Whereas activation of ATP-dependent potassium (K(ATP)) channels greatly improves postischemic myocardial recovery, the final effector mechanism for K(ATP) channel-induced cardioprotection remains elusive. RhoA is a GTPase that regulates a variety of cellular processes known to be involved with K(ATP) channel cardioprotection. Our goal was to determine whether the activity of a key rhoA effector...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE The aim of this study was to develop a new model of stroke based on endothelial damage and thrombotic occlusion in a perforating artery, leading to small cerebral infarcts and neurological deficits in rats. Moreover, the neuroprotective efficacy of fasudil, a rho-kinase inhibitor, was investigated in this model. METHODS Fifty-six male Sprague-Dawley rats were used in th...

Rho kinases (ROCKs) have a crucial role in actin-cytoskeletal reorganization and thus are involved in broad aspects of cell motility, from smooth muscle contraction to neurite outgrowth. The first marketed ROCK inhibitor, called fasudil, has been used safely for treatment of cerebral vasospasm since 1995 in Japan. During the succeeding decades ROCK inhibitors have been applied in many pathologi...

BACKGROUND Activation of Rho-kinase plays a central role in the pathogenesis of drug-eluting stents (DES)-induced coronary hyperconstricting responses in pigs in vivo has been previously demonstrated. In the present study, Rho-kinase activation involved in those responses in patients with coronary artery disease (CAD) is examined. METHODS AND RESULTS In 24 patients with CAD who underwent coro...

OBJECTIVE To investigate the influence of Fasudil, a Rho inhibitor on the number and functions of the late endothelial progenitor cells in peripheral blood of chronic obstructive pulmonary diseases (COPD) patients with pulmonary artery hypertension. BACKGROUND It is not clear yet, whether Rho Kinase Inhibitor Fasudil can reduced pulmonary artery pressure through improving lung endothelial fun...

Rho kinase (ROK) may play an important role in regulating the biological events of cells, including proliferation, differentiation, and survival/death. Blockade of ROK promotes axonal regeneration and neuron survival in vivo and in vitro, thereby exhibiting potential clinical applications in spinal cord damage and stroke. The aim of this experimental study was to determine the role of ROK signa...

Cardiovascular function is mainly controlled by the reninangiotensin system, which affects blood vessel tone. Inappropriate activation of the renin-angiotensin system can lead to hypertension. In light of emerging evidence of a widespread global problem of vitamin D deficiency, there has been increasing interest concerning the role of vitamin D in hypertension. Little attention has been paid to...

Rho-kinase plays an important role in hypertension and is reported to interfere with insulin signaling through serine phosphorylation of insulin receptor substrate-1 (IRS-1) in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells. We therefore examined the role of Rho-kinase in the development of insulin resistance in Zucker obese rats. In skeletal muscles and aortic tissues of Zucker obese rats, activation o...

OBJECTIVE Rho-kinase activity is increased in cardiovascular diseases and in patients with cardiovascular risk factors. However, it is not known whether inhibition of Rho-kinase could lead to cardiovascular protection and, if so, by what mechanism. METHODS AND RESULTS In human endothelial cells, the Rho-kinase inhibitor, hydroxyfasudil (HF) (1 to 100 micromol/L), increased Akt serine-473 phos...

We previously reported that transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) stimulates heat shock protein 27 (HSP27) induction through p44/p42 mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase, p38 MAP kinase and stress-activated protein kinase/ c-Jun N-terminal kinase (SAPK/JNK) in osteoblast-like MC3T3-E1 cells. In addition, we recently reported that the Rho-kinase inhibitors Y27632 and fasudil suppressed the TGF-...