To test the hypothesis that homocysteine induces constrictive vascular remodeling by inactivating peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR), aortic endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs) were isolated. Collagen gels were prepared, and ECs or SMCs (10(5)) or SMCs + ECs (10(4)) were incorporated into the gels. To characterize PPAR, agonists of PPAR-alpha [ciprofibrate (CF)...

Oleylethanolamide (OEA) is a naturally occurring lipid that regulates satiety and body weight. Although structurally related to the endogenous cannabinoid anandamide, OEA does not bind to cannabinoid receptors and its molecular targets have not been defined. Here we show that OEA binds with high affinity to the peroxisome-proliferator-activated receptor-alpha (PPAR-alpha), a nuclear receptor th...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Troglitazone is one of thiazolidinedione derivatives as a high affinity ligand for peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma). The in vivo studies demonstrated that troglitazone ameliorated microalbuminuria. There have been few reports about direct effect of thiazolidinedione derivatives on mesangial cell function. We determined the effect of troglitazone on i...

Natural coumarins are reputed to demonstrate several biological effects improve adverse health conditions including; obesity. This study was conducted explore the potential in vitro lipid and glucose modulatory activity of cichorioside on 3T3-L1 cell lines . Methods: The were cultured viability assessed. Glucose content medium cells measured. Differentiation from pre-adipocytes adipocytes evalu...

Agonists of the peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-gamma (PPAR-gamma) exert protective effects in several models of ischemia/reperfusion injury, but their role in stroke is less clear. The study investigates the effects of two PPAR-gamma agonists, rosiglitazone and pioglitazone, on oxidative stress and inflammatory response induced by ischemia/reperfusion in the rat hippocampus. Common ...

Although expression of the fractalkine (CX3CL1, FKN) is enhanced in inflamed tissues, it is detected at steady state in various organs such as the intestine, and its receptor CX3CR1 is highly expressed in resident-type dendritic cells and macrophages. We hypothesized that FKN might regulate the inflammatory responses of these cells. Therefore, murine macrophages were pretreated with FKN and the...

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (PPARs) are activated by an array of polyunsaturated fatty acid derivatives, oxidized fatty acids, and phospholipids and are proposed to be important modulators of immune and inflammatory responses. Recently, we showed that activation of PPAR-gamma alters the maturation process of dendritic cells (DCs), the most potent antigen-presenting cells. In the...

The differentiation of adipocytes is regulated by the activity of a variety of transcription factors, including peroxidase proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)-gamma and C/EBPalpha. Our current study demonstrates that ectopic expression of STAT5A, such as that of PPAR-gamma and C/EBPalpha, promotes adipogenesis in two nonprecursor fibroblast cell lines. Using morphologic and biochemical crite...