, our data show that ablation of SM-B is associated with alteration of PKC-mediated signal transduction and CPI-17-mediated Ca2+ sensitization pathway that regulate smooth muscle contraction. Interestingly, similar changes are also present in PBOO-induced DSM compensatory response in the rabbit model in which SM-B is downregulated.