Recent in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that the chemokine fractalkine is widely expressed in the brain and localized principally to neurons. Central nervous system expression of CX(3)CR1, the only known receptor for fractalkine, has been demonstrated exclusively on microglia and astrocytes. Thus, it has been proposed that fractalkine regulates cellular communication between neurons (tha...

OBJECTIVE The chemokine fractalkine activates platelets and induces leukocyte adhesion to the endothelium. Expression of fractalkine and its receptor, CX3CR1, is elevated in coronary artery disease. We assessed the effects of fractalkine on vascular function in isolated rat aorta. METHODS AND RESULTS CX3CR1 expression was demonstrated in rat aortic endothelial and smooth muscle cells by immun...

Chemokines released by the endothelium have proaggregatory properties on platelets. Fractalkine, a recently discovered membrane-bound chemokine with a transmembrane domain, is expressed in vascular injury; however, the effects of fractalkine on platelets have not yet been investigated. Blood was taken from healthy Wistar-Kyoto rats and the expression of the fractalkine receptor on platelets was...

Fibromyalgia is a form of non-articular rheumatism in which inflammatory cytokines seem to be involved. However, there is still no analytical specific diagnostic criterion for this disease. The aim was to examine a possible role of fractalkine as a biomarker in fibromyalgia. Plasma levels of soluble fractalkine were compared between women diagnosed with fibromyalgia (n=17) and healthy women (n=...

BACKGROUND We previously reported that fractalkine was upregulated in streptozotocin-induced diabetic kidneys. Fractalkine in diabetic kidneys was detected on glomerular capillaries and the mesangium. This upregulation was suppressed by treatment with angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor (ACE-I) or aminoiguanidine. We examined what factors induce fractalkine upregulation in normal rat glomer...

BACKGROUND Excessive exposure to light enhances the progression and severity of some human retinal degenerative diseases. While retinal microglia are likely to be important in neuron damage associated with these diseases, the relationship between photoreceptor damage and microglial activation remains poorly understood. Some recent studies have indicated that the chemokine fractalkine is involve...

The chemokine fractalkine is considered as unique since it exists both as membrane-bound adhesion molecule and as shed soluble chemoattractant. Here the hypothesis was tested whether placental fractalkine can be shed and released into the maternal circulation. Immunohistochemical staining of human first trimester and term placenta sections localized fractalkine at the apical microvillous plasma...

Up-regulation of fractalkine is involved in vascular and tissue damage in inflammatory conditions. Resveratrol has been shown to have anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, and antitumor activities. Its regulatory effects on expression of fractalkine in vascular endothelial cells and fractalkine receptor CX3CR1 in monocytes have not been studied. We evaluated the effects of resveratrol on fractalkine ...

Fractalkine is a chemokine, which has been shown to play important roles in metabolic disease in both animal models and humans. Fractalkine is a key player in the accumulation of atherosclerotic plaques, and fractalkine receptor (CX3CR1) mutations have been implicated in obesity. Serum fractalkine levels have been found to be elevated in type 2 diabetic patients, but the role of fractalkine sig...

Background: Fractalkine expressed on endothelial cells mediates activation and adhesion of leucocytes expressing its receptor, CX3CR1. Soluble fractalkine exhibits chemotactic activity for leucocytes expressing CX3CR1. Objective: To determine the role of fractalkine and its receptor in systemic sclerosis (SSc) by assessing their expression levels in patients with this disease. Methods: The expr...