Objective(s) Increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production is implicated in the pathogenesis of arterial hypertension and the development of endothelial dysfunction. NADPH oxidase type enzyme family has been suggested to form ROS and to interfere with endothelium-dependent relaxation. However, the specific isoform of NADPH oxidases that may predominantly contribute to these events remains ...

BACKGROUND/AIMS Electrophilic methyl groups bound to positively charged nitrogen moieties may act as electron acceptors, and this mechanism could lead to the generation of methane from choline. The aims were to characterize the methanogenic potential of phosphatidylcholine metabolites, and to define the in vivo relevance of this pathway in hypoxia-induced cellular responses. METHODS The postu...

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to compare vascular function, superoxide levels, and MnSOD protein expression in young (4 to 7 months) and old (22 to 24 months) MnSOD+/+ and MnSOD-deficient (MnSOD+/-) mice. METHODS AND RESULTS Relaxation of aorta in vitro to the endothelium-dependent dilator acetylcholine (ACh) was similar in young MnSOD+/+ (n=9) and young MnSOD+/- (n=6) mice. This respo...

This study was initiated with the question: Do defects in neutrophil functions predispose patients with chronic bronchitis to their recurrent bacterial infections? Forty five patients with chronic bronchitis and recurrent bacterial infections were studied. A number of aspects of neutrophil functions reflecting migratory and phagocytic functions and oxidative metabolism were measured in vitro, o...

A chemiluminescence (CL) amplification platform based on HCC/Lucigenin&GOx (HLG) film was developed. Hollow structural calcium carbonate (HCC) particles were used as alternative materials for carrying both enzyme and CL reagent. The model enzyme (GOx), immobilized in confined space of HCC particles, exhibited an improved biocatalysis. The Michaelis constant (Km) and the enzymatic rate constant ...

Diabetes is associated with endothelial dysfunction and platelet activation, both of which contribute to increased cardiovascular risk. We investigated whether the selective mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist eplerenone improves endothelial dysfunction and reduces platelet activation in diabetic rats. Male Wistar-rats were injected with streptozotocin (50 mg/kg i.v.) to induce insulin-d...

The (pro)renin receptor (PRR) has recently been demonstrated to bind equally well renin and its precursor, prorenin, leading to a similar intracellular signaling independent of angiotensin II. In this study, we report that human embryonic kidney cells (HEK) exposed to renin or prorenin for 24 h in the presence of a blocking concentration of the angtiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor perindopr...

In order to evaluate the chemiluminescence (CL) reagents for selective detection of reactive oxygen species (ROS), we comprehensively measured the CL responses of 20 CL reagents (three luminol derivatives, two imidazopyrazinone derivatives, eight lophine derivatives, six acridinium ester derivatives and lucigenin) against six types of ROS (superoxide anion: O(2)(*-), hydroxyl radical: *OH, hydr...

The obligate intracellular pathogen Chlamydia pneumoniae is associated with chronic respiratory, atherosclerotic, and rheumatic disease. The alveolar macrophage (AM) is a potential target cell for the pathogen and may contribute to respiratory immunopathology. We therefore investigated in vitro the interaction between chlamydiae and macrophages with cocultures of C. pneumoniae and AM from 12 he...

The research question addressed in the current study was: do formoterol (1 and 10 nM) and montelukast (2 μM) possess interactive inhibitory effects on activated human neutrophils, particularly in relation to alterations in cyclic AMP and cytosolic Ca²(+) fluxes? Isolated human blood neutrophils were activated with the chemoattractant N-formyl-L-methionyl-L-leucyl-L-phenylalanine (fMLP) (1 μM) i...