Diabetic nephropathy (DN) remains the most common cause of end-stage renal disease. Although, adenosine acts as a local modulator with a cytoprotective function, extracellular adenosine usually disappears quickly due to a rapid uptake into adjacent cells. Therefore, we investigated the effect of 5'-(N-ethylcarboxamido)-adenosine (NECA), a stable, nonselective adenosine receptor agonist, on diab...

Soy-leaf extracts exert their cardioprotective effects by inducing endothelium-dependent vasodilation in the arteries, and they favorably modulate the serum lipid profile. In this study, we investigated the atheroprotective effects of an ethanol extract of soy leaf (ESL) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and high-cholesterol diet (HCD)-fed low-density lipoprotein receptor defic...

CD47 plays an important but incompletely understood role in the innate and adaptive immune responses. CD47, also called integrin-associated protein, has been demonstrated to associate in cis with β1 and β3 integrins. Here we test the hypothesis that CD47 regulates adhesive functions of T-cell α4β1 (VLA-4) and αLβ2 (LFA-1) in in vivo and in vitro models of inflammation. Intravital microscopy stu...

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is a pro-inflammatory cytokine that causes endothelial dysfunction. Endocytosis of TNF-α receptors (TNFR) precedes endosomal reactive oxygen species (ROS) production, which is required for NF-κB activation in vascular smooth muscle cells. It is unknown how endocytosis of TNFRs impacts signaling in endothelial cells. We hypothesized that TNF-α-induced endothelial ...

CD40, CX3CL1 and TNF-α promote atheroma and neointima formation. CD40 and TNF-α are also central to the development of diabetic retinopathy while CX3CL1 may play a role in the pathogenesis of this retinopathy. The purpose of this study was to examine whether CD40 ligation increases CX3CL1 and TNF-α protein expression in human endothelial cells from the aorta and retina. CD154 (CD40 ligand) upre...

AIM The anti-oxidant enzyme copper/zinc superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD) metabolizes superoxide anion (O(2)(-)) in vascular cells. However, the role of CuZnSOD in vascular injury remains poorly understood. METHODS Using CuZnSOD-deficient (CuZnSOD(-/-)) mice and wild-type (WT) mice, we investigated morphometric changes and the role of O(2)(-) in vascular remodeling after femoral artery injury in...

This study aimed to determine whether 2 wk of high-intensity intermittent training (HIIT) altered inflammatory status in plasma and adipose tissue in overweight and obese males. Twelve participants [mean (SD): age 23.7 (5.2) yr, body mass 91.0 (8.0) kg, body mass index 29.1 (3.1) kg/m(2)] undertook six HIIT sessions over 2 wk. Resting blood and subcutaneous abdominal adipose tissue samples were...

We investigated the transcriptional regulation of secretion of pro- and anti-inflammatory mediators by human colonic circular smooth muscle cells (HCCSMC) in response to tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-alpha. Gene chip array analysis indicated that HCCSMC express a specific panel of 11 cytokines, chemokines, and cell adhesion molecules in a time-dependent manner in response to TNF-alpha. The chip a...

The leukocyte integrins LFA-1 and Mac-1 bind to endothelial intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1). Leukocyte adhesion induced by micropipette injection of formylmethionylleucylphenylalanine (fMLP) or macrophage inflammatory protein 2 (MIP-2) next to a venule in the exteriorized mouse cremaster muscle was almost completely blocked after intravenous injection of the ICAM-1 mAb YN-1. In contr...

Twenty patients affected by chronic venous disease (CVD) in tertiary venous network and/or saphenous vein were analyzed before surgical ablation by echo-color-doppler for the hemodynamic parameters reflux time (RT) and resistance index (RI), a negative and a positive prognostic factor, respectively. RT and RI were next correlated with relevant in vitro parameters of venous endothelial cells (VE...