British journal of pharmacology

The medical impact of pain is such that much effort is being applied to develop novel analgesic drugs directed towards new targets and to investigate the analgesic efficacy of known drugs. Ongoing research requires cost-saving tools to tran…

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) are ligand-activated transcription factors expressed in trophoblasts, which regulate both cell differentiation and proliferation. In recent years, evidence has linked PPARs to playing an i…

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Endometriosis is a disorder in which the endometrium forms growths outside the uterus and is associated with chronic pain. Recent evidence suggests that endometrial motility plays a role in the aetiology of endometri…

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: 4-Hydroxybenzyl alcohol (HBA) is a phenolic plant compound, which has been shown to influence many cellular mechanisms. In the present study, we analysed in vitro and in vivo the anti-angiogenic actions of this pleio…

Tetrahydrocannabinol (THC) has been the primary focus of cannabis research since 1964, when Raphael Mechoulam isolated and synthesized it. More recently, the synergistic contributions of cannabidiol to cannabis pharmacology and analgesia ha…

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: N-hydroxylation of dapsone leads to the formation of the toxic hydroxylamines responsible for the clinical methaemoglobinaemia associated with dapsone therapy. Dapsone has been associated with decreased lifespan of e…

Gonadotrophin-releasing hormone (GnRH) is a neuropeptide that mediates central control of reproduction by stimulating gonadotrophin secretion from the pituitary. It acts via 7 transmembrane region (7TM) receptors that lack C-terminal tails,…

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The risk for cardiovascular events including venous and arterial disease and stroke is elevated after treatment with estrogen and medroxyprogesterone acetate (MPA) in postmenopausal women. Here, we have investigated …

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: It has recently been reported that oxytocin is produced by some tumour cell types, and that oxytocin receptors, belonging to the G-protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) family, are expressed in a variety of cell types. Amo…

Oral contraceptives, androgenic agents, progestins and gonadotropin-releasing hormone analogues have all been successfully used in the treatment of endometriosis. However, none of these drugs can eradicate the disease. It is widely accepted…

Buddlejasaponin IV isolated from Pleurospermum kamtschatidum is an anti-inflammatory compound that inhibits NO, PGE(2) and TNF-alpha production. Here, we studied the mode of action of this compound. Buddlejasaponin IV (2.5-10 microM) reduce…

The porphyrin precursor 5-aminolevulinic acid (ALA) is being widely used in photodynamic therapy of cancer. Improvement in ALA delivery has been sought through the use of ALA derivatives, in particular the esterification of ALA with aliphat…

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Rapamycin is a widely used drug with antifungal, immunosuppressant and antiangiogenic effects. Herein, we studied whether immunosuppressive doses of rapamycin are capable of influencing endometriotic lesions. EXPERI…

[(3)H]-oxytocin was used to characterize the oxytocin receptor found in human uterine smooth muscle cells (USMC). Specific binding of [(3)H]-oxytocin to USMC plasma membranes was dependent upon time, temperature and membrane protein concent…

1. The effect of oxytocin on endothelium-intact and endothelium-denuded segments of the human uterine artery rings was investigated. 2. In both types of preparation oxytocin induced contraction of human uterine artery with similar potency a…

1. This study was undertaken to determine the effects of OSW-1 (3 beta, 16 beta, 17 alpha-trihydroxycholest-5-en-22-one 16-O-(2-O-4-methoxybenzoyl-beta-D-xylopyranosyl)- (1-->3)-(2-O-acetyl-alpha-L-arabinopyranoside)) on the pituitary-ovari…

1. The effect of arginine vasopressin (AVP) on human uterine artery rings, both intact and denuded of endothelium, was investigated. 2. Initially, AVP (63 pM-32 nM) induced concentration-dependent contraction of human uterine artery (pD2 = …

1. This study was undertaken to characterize pharmacologically the prostanoid receptor subtypes mediating constriction and relaxation of human isolated uterine artery. 2. U-46619 was a potent constrictor agonist on human uterine artery (EC5…

Tamoxifen has been found to be a safe and effective treatment for all stages of breast cancer. Long term tamoxifen therapy is associated with some rare, but potentially serious, side effects so patients should be carefully monitored. Howeve…

1. The effect of histamine and histamine H1- and H2-receptor agonists on isolated myometrium strips of premenopausal women has been examined. The effect of acetylcholine was also determined. 2. Histamine, 2-pyridylethylamine, 4-methylhistam…

1 Human luteal tissue slices from days 18, 21 and 25 of the menstrual cycle were superfused in vitro with Medium 199 alone or containing cloprostenol (1 microgram/ml). Concentrations of progesterone, oestradiol-17beta and prostaglandins F2a…

1. Significant inhibition of oedema formation caused by thermal injury was observed for calcium carbaspirin, phenylbutazone, hydrocortisone, cryogenine and indomethacin when given daily beginning 2 days prior to thermal exposure and afterwa…