BACKGROUND Activation of innate pattern-recognition receptors promotes CD4+ T-cell-mediated autoimmune myocarditis and subsequent inflammatory cardiomyopathy. Mechanisms that counterregulate exaggerated heart-specific autoimmunity are poorly understood. METHODS AND RESULTS Experimental autoimmune myocarditis was induced in BALB/c mice by immunization with α-myosin heavy chain peptide and comp...

In the current study, the involvement of N-methyl-d-aspartate receptor (NMDAR) and nitric oxide (NO)/cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) system in the antidepressant-like effects of baclofen was evaluated by using animal model in forced swimming test. Followed by an open field test for the evaluation of locomotor activity, the immobility time for mice in force swimming test was recorded. Only...

Purpose/Objective. To investigate the effect of Actaea racemosa (AR) extract on in vitro osteogenic differentiation of rat bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells (BMSCs) via the ER/NO/cGMP signaling pathway. Methods/Materials. Rat BMSCs were treated with osteogenic differentiation-inducing medium containing AR; estrogen receptor antagonist, ICI 182,780 (10-6 mol/L); and nitric oxide synthase inhibi...

OBJECTIVE The objective was to examine whether nitric oxide signaling plays a role in human embryonic stem cell differentiation into neural cells. This article reviews current literature on nitric oxide signaling and neural stem cell differentiation for potential therapeutic application to peripheral nerve regeneration. METHODS Human embryonic H9-stem cells were grown, maintained on mitomycin...

MRL-I/r/I/r mice spontaneously develop various manifestations of autoimmunity indnding an inflammatory arthropathy and immune complex glomerulonephritis. This study examines the role of nitric oxide, a molecule with proinfhmmatory actions, in the pathogenesis of MRL1/r/I/r autoimmune disease. MRL-I/r/I/r mice excreted more urinary nitrite/nitrate (an in vivo marker of nitric oxide production) t...

The opportunistic human fungal pathogen Candida albicans can cause a variety of diseases, ranging from superficial mucosal infections to life-threatening systemic infections. Phagocytic cells of the innate immune response, such as neutrophils and macrophages, are important first-line responders to an infection and generate reactive oxygen and nitrogen species as part of their protective antimic...

It has been shown previously that endogenous nitric oxide can buffer arterial blood pressure variability in dogs and rats. In these former studies, all isoforms of the nitric oxide synthase were blocked pharmacologically and an increased blood pressure variability was observed. Thus the question as to which isoform of the nitric oxide synthase is responsible for the blood pressure buffering eff...