We examined the inhibitory effect of porcine C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) on endothelin-1 secretion stimulated by thrombin and angiotensin II (Ang II) in cultured porcine endothelial cells. The results were compared with the effects of atrial (ANP) and brain (BNP) natriuretic peptides. Thrombin and Ang II produced a concentration-dependent stimulation of immunoreactive endothelin-1 secretio...

In mammals, natriuretic peptides (NPs) lower blood pressure, reduce blood volume and broadly inhibit cardiovascular remodeling. NPs are often referred to as cardiac hormones, though they also have integral roles in regulating vascular tone, endothelial remodeling and inhibiting vascular smooth muscle cell hypertrophy. Two NPs [atrial (ANP) and C-type (CNP)] have been identified as endogenous co...

The study was conducted to investigate the promoted immune response to ovalbumin in mice by chitosan nanoparticles (CNP) and its toxicity. CNP did not cause any mortality or side effects when mice were administered subcutaneously twice with a dose of 1.5 mg at 7-day intervals. Institute of Cancer Research (ICR) mice were immunized subcutaneously with 25 μg ovalbumin (OVA) alone or with 25 μg OV...

C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) is a hormone that shares structural homology to atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP); however, distinct receptors have been found for each in cultured aortic endothelial and smooth muscle cells. CNP in vivo reduces arterial pressure, atrial pressures, and cardiac output. These actions are consistent with a decrease in cardiac preload. Therefore, the current studies ...

Recent evidence indicates that 2',3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase (CNP), a marker enzyme of myelin and oligodendrocytes, is also present in neural and nonneural mitochondria. However, its role in mitochondria is still completely unclear. We found CNP in rat brain mitochondria and studied the effects of CNP substrates, 2',3'-cyclic nucleotides, on functional parameters of rat brain mit...

The antigen recognized with monoclonal antibody (mAb) Rip (Rip-antigen) has been long used as a marker of oligodendrocytes and myelin sheaths. However, the identity of Rip-antigen has yet to be elucidated. We herein identified the Rip-antigen. No signal recognized by mAb-Rip was detected by immunoblot analyses in the rat brain, cultured rat oligodendrocytes, or the oligodendrocyte cell line CG-...

Tissue engineering is a promising approach for articular cartilage repair; however, it still has proven a challenge to produce substantial quantities of tissue from the limited number of cells that can be extracted from a single individual. Although several approaches have been investigated to enhance the production of cartilaginous tissue in vitro, relatively few techniques exist to reliably i...

UNLABELLED Considerable evidence exists that bacteria detect eukaryotic communication molecules and modify their virulence accordingly. In previous studies, it has been demonstrated that the increasingly antibiotic-resistant pathogen Pseudomonas aeruginosa can detect the human hormones brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) at micromolar concentrations. In response...

INTRODUCTION The present study examined the effect of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and biomechanical signals on anabolic and catabolic activities in chondrocyte/agarose constructs. METHODS Natriuretic peptide (Npr) 2 and 3 expression were compared in non-diseased (grade 0/1) and diseased (grade IV) human cartilage by immunofluoresence microscopy and western blotting. In separate experimen...

Introduction: The present study examined the effect of C-type natriuretic peptide (CNP) and biomechanical signals on anabolic and catabolic activities in chondrocyte / agarose constructs. Methods: Natriuretic peptide (Npr) 2 and 3 expression were compared in nondiseased (grade 0/1) and diseased (grade IV) human cartilage by immunofluoresence microscopy and western blotting. In separate experime...