Methionine diet-induced hyperhomocysteinemia and isolation of coronary arteries Male Wistar rats (300-330 g, Charles River Co., www.criver.com) were used. In one group, moderate HHcy was induced by administration of L-methionine (10 g/L in the drinking water) for a period of four weeks. The septal artery was isolated from the hearts of control (C, n=40) and HHcy rats (n=40) as previously descri...

objective(s): carthamus tinctorius l. (ct) or saffloweris widely used in traditional chinese medicine. this study investigated the effects of ct extract (cte) on ischemia–reperfusion (i/r) brain injury and elucidated the underlying mechanism. materials and methods: the i/r model was conducted by occlusion of both common carotid arteries and right middle cerebral artery for 90 min followed by 24...

The coronary vasodilator effect of bradykinin (BK) in the rat is independent of NO but dependent on activation of phospholipases with involvement of cytochrome P450 mono-oxygenase (P450) and stimulation of Ca++-activated K+ channels, implicating an unidentified hyperpolarizing factor generated via P450 metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA). Because P450 activity also generates free radicals, such...

Oxidative endothelial dysfunction is a critical initiator of vascular disease. Vitamin E is an effective antioxidant but attempts to use it to treat vascular disorders have been disappointing. This study investigated whether tocotrienols, the less abundant components of vitamin E compared to tocopherols, might be more effective at preserving endothelial function. Superoxide generated by hypoxan...

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) plays an important role in the control of myocardial oxygen consumption (MVO2) by nitric oxide (NO). A NOS isoform is present in cardiac mitochondria and it is derived from neuronal NOS (nNOS). However, the role of nNOS in the control of MVO2 remains unknown. MVO2 in left ventricular tissues from nNOS-/- mice was measured in vitro. Stimulation of NO prod...

This study aimed to determine whether the serotonergic modulation, through selective 5-HT2 receptor blockade, restores cardiovascular disturbances in type 1 diabetic rats. Diabetes was induced by alloxan (150 mg/kg, s.c.) and maintained for 4 weeks. 5-HT2 receptor was blocked by sarpogrelate (30 mg/kg.day; 14 days; p.o.). Systolic blood pressure (SBP), heart rate (HR), glycaemia and body weight...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Acute pancreatitis accounts for almost 250.000 hospital admissions annually in the United States. Most promising treatment approaches are preventive; however, little is known about the early factors initiating acute pancreatitis. We aimed to evaluate the preventive effects of enoxaparin and hesperidin in cerulein-induced acute pancreatitis. PATIENTS AND METHODS We used 70 Wist...

Cifuentes, M. Eugenia, Federico E. Rey, Oscar A. Carretero, and Patrick J. Pagano. Upregulation of p67 and gp91 in aortas from angiotensin II-infused mice. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 279: H2234–H2240, 2000.—Although NAD(P)H oxidase-derived superoxide (O2 ) is increased during the development of angiotensin II (ANG II)-dependent hypertension, vascular regulation at the protein level has not...

OBJECTIVE NADPH oxidases are important sources of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the vasculature. In phagocytic cells, the catalytic subunit of NADPH oxidase is a glycoprotein, gp91phox. However, vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), which show prominent NADPH oxidase activity, lack gp91phox. Hence, we examined the role of Nox4, a gp91phox homologue, in superoxide production in mouse-cultured...