This study examined whether propolis, which had many biological activities, affected body fat and lipid metabolism. Four-week-old Wistar rats were fed a control or propolis diet for 8 wk. The control group was fed a high-fat diet, the low and the high group were fed a high-fat diet supplemented with 0.5% (w/w) and 0.05% (w/w) propolis, respectively. The weight of total white adipose tissue of the high group was lower than that of the control group. The level of PPARgamma protein in the adipose tissues of the high group was significantly lower than that of the control group. In plasma and the liver, the high group showed a significantly reduced level of cholesterol and triglyceride compared to the control group. The liver PPARalpha protein level of the high group was significantly higher than that of the control group. The liver HMG-CoA reductase protein in the high group was also significantly lower than that in the control group. Results from rats on an olive oil loading test were used to investigate whether propolis inhibited triglyceride absorption. The serum triglyceride level of the group, which received propolis corresponding to the daily dose of the high group, was significantly lower than that of the control group. It is possible that the administration of propolis improves the accumulation of body fat and dyslipidemia via the change of the expression of proteins involved in adipose depot and lipid metabolism.

Summary1. Effects of L-dopa and dopamine on the secretion of pancreatic juice were investigated in preparations of the isolated blood-perfused canine pancreas.2. Dopamine (1-10 ,ug) given intra-arterially caused a profuse flow of juice.3. The secretory activity of dopamine (3 ,ug) was approximately equal to that of secretin (01 unit).4. L-Dopa (10-100 [Lg) given by a single intra-arterial injection was ineffective, but infusion at 100 ,ug/min for 10 min caused a marked increase of secretion after a delay of a few minutes.5. Intravenous administration of either L-dopa (3 mg/kg) or dopamine (10-100 ,ug/kg) elicited a marked increase of pancreatic secretion, but was definitely less effective than intra-arterial injection. 6. Dopamine-induced secretion was not modified by atropine, phentolamine, propranolol, guanethidine or tetrodotoxin. 7. It is concluded that dopamine acts directly on the exocrine cells in the pancreas.

1. The isolated canine right atrium perfused through the sinus node artery at a constant pressure of 100 mm Hg with blood led from a support dog was suspended in a bath filed with blood and kept at constant temperature. This preparation maintained its constant tension development and rate over 5 hrs in all 5 control experiments. 2. A relatively small amount of acetylcholine (ACh) induced a negative inotropic effect at 0.01 mug and a negative chronotropic effect at 0.1 mug. 3. A relatively large dose of ACh induced a biphasic inotropic response, i.e., initially a negative inotropic response and secondarily a long-lasting positive tropic response. These positive chronotropic and inotropic responses were abolished by propranolol, hexamethonium or tetrodotoxin. 6. In the papillary muscle and atrial muscle preparations isolated from one canine heart, ACh caused negative and positive inotropic effect in both paced papillary and atrial muscle preparations. In contrast to the results obtained with atria, the positive inotropic response of the papillary muscle preparation was completely blocked by treatment with propranolol or tetrodotoxin. 7. From these results, it is suggested that in the canine atrium muscarinic mechanisms predominate over nicotinic ones. This may well be due to the known inhibition of nicotinic responses by stimulation of muscarinic receptors.

The sino-atrial node area was perfused selectively through the right atrial artery in 76 dogs. The relationship between changes in the blood pressure in this artery and sinus node rhythmicity was studied in 56 hearts in which the major blood supply to the sinus node artery came from the right atrial artery. A reciprocal relation was observed between changes of blood pressure in the sinus node artery and the sinus rate. Some characteristics were: (1) The negative chronotropic effect induced by raising the blood pressure was linearly related to the Degrees of pressure change and more prominent than the positive chronotropic effect induced by reducing the pressure. (2) This relationship was most prominent in a limited range between 20 and 100 mm Hg. (3) Dichloroisoproterenol, atropine, hexamethonium, reserpine and vagotomy did not modify these responses. It is concluded that this localized mechanosensitivity of the sinus node to changes in arterial pressure may be responsible for the regulation of the heart rate in the lower range of blood pressure and that complete regulation of the heart rate is achieved physiologically in combination with the reflexes through the carotid and aortic nerves.

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Summary1. Effects of inhibitors of DOPA decarboxylase, dopamine 8-hydroxylase and monoamine oxidase, and haloperidol on the secretion of pancreatic juice induced by L-DOPA and dopamine were studied in preparations of the isolated blood-perfused canine pancreas. 2. The increased secretion induced by the infusion of L-DOPA (100 ,ug/min) was completely antagonized by Ro 4-4602 (300 ug), a DOPA decarboxylase inhibitor. 3. The secretogogue effect of dopamine (1-10 ug) intra-arterially was not affected by Ro 4-4602, but was enhanced by the infusion of fusaric acid (100

Japan. Abstract-Secretoryand vascular responses to various biogenic and foreign sub stances of the isolated blood-perfused canine pancreas were investigated. The ma jority of cholinergic drugs such as acetylcholine, methacholine, carbachol, bethanechol pilocarpine, neostigmine, lobeline, nicotine, TMA and McN-A-343, and gastroin testinal hormones such as secretin, pancreozymin, gastrin, glucagon caused an increase of output of pancreatic juice with vasodilatation.Bradykinin and kallikrein in hibited the secretion with vasodilatation, and DMPP, physostigmine and dopamine increased the secretion with vasoconstriction.Dibutyryl cyclic AMP, histamine, nitroglycerin and methylxanthines such as caffeine, theophylline and theobromine also caused a secretion with vasodilatation.Vasopressin inhibited the secretory rate of pancreatic juice with vasoconstriction.Most adrenergic drugs such as nor adrenaline, adrenaline, phenylephrine, methoxamine, ephedrine, tyramine and iso prenaline except dopamine, had no effect on secretion. Vascular responses of the pancreas to various drugs were found to be similar to those of the mesenteric vessels. Since the secretion of pancreatic juice did not change in parallel with the rate of local blood flow, the mechanism of pancreatic secretion appears to be independent of the blood supply to the pancreas.Since secretin was discovered by Bayliss and Starling in 1902 (1), little attention has been given to the nervous control of pancreatic secretion. About twenty years later, Mal lanby (2) suggested that the vagus nerves regulated enzyme output, while secretin con trolled the flow of pancreatic juice. This theory found general acceptance until Harper and Raper (3) discovered another pancreatic hormone, pancreozymin, in 1943. Thus, it has been assumed that the external secretory activity of the pancreas is mainly controlled by these hormones, while the secretory nerve plays a relatively subsidiary role. Recently, however, Hickson (4, 5) showed in the pig, that either stimulation of the vagus nerve or intra-arterial injection of acetylcholine produced a profuse flow of pancreatic juice rich in bicarbonate and poor in enzymes. He suggested that the parasympathetic, secretory nerve supply exerted a quantitatively greater influence on the external secretion of the pan creas. On the other hand, it is accepted that the sympathetic nerve supply and also sym