Search results for "Endothelial Cell"
showing 10 items of 497 documents
Activation of the Constitutive Androstane Receptor Inhibits Leukocyte Adhesiveness to Dysfunctional Endothelium
2021
Leukocyte cell recruitment into the vascular subendothelium constitutes an early event in the atherogenic process. As the effect of the constitutive androstane receptor (CAR) on leukocyte recruitment and endothelial dysfunction is poorly understood, this study investigated whether the role of CAR activation can affect this response and the underlying mechanisms involved. Under physiological flow conditions, TNFα-induced endothelial adhesion of human leukocyte cells was concentration-dependently inhibited by preincubation of human umbilical arterial endothelial cells with the selective human CAR ligand CITCO. CAR agonism also prevented TNFα induced VCAM-1 expression, as well as MCP-1/CCL-2 a…
Dynamics of complement activation in aHUS and how to monitor eculizumab therapy.
2014
Atypical hemolytic-uremic syndrome (aHUS) is associated with genetic complement abnormalities/anti–complement factor H antibodies, which paved the way to treatment with eculizumab. We studied 44 aHUS patients and their relatives to (1) test new assays of complement activation, (2) verify whether such abnormality occurs also in unaffected mutation carriers, and (3) search for a tool for eculizumab titration. An abnormal circulating complement profile (low C3, high C5a, or SC5b-9) was found in 47% to 64% of patients, irrespective of disease phase. Acute aHUS serum, but not serum from remission, caused wider C3 and C5b-9 deposits than control serum on unstimulated human microvascular endotheli…
Physical training and hypertension have opposite effects on endothelial brain-derived neurotrophic factor expression
2013
AIMS: Changes in circulating brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) levels were reported in patients with or at risk for cardiovascular diseases associated with endothelial dysfunction, suggesting a link between BDNF and endothelial functionality. However, little is known on cardiovascular BDNF. Our aim was to investigate levels/localization, function, and relevance of cardiovascular BDNF. METHODS AND RESULTS: BDNF levels (western blotting) and localization (immunostaining) were assessed in the heart and aorta from rats with impaired (spontaneously hypertensive rats [SHR]), normal (Wistar Kyoto rats [WKY]), and improved (SHR and WKY subjected to physical training) endothelial function. BD…
Estradiol induces endothelial cell migration and proliferation through estrogen receptor-enhanced RhoA/ROCK pathway
2010
Migration and proliferation of endothelial cells are involved in re-endothelialization and angiogenesis, two important cardiovascular processes that are increased in response to estrogens. RhoA, a small GTPase which controls multiple cellular processes, is involved in the control of cell migration and proliferation. Our aim was to study the role of RhoA on estradiol-induced migration and proliferation and its dependence on estrogen receptors activity. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were stimulated with estradiol, in the presence or absence of ICI 182780 (estrogen receptors antagonist) and Y-27632 (Rho kinase inhibitor). Estradiol increased Rho GEF-1 gene expression and RhoA (gene an…
Glucocorticoid receptor knockdown decreases the antioxidant protection of B16 melanoma cells: an endocrine system-related mechanism that compromises …
2014
We previously reported an interorgan system in which stress-related hormones (corticosterone and noradrenaline), interleukin-6, and glutathione (GSH) coordinately regulate metastatic growth of highly aggressive B16-F10 melanoma cells. Corticosterone, at levels measured in tumor-bearing mice, also induces apoptotic cell death in metastatic cells with low GSH content. In the present study we explored the potential role of glucocorticoids in the regulation of metastatic cell death/survival during the early stages of organ invasion. Glucocorticoid receptor (GCR) knockdown decreased the expression and activity of γ-glutamylcysteine synthetase (γ-GCS), the rate-limiting step in GSH synthesis, in …
Suppression of the JNK Pathway by Induction of a Metabolic Stress Response Prevents Vascular Injury and Dysfunction
2008
Background— Oxidative injury and dysfunction of the vascular endothelium are early and causal features of many vascular diseases. Single antioxidant strategies to prevent vascular injury have met with mixed results. Methods and Results— Here, we report that induction of a metabolic stress response with adenosine monophosphate kinase (AMPK) prevents oxidative endothelial cell injury. This response is characterized by stabilization of the mitochondrion and increased mitochondrial biogenesis, resulting in attenuation of oxidative c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) activation. We report that peroxisome proliferator coactivator 1α is a key downstream target of AMPK that is both necessary and suffici…
Effects of anti-cardiolipin antibodies and IVIg on annexin A5 binding to endothelial cells: implications for cardiovascular disease
2010
Anti-phospholipid antibodies (aPL), including anti-cardiolipin antibodies (aCL), are risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD) in the general population and in patients with the anti-phospholipid syndrome (APS; Hughes syndrome). APS may be primary but is also common in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE). The anti-coagulant protein annexin A5 (ANXA5) is implicated in CVD by interfering with phospholipids and aPL.ANXA5 binding to human umbilical venous endothelial cells (HUVECs) was determined by flow cytometry.When cells were cultured in serum from APS patients with a high aPL titre (aPL-S), binding of ANXA5 to HUVECs was reduced. Monoclonal immunoglobulin (Ig)G aPL against…
Association Between Platelet Endothelial Cellular Adhesion Molecule-1 Polymorphisms and Atherosclerosis: Results of a Study on Patients from Northern…
2010
Adhesion of circulating cells to the arterial surface is among the first detectable events in atherogenesis. Cellular adhesion molecules, expressed by the vascular endothelium and by circulating leukocytes, mediate cell recruitment and their transendothelial migration. Platelet endothelial cellular adhesion molecule-1 (PECAM-1), involved in this migration, has been associated with the development of atherosclerosis. Studies have investigated an association between coronary artery disease (CAD) and single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) located in functionally important domains of the PECAM-1 gene with inconsistent results. Thus, we have analyzed the distribution of V125L, N563S, and G670R S…
Vitamin D Receptor Activation Reduces Angiotensin-II–Induced Dissecting Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm in Apolipoprotein E–Knockout Mice
2015
Objective— Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a vascular disorder characterized by chronic inflammation of the aortic wall. Low concentrations of vitamin D 3 are associated with AAA development; however, the potential direct effect of vitamin D 3 on AAA remains unknown. This study evaluates the effect of oral treatment with the vitamin D 3 receptor (VDR) ligand, calcitriol, on dissecting AAA induced by angiotensin-II (Ang-II) infusion in apoE −/− mice. Approach and Results— Oral treatment with calcitriol reduced Ang-II–induced dissecting AAA formation in apoE −/− mice, which was unrelated to systolic blood pressure or plasma cholesterol concentrations. Immunohistochemistry and reverse-tran…
HIF-1α and HIF-2α Are Differentially Regulated In vivo in Neuroblastoma: High HIF-1α Correlates Negatively to Advanced Clinical Stage and Tumor Vascu…
2009
Abstract Purpose: Hypoxia is considered to be a major driving force behind tumor angiogenesis. The stabilization and activation at hypoxia of the hypoxia-inducible factors HIF-1α and HIF-2α and the concomitant induction of expression of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and other proangiogenic factors provide a molecular frame for hypoxia-driven tumor angiogenesis. This study has investigated how HIF and VEGF protein levels relate to each other with regard to vascularization, tumor stage, and overall survival in neuroblastoma. Experimental Design: Tissue cores taken from tumor specimens representing 93 children with neuroblastoma were arranged on a microarray and stained for HIF-1α,…