BACKGROUND/AIMS High glucose-induced oxidative damage to endothelial cells plays a central role in the pathogenesis of diabetic vascular complications. This study was undertaken to explore the role of periostin in high glucose-induced endothelial cell apoptosis and associated molecular mechanisms. METHODS Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were exposed to high glucose (33.3 mmol/...

To understand the molecular mechanism of hemorrhagic tendency represented in hemorrhagic fever with renal syndrome (HFRS), the effect of Hantaan virus (HTNV) on the von Willebrand factor (vWF) was observed in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HuVECs). An immunofluorescence assay (IFA) showed a significant reduction of the vWF in the cytoplasm of HTNV-infected HuVECs. The amount of vWF pro...

This study aimed to determine the metabolic profile of non-toxic cadmium (Cd)-induced dysfunctional endothelial cells using human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). HUVECs (n = 6 per group) were treated with 0, 1, 5, or 10 μM cadmium chloride (CdCl₂) for 48 h. Cell phenotypes, including nitric oxide (NO) production, the inflammatory response, and oxidative stress, were evaluated in Cd-e...

Tight Junctions (TJ) are important components of paracellular pathways, and their destruction enhances vascular permeability. Resolvin D1 (RvD1) is a novel lipid mediator that has treatment effects on inflammatory diseases, but its effect on inflammation induced increase in vascular permeability is unclear. To understand whether RvD1 counteracts the lipopolysaccharide (LPS) induced increase in ...

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of human β-defensin 3 (hBD3) in the initiation stage of atherosclerosis with human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) triggered by tumor necrosis factor- (TNF-) α. The effects of hBD3 on TNF-α-induced endothelial injury and inflammatory response were evaluated. Our data revealed that first, hBD3 reduced the production of interleukin-6 (IL...

Human umbilical endothelial cells (HUVECs) have been proven to be effective in tumor anti-angiogenesis but the mechanism remained to be further demonstrated. The restricted ability of HUVECs to proliferate in vitro also limits their application on a large scale. In the present study, we immortalized HUVECs with hTERT genes by lentiviral infection and explored the antitumor immunity of hTERT-exp...

Human primary hepatocytes are able to survive in a medium without glucose and arginine that is instead supplemented with galactose and ornithine (hepatocyte selection medium; HSM). This is because the cells produce glucose and arginine by the action of galactokinase (GALK) and ornithine carbamoyltransferase (OTC), respectively. It was expected that hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) cells do not su...

BACKGROUND Angiogenesis is closely related to the growth, invasion and metastasis of tumors, also considered as the key target of anticancer therapy. Scutellaria barbata D. Don (S. barbata), a traditional Chinese medicine, is being used to treat various diseases, including cancer. However, the antitumor molecular mechanism of S. barbata was still unclear. This study aimed to investigate the inh...

Angiogenesis is a process of new blood vessel formation from pre-existing vessels. It is a normal and vital process in growth and development, as well as in wound healing and in the formation of granulation tissue. Total flavones of Abelmoschus manihot (TFA) are the major constituents of the traditional Chinese herb Abelmoschus manihot L. Medic. The aim of this study is to investigate the effec...

Willow bark extract (WBE) is listed in the European Pharmacopoeia and has been traditionally used for treating fever, pain, and inflammation. Recent studies have demonstrated its clinical usefulness. This study investigated the antioxidative effects of WBE in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and Caenorhabditis elegans. WBE prevented oxidative-stress-induced cytotoxicity of HUVECs...