We have previously characterized the receptor for glucose-dependent insulinotropic polypeptide (GIPR) in vascular endothelial cells (EC). Different EC types were found to contain distinct GIPR splice variants. To determine whether activation of the GIPR splice variants resulted in different cellular responses, we examined GIP effects on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC), which cont...

The aim of this study was to find out whether stimulated monocytes could trigger apoptosis of vascular endothelial cells. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) (EC) were co-cultured for 24 h and 48 h with monocytes isolated from peripheral blood (peripheral blood monocytes) or MonoMac6 cell line activated previously with proinflammatory cytokines. Real-time PCR was conducted to investi...

The generation of kinins on the surface of vascular endothelium has been postulated in two pathways involving plasma kallikrein and tissue kallikrein; the former pathway has been well documented, but the latter is controversial. To clarify the presence of a kinin-generating system on endothelium, we examined whether human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) synthesize and release tissue ka...

Oxidative stress and inflammation are strongly linked to the development of cardiovascular disease (CVD). As a potent antioxidant, astaxanthin may downregulate inflammation-associated factors involved in endothelial dysfunction and CVD progression. We studied the possible protective effects of astaxanthin against endothelial dysfunction in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) induced ...

L-selectin mediates leukocyte rolling on vascular endothelium during inflammation. Although vascular endothelium can be activated with inflammatory cytokines to express functional L-selectin ligands, these ligands have not been well characterized. In this study, fucosyltransferase VII cDNA (Fuc-TVII) transfection of the EA.hy926 human vascular endothelial cell line (926-FtVII) induced functiona...

The main clinical features of pre-eclampsia are oedema and vascular leakage. Cadherin-5 mediates endothelial cell-cell contact in the vascular endothelium and may regulate permeability as a vascular function. Therefore, we addressed the question of whether pre-eclampsia alters cadherin-5 expression and intracellular distribution. Confluent human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) were inc...

Endothelium-leukocyte interaction is critical for inflammatory responses. Whereas the tissue microenvironments are often acidic at inflammatory sites, the mechanisms by which cells respond to acidosis are not well understood. Using molecular, cellular and biochemical approaches, we demonstrate that activation of GPR4, a proton-sensing G protein-coupled receptor, by isocapnic acidosis increases ...

Placentas from gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) are often hypervascularized; however, participation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and its receptors in this placental adaptation is unclear. We aimed to test whether changes in phosphorylation of tyrosine 951 or tyrosine 1175 (pY951 or pY1175) of the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor 2 (KDR) are associated with the proa...

Mast cells (MCs) are immunoregulatory and inflammatory tissue cells preferentially located around blood vessels. Since endothelial cells have been suggested to regulate MC functions, we analyzed MC-endothelial cell interactions in vitro by performing coculture experiments with purified human intestinal MCs and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). We found that HUVECs provide signals...

The aim of the present work was to establish an in vitro screening assay for drug candidates using human endothelial cells as a model for vascular injury after intravenous application. Different endpoints for viability and functionality of endothelial cells were investigated in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) and in immortalised human endothelial cells (IVEC). Cellular viability ...