The present study focused on the molecular signaling pathways of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1) induction by interleukin-4 (IL-4) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC). RT-PCR showed that MCP-1 mRNA accumulation was markedly increased in IL-4-treated HUVEC in a time- and dose-dependent manner. Antioxidants, such as pyrrolidine dithiocarbamate (PDTC) and N-acetylcysteine ...

background: surface properties of a biomaterial could be critical in determining biomaterial’s biocompatibility due to the fact that the first interactions between the biological environment and artificial materials are most likely occurred at material’s surface. in this study, the surface properties of a new nanocomposite (nc) polymeric material were modified by combining plasma treatment and ...

Inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) gene expresses a calcium calmudolin-independent enzyme which can catalyse NO production from L-arginine. The induction of iNOS activity has been demonstrated in a wide variety of cell types under stimulation with cytokines and lipopoly saccharide (LPS). Previous studies indicated that all nitric oxide synthases (NOS) activated in human umbilical vein endot...

Disorders of angiogenesis are related to microangiopathies during the development of diabetic vascular complications, but the effect of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) on angiogenesis and the mechanism has not been completely unveiled. We previous demonstrated that moesin belonging to the ezrin-radixin-moesin (ERM) protein family protein played a critical role in AGE-induced hyper-permea...

Our previous study indicated that Thy-1, which is expressed on blood vessel endothelium in settings of pathological and a specific of physiological, but not during embryonic, angiogenesis, may be used as a marker for angiogenesis. However, the function of Thy-1 during angiogenesis is still not clear. Here, we demonstrate that knock-down of the endogenous Thy-1 expression by Thy-1 siRNA transfec...

AIM To determine whether morroniside, a compound in Cornus officinalis Sieb et Zucc can prevent cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVEC) from damage by high ambient glucose. METHODS HUVEC was incubated in glucose, 5 or 30 mmol/L, either alone or in the presence of morroniside (final concentration 100, 10, and 1 micromol/L, respectively) for 48 h. The proliferation of HUVEC was ...

BACKGROUND Ischemia-reperfusion injury leads to the activation and endothelial deposition of complement. We investigated whether exposure of human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to hypoxia and/or reoxygenation activates complement and decreases HUVEC-surface expression of the C3 regulatory proteins CD46 and CD55. METHODS AND RESULTS HUVECs were subjected to 0, 12, or 24 hours of hy...

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPARgamma) is a nuclear receptor that functions as a transcription factor to mediate ligand-dependent transcriptional regulation. Activation of PPARgamma by the naturally occurring ligand, 15-deoxy-Delta12,14-prostaglandin J2 (15d-PGJ2), or members of a new class of oral antidiabetic agents, e.g. BRL49653 and ciglitizone, has been linked to adip...

Two glycoforms of recombinant human thrombomodulin (TM; TMD1-105 and TMD1-75), an endothelial cell membrane protein, were tested for their ability to alter thrombin-induced activation of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). After stimulation with 10 nmol/L thrombin, HUVEC generation of inositol-1,4,5-trisphosphate (IP3), a potent Ca(2+)-mobilizing second messenger, was dose...

As the majority of the polymers used as cardiovascular grafts so far do not match the elasticity of human arteries (100-1000kPa) and the required endothelialization, a multifunctional material approach is needed to allow the adjustment of the mechanical properties while at the same time exhibiting a haemocompatible surface. Recently soft poly(n-butyl acrylate) networks (cPnBA) with adjustable m...