Podocalyxin represents a Wilms' tumor suppressor protein (WT1)-regulated differentiation marker for glomerular epithelium. We provide evidence concerning mechanisms involved in the regulation of podocalyxin expression following long-term exposure to increased (25 mM) glucose levels. Prolonged culture of conditionally immortalized human podocytes in 25 mM glucose induced suppression of podocalyx...

Sepsis is a systemic inflammatory response commonly caused by bacterial infection. We demonstrated that the outcome of sepsis induced by cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) correlates with the severity of the neutrophil migration failure towards infectious focus. Failure appears to be due to a decrease in the rolling and adhesion of neutrophil to endothelium cells. It seems that neutrophil migrat...

OBJECTIVES An increase in nitric oxide (NO) production has been reported in cirrhotic cardiomyopathy and, portal hypertension. Since minocycline has been shown to inhibit NO overproduction, we aimed to examine its role in a rat model of CCl4-induced cirrhotic cardiovascular complications. MATERIALS AND METHODS Portal pressure and inotropic responsiveness of isolated papillary muscles to isopr...

BACKGROUND Hyperglycaemia is a salient feature of poorly controlled diabetes mellitus. Rate of protein glycation is increased with hyperglycaemia leading to long term complications of diabetes. One approach of controlling blood glucose in diabetes targets at reducing the postprandial spikes of blood glucose. The objectives of this study were to assess the in vitro inhibitory effects of Costus s...

Recently, we demonstrated that the diffusible messenger molecule nitric oxide (NO) is involved in the hyperthermic response induced by morphine by using a nonselective nitric-oxide synthase inhibitor, N-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester. The present work extended these studies to include 7-nitroindazole (7-NI), an inhibitor specific for neuronal nitric-oxide synthase (nNOS), N(5)-(-iminoethyl)-L-or...

Putrescine is the major source of y-aminobutyric acid (GABA) in the rat adrenal gland. Diamine oxidase, and not monoamine oxidase, is essential for GABA formation from putrescine in the adrenal gland. Aminoguanidine, a diamine oxidase inhibitor, decreases the GABA concentration in the adrenal gland by more then 70 % after 4 h, and almost to zero in 24 h. Studies using [14C]putrescine confirm th...

Whereas controversial, several studies have suggested that nitric oxide (NO) alters cardiac contractility via cGMP, peroxynitrite, or poly(ADP ribose) synthetase (PARS) activation. This study determined whether burn-related upregulation of myocardial inducible NO synthase (iNOS) and NO generation contributes to burn-mediated cardiac contractile dysfunction. Mice homozygous null for the iNOS gen...

The role of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) in the modulation of adipocyte lipolysis was investigated. Treatment of white and brown adipose cell lines and mouse adipose explants with a mixture of tumor necrosis factor-alpha, interferon-gamma, and lipopolysaccharide (LPS) doubled the lipolytic rate, and this was associated with marked induction of iNOS expression and nitric oxide (NO) pro...

The purpose of this study is to determine whether aspirin can reduce interleukin-1beta(IL-1beta) concentration and exert protective effects against heatstroke. The heatstroke rat model was established through exposing rat to a high ambient temperature (HAT, Ta 41 degrees C, relative humidity 65%) in a simulative HAT chamber to induce heatstroke. Three parts were performed in the present experim...

Hyperglycemia may contribute directly to pericyte loss and capillary leakage in early diabetic retinopathy. To elucidate relative contributions of glycation, glycoxidation, sugar autoxidation, osmotic stress and metabolic effects in glucose-mediated capillary damage, we tested the effects of D-glucose, L-glucose, mannitol and the potentially protective effects of aminoguanidine on cultured bovi...