Tobacco smoke is known to cause nitric oxide ((*)NO) inactivation and endothelial dysfunction. In this work we evaluated the interplay between (.)NO and superoxide (O(2)(*-)) radicals and the consequent impact on (*)NO bioavailability and nitroxidative stress in bovine aortic endothelial cells exposed to cigarette smoke extract (CSE) and in smokers. Bovine aortic endothelial cells in the presen...

The heptapeptide angiotensin-(1-7) is a circulating biologically active product of the renin-angiotensin system. In this study, we evaluated the role of the vascular endothelium in the formation of angiotensin-(1-7). Metabolism of 125I-angiotensin I was investigated using confluent cultured bovine and human aortic and umbilical vein endothelial cells. The fetal calf serum-supplemented medium wa...

Polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) adhere to endothelial cells at sites of acute inflammation. To examine this phenomenon in vitro, we have developed a new assay to measure adherence of PMNs to cultured endothelial cells. Human PMNs were labeled with 111indium-oxine and incubated in microtiter wells with monolayers of either human umbilical vein or bovine aortic endothelial cells. Following in...

Carboxyamido-triazole (CAI), an inhibitor of non-voltage-gated calcium channels, has been studied in Phase I/II clinical trials following the identification of its inhibitory effects on tumor cell invasion and motility. It has also been reported to inhibit human endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and adhesion to the basement membrane. In glioma, biological assays have shown CAI to be ac...

Carboxyamido-triazole (CAI), an inhibitor of non-voltage-gated calcium channels, has been studied in Phase I/II clinical trials following the identification of its inhibitory effects on tumor cell invasion and motility. It has also been reported to inhibit human endothelial cell proliferation, migration, and adhesion to the basement membrane. In glioma, biological assays have shown CAI to be ac...

Endothelial cell (EC) injury and the response of EC and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) to injury contribute to the pathophysiology in patients with vascular disease and atherosclerosis. Since platelets have been suggested to play an important role in modulating vascular injury, the present study was undertaken to examine the influence and mechanism of action of individual platelet factors on bovine...

OBJECTIVE In vivo evidence suggests that insulin entry into skeletal muscle is rate limiting for its overall metabolic action. Although there has been controversy regarding whether insulin crosses the endothelium by a passive (transcellular or paracellular) or mediated process, accumulating data favor the latter. Here, we addressed whether insulin signaling within the endothelial cell is requir...

This study reports that endotoxin (Escherichia coli serotype 026:B6) and 12-O-tetradecanoyl-phorbol-13-acetate stimulate cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells to generate prostacyclin. The prostacyclin concentration of the culture medium was measured indirectly by radioimmunoassay for 6-keto-PGF1 alpha. The amount of prostacyclin generated depended on the concentration of endotoxin or phorbo...

Fibrinogen fragment D, which is heterogeneous, has several important biological functions. Human fibrinogen fragments D94 (molecular weight, 94,000), D78 (78,000), and E (52,000) were purified. Fragments D78 and D94 but not purified fibrinogen or fragment E specifically caused disorganization of bovine aortic endothelial cells cultured as monolayers. Within 2 hours of exposure to pathophysiolog...

The role of extracellular ethanolamine in phospholipid synthesis was examined in cultured bovine aortic endothelial cells. Serine and ethanolamine were both readily accumulated by these cells and incorporated into phospholipid. Exposing cells to extracellular ethanolamine for 4-6 weeks had no effect on cell growth, yet increased the phosphatidylethanolamine content of these cells by 31% as comp...