Oxidative stress mediated by prooxidants has been implicated in the pathogenesis of vascular disorders. However, the effect of prooxidants on myogenic regulation of vascular function and the differential influence of gender is not known. SOD, an intracellular enzyme, restricts excess prooxidant levels and may limit vascular dysfunction. We therefore tested the effects of Cu,Zn SOD deficiency on...

Taurine, an ubiquitary amino acid in the organism, has important physiological functions like bile salt formation, neuronal excitability regulation, immunomodulation, electrolytes homeostasis preservation, osmoregulation, membrane stabilisation, apoptosis inhibition and cell protection. This review article is focusing on the complex vasoactive influence of the sulphur-amino acid and on the poss...

Ion channels in the plasma membrane of vascular muscle cells that form the walls of resistance arteries and arterioles play a central role in the regulation of vascular tone. Current evidence indicates that vascular smooth muscle cells express at least 4 different types of K(+) channels, 1 to 2 types of voltage-gated Ca(2+) channels, >/=2 types of Cl(-) channels, store-operated Ca(+) (SOC) chan...