During cerebral ischemia blood-brain barrier (BBB) disruption is a critical event leading to vasogenic edema and secondary brain injury. Gelatinases A and B are matrix metalloproteinases (MMP) able to open the BBB. The current study analyzes by zymography the early gelatinases expression and activation during permanent ischemia in mice (n = 15). ProMMP-9 expression was significantly (P < 0.001)...

The term 'cardiorenal syndrome' (CRS) has increasingly been used in recent years without a constant meaning and a well-accepted definition. To include the vast array of interrelated derangements, and to stress the bidirectional nature of the heart-kidney interactions, the classification of the CRS today includes 5 subtypes whose etymology reflects the primary and secondary pathology, the time f...

BACKGROUND Hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) is an endogenous signaling molecule with potent cytoprotective effects. The present study evaluated the therapeutic potential of H(2)S in murine models of heart failure. METHODS AND RESULTS Heart failure was induced by subjecting mice either to permanent ligation of the left coronary artery for 4 weeks or to 60 minutes of left coronary artery occlusion foll...

Myocardial ischemia activates cardiac spinal afferents that mediate chest pain and excitatory reflex cardiovascular responses. Platelets are activated during myocardial ischemia and release 5-hydroxytryptamine, which stimulates abdominal spinal afferents. This study investigated the role of activated platelets in excitation of cardiac spinal afferents during ischemia. Platelet-rich plasma (PRP)...

In the present study, we hypothesized that 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural could attenuate ischemic brain damage by reducing oxidative injury. Thus, mice were subjected to bilateral common carotid artery occlusion to establish a model of permanent forebrain ischemia. The mice were intraperitoneally injected with 5-hydroxymethyl-2-furfural 30 minutes before ischemia or 5 minutes after ischemia. The s...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Carnosine is a naturally occurring dipeptide with multiple neuroprotective properties. In addition, it is well tolerated in high doses with minimal side effects. The purposes of this study were to determine whether carnosine is neuroprotective in permanent focal cerebral ischemia and to determine potential mechanisms of neuroprotection. METHODS We investigated the effic...

To clarify the nature of ischemic striatal dopamine release during the earliest periods of neuronal injury, we used chronoamperometry to measure dopamine levels every 60 seconds during various durations of ischemia in 32 gerbils. Catecholamine-selective electrodes were implanted into the brains of anesthetized gerbils subjected to 2, 5, or 10 minutes of transient forebrain ischemia or permanent...

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE We describe a new rat model of temporary focal ischemia that produces neocortical ischemia without the need for prolonged anesthesia. METHODS Temporary focal cerebral ischemia was initiated during halothane anesthesia, maintained for varying periods without anesthesia, and reversed by clip removal requiring brief anesthesia. Tandem carotid and middle cerebral artery occ...

Myocardial ischemia activates cardiac sympathetic afferents leading to chest pain and reflex cardiovascular responses. Brief myocardial ischemia leads to ATP release in the interstitial space. Furthermore, exogenous ATP and α,β-methylene ATP (α,β-meATP), a P2X receptor agonist, stimulate cutaneous group III and IV sensory nerve fibers. The present study tested the hypothesis that endogenous ATP...