Skip Navigation



BJA Advance Access published online on May 14, 2004
British Journal of Anaesthesia, doi:10.1093/bja/aeh159
© 2004 by The Board of Management and Trustees of the British Journal of Anaesthesia
This Article
Right arrow Full Text (PDF)
Right arrow All Versions of this Article:
93/1/34    most recent
aeh159v1
Right arrow E-Letters: Submit a response to the article
Right arrow Alert me when this article is cited
Right arrow Alert me when E-letters are posted
Right arrow Alert me if a correction is posted
Services
Right arrow Email this article to a friend
Right arrow Similar articles in this journal
Right arrow Similar articles in PubMed
Right arrow Alert me to new issues of the journal
Right arrow Add to My Personal Archive
Right arrow Download to citation manager
Right arrowRequest Permissions
Right arrow Disclaimer
Google Scholar
Right arrow Articles by Zaugg, M.
Right arrow Articles by Schaub, M. C.
Right arrow Search for Related Content
PubMed
Right arrow PubMed Citation
Right arrow Articles by Zaugg, M.
Right arrow Articles by Schaub, M. C.
Social Bookmarking
Add to CiteULike   Add to Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us  
What's this?

Postgraduate Issue Review Article

Cellular mechanisms in sympatho-modulation of the heart

M. Zaugg 1* M. C. Schaub 2

1 Institute of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital Zurich, Switzerland; Cardiovascular Anaesthesia Laboratory, Institute of Anaesthesiology, University Hospital Zurich, Rämistrasse 100, 8091 Zurich, Switzerland
2 Institute of Pharmacology and Toxicology, University of Zurich, Switzerland

* To whom correspondence should be addressed. E-mail: michael.zaugg{at}usz.ch.


  Abstract

Cardiovascular function relies on complex servo-controlled regulation mechanisms that involve both fast-acting feedback responses and long-lasting adaptations affecting the gene expression. The adrenergic system, with its specific receptor subtypes and intracellular signalling cascades provides the major regulatory system, while the parasympathetic system plays a minor role. At the molecular level, Ca2+ acts as the general signal trigger for the majority of cell activities including contraction, metabolism and growth. During recent years, important new results have emerged allowing an integrated view of how the multifarious Ca2+-signalling mechanisms transmit adrenergic impulses to intracellular target sites. These insights into cellular and molecular mechanisms are pivotal in improving pharmacological control of the sympathetic responses to surgical trauma and perioperative stress. They are examined in detail in this review, with particular emphasis being given to the differences in intracellular signalling between cardiomyocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells.

Keywords: Keywords: adrenergic receptor signalling; calcium, signalling; myocardial contractility; MAPK signalling; muscle, vascular smooth muscle regulation


Add to CiteULike CiteULike   Add to Connotea Connotea   Add to Del.icio.us Del.icio.us    What's this?


This article has been cited by other articles:


Home page
 Eur Heart JHome page
S. Cook, M. Togni, M. C. Schaub, P. Wenaweser, and O. M. Hess
High heart rate: a cardiovascular risk factor?
Eur. Heart J., October 2, 2006; 27(20): 2387 - 2393.
[Full Text] [PDF]

Home page
 Br J AnaesthHome page
S.J. Howell, J.W. Sear, and J.D. Young
Editorial: Cardiovascular medicine and Moore's Law
Br. J. Anaesth., July 1, 2004; 93(1): 1 - 2.
[Full Text] [PDF]


Disclaimer: Please note that abstracts for content published before 1996 were created through digital scanning and may therefore not exactly replicate the text of the original print issues. All efforts have been made to ensure accuracy, but the Publisher will not be held responsible for any remaining inaccuracies. If you require any further clarification, please contact our Customer Services Department.