Interestingly, we demonstrate that cardioprotection by PD153035 is associated with mitoKATP activation, and provide evidence that this drug may be a direct agonist of this channel.
Moreover, oxidized mitochondrial DNA leaking out from damaged mitochondria is a direct agonist of NLRP3.
In addition to being a direct NMDA receptor agonist, QUIN increases neuronal glutamate release and decreases glutamate uptake and recycling by astrocytes (68).
Accordingly, MPO is not a direct agonist, but rather a factor that potentiates platelet aggregation.
Together, these findings indicate that MPO is not a direct agonist but rather a mediator that binds to human platelets, induces actin cytoskeleton reorganization and affects the mechanical stiffness of human platelets, resulting in potentiating SOCE and agonist-induced human platelet aggregation.
Binding of acetylcholine (ACh, endogenous ligand) or nicotine (exogenous ligand) induces a conformational change in the channel, allowing for an influx of cations; in contrast, ethanol is not a direct agonist at nAChRs but can potentiate the response of these receptors to ACh (Cardoso et al., 1999; Zuo et al., 2002).
It was biochemically demonstrated that NOD1-activating tri-DAP directly interacts with the LRR domain of NOD1, suggesting that it is a direct ligand (agonist) of NOD1 [ 33].
In here, hyperglycemia seems to be a direct ROCK agonist besides its action via level of NO-production in endothelium, which are also supported with previously published data [ 8, 26, 39, 42].
Since VT did not appear to be a direct Tie2 agonist within a reductionistic in vitro system of cultured ECs (Fig 7), we asked whether VT treatment may still indirectly lead to increased Tie2 phosphorylation within a physiological in vivo context.
Phenylephrine (PHE) is a direct α-agonist.
