Although the involvement of free radicals in the development of endothelial dysfunction under pathological conditions, like diabetes and hypercholesterolemia, has been proposed frequently, there is limited knowledge as to how superoxide anions (O2 ) might affect endothelial signal transduction. In this study, we investigated the effects of preincubation with the O2 -generating system xanthine o...

Vascular superoxide anion (O(2)(*-)) levels are increased in DOCA-salt hypertensive rats. We hypothesized that the endothelin (ET)-1-induced generation of ROS in the aorta and resistance arteries of DOCA-salt rats originates partly from xanthine oxidase (XO) and mitochondria. Accordingly, we blocked XO and the mitochondrial oxidative phosphorylation chain to investigate their contribution to RO...

Exocytosis from Weibel-Palade bodies, the secretory granules of vascular endothelial cells, causes the rapid release of von Willebrand factor (vWF), an adhesive glycoprotein involved in primary hemostasis, and cell surface expression of P-selectin, a membrane protein involved in neutrophil binding. Thus, exocytosis may represent a link between hemostasis and inflammation. We investigated the ef...

Generation of DeltaPsi (membrane potential) by cytochrome oxidase proteoliposomes oxidizing superoxide-reduced cytochrome c has been demonstrated. XO+HX (xanthine oxidase and hypoxanthine) were used to produce superoxide. It was found that the generation of DeltaPsi is completely abolished by cyanide (an uncoupler) or by superoxide dismutase, and is enhanced by nigericin. Addition of ascorbate ...

This study evaluated the impact of professional training on serum oxidant and antioxidant status in adolescent endurance athletes and compared it with that of untrained individuals. Firstly, serum thiobarbituric-acid-reactive substances (TBARSs), xanthine oxidase (XO), catalase (CAT), reduced glutathione (GSH), superoxide dismutase (SOD), and total antioxidant capacity (T-AOC) were measured in ...

The X-linked Stellate locus contains two major size classes of a tandemly repeated gene. An example of each class has been sequenced. The steady-state level of Stellate RNA is much higher in XO testis than in XY testis. Sequencing of six cDNA clones derived from XO testis RNA shows that there are two major introns in the Stellate genes. Primer extension and RNase protection analyses show that t...

We present HATNet observations of XO-5b, confirming its planetary nature based on evidence beyond that described in the announcement of Burke et al. (2008), namely, the lack of significant correlation between spectral bisector variations and orbital phase. In addition, using extensive spectroscopic measurements spanning multiple seasons, we investigate the relatively large scatter in the spectr...

The aim of the present study was to examine the effect of the traditional Chinese medicine Qili qiangxin on cardiomyocyte apoptosis following myocardial infarction (MI) in a rat model. MI was induced in rats by ligation of the anterior descending coronary artery. Survivors were randomly divided into the sham operation, MI, and Qili qiangxin groups (4 g/kg per day). After 28 days, infarction siz...

This study investigated the 1-year longitudinal effect of professional training in adolescent runners on redox balance during intense endurance exercise. Changes in selected serum oxidant and antioxidant status in response to a 21-km running time trial in 10 runners (15.5 ± 1.3 years) undergoing professional training were evaluated twice in 12 months (pre- and post-evaluation). Venous blood sam...

Several studies suggest that chronic hyperuricemia, the main precursor of gout, is involved in the pathogenesis of different systemic disorders that affect cardiovascular and renal systems, such as hypertension, obesity, hypercholesterolemia, atherosclerosis, metabolic syndrome, chronic heart failure, and chronic kidney disease. Recent epidemiological evidence has shown an increasing trend in t...