Calcific aortic valve stenosis (CAVS) is a heart disease characterized by the progressive fibro-calcific remodeling of valves, an actively regulated process with involvement reactive oxygen species-mediated differentiation valvular interstitial cells (VICs) into osteoblast-like cells. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related 2 (Nrf2) regulates expression variety antioxidant genes, and plays protectiv...

The heme oxygenase ChuZ is part of the iron acquisition mechanism of Campylobacter jejuni, a major pathogen causing enteritis in humans. ChuZ is required for C. jejuni to use heme as the sole iron source. The crystal structure of ChuZ was resolved at 2.5Å, and it was revealed to be a homodimer with a split-barrel fold. One heme-binding site was at the dimer interface and another novel heme-bind...

The heme oxygenase system has long been believed to act largely as a housekeeping unit, converting prooxidant free heme from heme protein degradation into the benign bilirubin for conjugation and safe excretion. In recent decades, however, heme oxygenases have emerged as important regulators of cardiovascular function, largely through the production of their biologically active metabolites: car...

Correction for 'Dynamic ruffling distortion of the heme substrate in non-canonical heme oxygenase enzymes' by Amanda B. Graves et al., Dalton Trans., 2016, 45, 10058-10067.

BACKGROUND Age-related macular degeneration (AMD) is a primary cause of blindness among the elderly in developed countries. The nature of AMD is complex and includes both environmental and hereditary factors. Oxidative stress is thought to be essential in AMD pathogenesis. Iron is suggested to be implicated in the pathogenesis of AMD through the catalysis of the production of reactive oxygen sp...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Carbon monoxide (CO) is a gaseous second messenger produced when heme oxygenase enzymes catabolize heme. We have demonstrated that CO can be therapeutic in ischemia-reperfusion brain injury; however, it is unclear whether CO can also offer protection in permanent ischemic stroke or what mechanism(s) underlies the effect. Heme oxygenase-1 neuroprotection was shown to be re...

Previously, we showed that NO induces thymocyte apoptosis via a caspase-1-dependent mechanism [(1) ]. In the present study, we investigated the role of heme oxygenase, catalase, bax, and p53 in this process. The NO donor, S-nitroso-N-acetyl penicillamine (SNAP), induced DNA fragmentation in thymocytes in a time- and concentration-dependent way. SNAP (100 microM) induced 50--60% apoptosis; highe...

As aspects of basic science come to play an increasingly prominent role in clinical medicine, heme oxygenase-1 is one of several molecules emerging as a central player in diseases of the lung and intensive care unit. Although the apparent raison d’être of this enzyme is to dispose of heme, its activity results in cytoprotection against oxidative injury and cellular stresses. As the lung interfa...

Although heme oxygenase-1 and glutathione play important roles in the antioxidant defense system, the sharing and/or cross-talking of the HO-1 and GSH system remain poorly understood. The object of this study is to determine whether the glutathione system is involved in the antioxidant function of hemin. Hydrogen peroxide decreased the viability of the human leukemic monocyte lymphoma cell line...

Bilirubin is a potent antioxidant generated intracellularly during the degradation of heme by the enzyme heme oxygenase. The purpose of this study was to determine the role of increased cardiac bilirubin in protection against postischemic myocardial dysfunction. Rat hearts were isolated and perfused according to the Langendorff technique to evaluate the recovery of myocardial function after 30 ...