Our purpose was to evaluate hyporesponsivity to nitric oxide (NO)-induced dilation in small arterioles during nitrate tolerance. An Alza osmotic pump was implanted in the left flank of adult rats (n = 56) for continuous administration of nitroglycerin (140 microg/h) or vehicle (propylene glycol). On postoperative day 3, arcade (approximately 50-microm diameter) and terminal (approximately 20 mi...

Fluorescence spectroscopy and microscopy have been used extensively to monitor biomolecules, especially reactive oxygen species (ROS) and, more recently, reactive sulfide (RSS) species. Nearly all fluorophores are either excited by or emit light between 450 and 550 nm, which is similar to the absorbance of heme proteins and metal-centered porphyrins. Here we examined the effects of catalase (Ca...

Bisphenol A (BPA), used in the manufacture of products based on polycarbonate plastics and epoxy resins, is well known as an endocrine-disrupting monomer. In the current study, BPA increased cytotoxicity in hBMSCs in a dose- and time-dependent manner, concomitantly with increased lipid peroxidation. Increased cell death in BPA-treated cells was markedly blocked by pretreatment with the superoxi...

Angiotensin II (Ang II) and platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) are associated with excessive cell migration, proliferation and many growth-related diseases. However, whether these agents utilise similar mechanisms to trigger vascular pathologies remains to be explored. The effects of Ang II and PDGF-BB on coronary artery smooth muscle cell (CASMC) migration and proliferation were inves...

Pristimerin is a quinonemethide triterpenoid with the potential of a promising anticancer agent. Pristimerin (PM) has shown anticancer activity against a range of cancer cell lines, but its activity for prostate cancer has not been adequately investigated. In the present study we have examined the underlying mechanisms of the apoptotic response of the hormone-sensitive (LNCaP) and hormone-refra...