BACKGROUND Levo-tetrahydropalmatine (L-THP) is a tetrahydro protoberberine isoquinoline alkaloid obtained from the genera Stephania and Corydalis. In the present research, we evaluated the effects of L-THP on the progression of aortic aneurysms (AAs) in experimental rats induced with perfusion of elastase. MATERIAL AND METHODS Thirty-six Sprague-Dawley rats were divided into sham-operated, cont...

The restoration of blood flow following thrombolytic therapy causes ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury leading to blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption and subsequent brain edema in patients of ischemic stroke. Levo-tetrahydropalmatine (l-THP) occurs in Corydalis genus and some other plants. However, whether l-THP exerts protective role on BBB disruption following cerebral I/R remains unclear...

Scavenger receptor (SR)-BI mediates the selective uptake of high density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesteryl esters and the efflux of free cholesterol. In Chinese hamster ovary (CHO) cells, SR-BI is predominantly associated with caveolae which we have recently demonstrated are the initial loci for membrane transfer of HDL cholesteryl esters. Because cholesterol accumulation in macrophages is a critic...

We investigated the potential protective effect of rutinum (RUT) against pirarubicin- (THP-) induced cardiotoxicity. THP was used to induce toxicity in rat H9c2 cardiomyoblasts. Positive control cells were pretreated with a cardioprotective agent dexrazoxane (DZR) prior to treatment with THP. Some of the cells were preincubated with RUT and a p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) inhibito...

AIM Angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEIs) have been shown to block matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-9 activity, which plays a role in atherogenesis. MMP-9 activity of macrophages is increased during foam cell formation. To investigate the contribution of ACEIs to foam cell formation, we studied the effects of an ACEI, imidaprilat, on THP-1 macrophages and the underlying molecular mecha...

Uromodulin is well-known to be the more potent immunosuppressive glycoprotein isolated from pregnant women urine, compared to its counterpart, Tamm-Horsfall glycoprotein (THP) isolated from non-pregnant women/male urine. However, structural profiles of these glycoproteins were controversial until today. Hence, this paper aims to identify the pregnancy associated glycosylation changes of THP and...

Anaerobic digestion of sludge not only decreases the mass/volume of sludge, but also increases the production of energy-rich biogas. The effects of a thermal hydrolysis process (THP) on the solubilization of main organics of sludge, as well as the performance of the followed biochemical methane potential (BMP) tests under mesophilic condition (35 C), were systematically evaluated. Organic compo...

A family of homologous genes is shown to encode GP-2, the major glycosylphosphatidylinositol (GPI)-linked glycoprotein of pancreatic zymogen granule membranes, and Tamm-Horsfall protein (THP), a GPI-linked glycoprotein associated with apical vesicles in kidney thick ascending limb of Henle (TALH) cells. The C-terminal regions of GP-2 (Asp54-Phe530) and THP (Asp175-His644) from rat show 53% iden...

To investigate the effect of acylated ghrelin on the activation of TLR4/NF-κB signaling pathway induced by palmitic acid in human monocyte-derived (THP-1) macrophages, THP-1 macrophages were cultured for 12 h by palmitic acid with various concentrations. The THP-1 macrophages was pretreated by acylated ghrelin at different doses for 4 h before cultivated by palmitic acid (200 μmol/L) for 12 h. ...

Although often supersaturated with mineral salts such as calcium phosphate and calcium oxalate, normal urine possesses an innate ability to keep them from forming harmful crystals. This inhibitory activity has been attributed to the presence of urinary macromolecules, although controversies abound regarding their role, or lack thereof, in preventing renal mineralization. Here, we show that 10% ...