Calcium signaling in endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells: sex differences and the influence of estrogens and androgens (2024)
Journal Article
Asunción-Alvarez, D., Palacios, J., Ybañez-Julca, R. O., Rodriguez-Silva, C. N., Nwokocha, C., Cifuentes, F., & Greensmith, D. J. (2024). Calcium signaling in endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells: sex differences and the influence of estrogens and androgens. American journal of physiology. Heart and circulatory physiology, 326(4), H950-H970. https://doi.org/10.1152/ajpheart.00600.2023

Calcium signaling in vascular endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) is essential for the regulation of vascular tone. However, the changes to intracellular Ca2+ concentrations are often influenced by sex differences. Furthermore, a... Read More about Calcium signaling in endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells: sex differences and the influence of estrogens and androgens.

Boswellia carterii oleoresin extracts induce caspase-mediated apoptosis and G 1 cell cycle arrest in human leukaemia subtypes (2023)
Journal Article
Jones, M. A., Borun, A., & Greensmith, D. J. (2023). Boswellia carterii oleoresin extracts induce caspase-mediated apoptosis and G 1 cell cycle arrest in human leukaemia subtypes. Frontiers in Pharmacology, 14, 1282239. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphar.2023.1282239

Background: Leukemias are a common cancer in adults and children. While existing treatments are effective, they are associated with severe side-effects compounded by the emergence of drug resistance. This necessitates the need to develop new drugs an... Read More about Boswellia carterii oleoresin extracts induce caspase-mediated apoptosis and G 1 cell cycle arrest in human leukaemia subtypes.

Characterisation of inflammatory mediators in ischaemic heart disease (2022)
Thesis
Borun, A. Characterisation of inflammatory mediators in ischaemic heart disease. (Dissertation). University of Salford

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is one of the most common causes of death in general population. In the UK it accounts for 64000 deaths annually and there are currently 2.3 million people living with CAD. Persistent inflammation of myocardium is believ... Read More about Characterisation of inflammatory mediators in ischaemic heart disease.

A hydroalcoholic extract of Senecio nutans SCh. Bip (Asteraceae); its effects on cardiac function and chemical characterization (2022)
Journal Article

Ethnopharmacology relevance
The plant Senecio nutans SCh. Bip. is used by Andean communities to treat altitude sickness. Recent evidence suggests it may produce vasodilation and negative cardiac inotropy, though the cellular mechanisms have not been... Read More about A hydroalcoholic extract of Senecio nutans SCh. Bip (Asteraceae); its effects on cardiac function and chemical characterization.

The chemotherapeutic potential of Boswellia carterii oleoresins (2021)
Thesis
Jones, M. The chemotherapeutic potential of Boswellia carterii oleoresins. (Thesis). University of Salford

Cancer is a leading cause of death worldwide. Though effective treatments are available and reduce mortality, issues such as debilitating side-effects and drug resistance necessitate a need to develop alternatives. Natural products are a key and dive... Read More about The chemotherapeutic potential of Boswellia carterii oleoresins.

Systolic [Ca2+ ]i regulates diastolic levels in rat ventricular myocytes (2017)
Journal Article
Sankaranarayanan, R., Kistamas, K., Greensmith, D., Venetucci, L., & Eisner, D. (2017). Systolic [Ca2+ ]i regulates diastolic levels in rat ventricular myocytes. Journal of Physiology, 595(16), 5545-5555. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP274366

[Ca2+]i must be low enough in diastole so that the ventricle is relaxed and can refill with blood. Interference with this will impair relaxation. The factors responsible for regulation of diastolic [Ca2+]i, in particular the relative roles of the sar... Read More about Systolic [Ca2+ ]i regulates diastolic levels in rat ventricular myocytes.

Biphasic decay of the Ca transient results from increased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca leak (2015)
Journal Article
Sankaranarayanan, R., Li, Y., Greensmith, D., Eisner, D., & Venetucci, L. (2016). Biphasic decay of the Ca transient results from increased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca leak. Journal of Physiology, 594(3), 611-623. https://doi.org/10.1113/JP271473

In heart failure, a reduction in Ca transient amplitude and contractile dysfunction can by caused by Ca leak through the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca channel (ryanodine receptor, RyR) and/or decreased activity of the SR Ca ATPase (SERCA). We have c... Read More about Biphasic decay of the Ca transient results from increased sarcoplasmic reticulum Ca leak.

The effect of 2,5-di-(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (TBQ) on intracellular Ca(2+) handling in rat ventricular myocytes (2015)
Journal Article
Miller, L., Greensmith, D., Sankaranarayanan, R., O'Neill, S., & Eisner, D. (2015). The effect of 2,5-di-(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (TBQ) on intracellular Ca(2+) handling in rat ventricular myocytes. Cell Calcium, 58(2), 208-14. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.ceca.2015.05.002

2,5-Di-(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (TBQ) is a reversible inhibitor of SERCA, potentially making it a useful tool to study the effects of SERCA inhibition in cardiac cells. However, it is unknown if TBQ also has effects on other components of v... Read More about The effect of 2,5-di-(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (TBQ) on intracellular Ca(2+) handling in rat ventricular myocytes.

The effects of 2',5'-di(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (TBQ) on calcium handling in rat ventricular myocytes (2014)
Journal Article
Greensmith, D., Miller, L., & Eisner, D. (2014). The effects of 2',5'-di(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (TBQ) on calcium handling in rat ventricular myocytes. Proceedings of the Physiological Society (Online), 31, PCA042

2',5'-di(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (TBQ) is a reversible inhibitor of SERCA, potentially making it a useful tool to study the effects of SERCA inhibition. It has been used in a variety of cell types including ventricular myocytes (1). However... Read More about The effects of 2',5'-di(tert-butyl)-1,4-benzohydroquinone (TBQ) on calcium handling in rat ventricular myocytes.

Direct measurements of SR free Ca reveal the mechanism underlying the transient effects of RyR potentiation under physiological conditions (2014)
Journal Article
Greensmith, D., Galli, G., Trafford, A., & Eisner, D. (2014). Direct measurements of SR free Ca reveal the mechanism underlying the transient effects of RyR potentiation under physiological conditions. Cardiovascular Research, 103(4), 554-563. https://doi.org/10.1093/cvr/cvu158

AIMS: Most of the calcium that activates contraction is released from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) through the ryanodine receptor (RyR). It is controversial whether activators of the RyR produce a maintained increase in the amplitude of the systol... Read More about Direct measurements of SR free Ca reveal the mechanism underlying the transient effects of RyR potentiation under physiological conditions.

Ca analysis : an Excel based program for the analysis of intracellular calcium transients including multiple, simultaneous regression analysis (2013)
Journal Article
Greensmith, D. (2014). Ca analysis : an Excel based program for the analysis of intracellular calcium transients including multiple, simultaneous regression analysis. Computer Methods and Programs in Biomedicine, 113(1), 241-250. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.cmpb.2013.09.004

Here I present an Excel based program for the analysis of intracellular Ca transients recorded using fluorescent indicators. The program can perform all the necessary steps which convert recorded raw voltage changes into meaningful physiological info... Read More about Ca analysis : an Excel based program for the analysis of intracellular calcium transients including multiple, simultaneous regression analysis.

The effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha on systolic and diastolic function in rat ventricular myocytes (2013)
Journal Article
Greensmith, D., & Nirmalan, M. (2013). The effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha on systolic and diastolic function in rat ventricular myocytes. Physiological Reports, 1(4), e00093. https://doi.org/10.1002/phy2.93

The proinflammatory cytokine tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-α) is associated with myocardial dysfunction observed in sepsis and septic shock. There are two fundamental components to this dysfunction. (1) systolic dysfunction; and (2) diastolic dysf... Read More about The effects of tumor necrosis factor-alpha on systolic and diastolic function in rat ventricular myocytes.