Anti smooth

Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family members are responsible for endothelial cells' growth, proliferation, migration, angiogenesis, vascular permeability, and differentiation and proliferation of non-endothelial cell types. VEGF and its receptors are found in mammalian lymphoid organs. The present study was conceived to determine (a) the presence and localization of angiogenic VEGF and its receptors (Fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 [Flt1/fms], fetal liver kinase 1 [Flk1]/kinase insert domain receptor [KDR], Fms-like tyrosine kinase 4 [Flt4]) and vascular endothelial growth inhibitor (VEGI) in the quail spleen; and (b) whether their expressions in the spleen components change during the post-hatching growth of the organ, using immunohistochemistry...

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is a progressive and life-threatening disease that is characterized by vascular remodeling of the pulmonary artery. Pulmonary vascular remodeling is primarily caused by the excessive proliferation and migration of pulmonary arterial smooth muscle cells (PASMCs), which are facilitated by perivascular inflammatory cells including macrophages. Corosolic acid (CRA) is a natural pentacyclic triterpenoid that exerts anti-inflammatory effects. In the present study, the effects of CRA on the viability of macrophages were examined using monocrotaline (MCT)-induced PAH rats and human monocyte-derived macrophages...

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) pose a significant global health threat due to their complex pathogenesis and high incidence, imposing a substantial burden on global healthcare systems. Integrins, a group of heterodimers consisting of α and β subunits that are located on the cell membrane, have emerged as key players in mediating the occurrence and progression of CVDs by regulating the physiological activities of endothelial cells, vascular smooth muscle cells, platelets, fibroblasts, cardiomyocytes, and various immune cells...

Vascular cognitive impairment and dementia (VCID) represents a broad spectrum of cognitive decline secondary to cerebral vascular aging and injury. It is the second most common type of dementia, and the prevalence continues to increase. Nuclear factor erythroid 2-related factor 2 (NRF2) is enriched in the cerebral vasculature and has diverse roles in metabolic balance, mitochondrial stabilization, redox balance, and anti-inflammation. In this review, we first briefly introduce cerebrovascular aging in VCID and the NRF2 pathway...

Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) has evolved into a dangerous pathogen resistant to beta-lactam antibiotics (BLAs) and has become a worrisome superbug. In this study, a strategy in which shikimic acid (SA), which has anti-inflammatory and antibacterial activity, is combined with BLAs to restart BLA activity was proposed for MRSA treatment. The synergistic effects of oxacillin combined with SA against oxacillin resistance in vitro and in vivo were investigated. The excellent synergistic effect of the oxacillin and SA combination was confirmed by performing the checkerboard assay, time-killing assay, live/dead bacterial cell viability assay, and assessing protein leakage...

OBJECTIVE: To investigate the effects of barbed and conventional sutures on reproductive outcomes and ovarian reserve after laparoscopic treatment for benign non-endometrioma ovarian cysts. METHODS: This retrospective study was conducted at an affiliated women's hospital between May 2017 and December 2019. Patients with benign non-endometriotic ovarian cysts undergoing laparoscopic cystectomy were included. RESULTS: Patients received barbed sutures (221 patients) or conventional smooth sutures (203 patients) intraoperatively...

During pregnancy, uterine vasculature undergoes significant circumferential growth to increase uterine blood flow, vital for the growing feto-placental unit. However, this process is often compromised in conditions like maternal high blood pressure, particularly in preeclampsia (PE), leading to fetal growth impairment. Currently, there is no cure for PE, partly due to the adverse effects of anti-hypertensive drugs on maternal and fetal health. This study aimed to investigate the vasodilator effect of extra virgin olive oil (EVOO) phenols on the reproductive vasculature, potentially benefiting both mother and fetus...

Cervical cancer (CC) is the fourth leading cancer among women and is one of the principal gynecological malignancies. In the tumor microenvironment, cancer-associated fibroblasts (CAFs) play a crucial role during malignant progression, exhibiting a variety of heterogeneous phenotypes. CAFs express phenotypic markers like fibroblast activation protein (FAP), vimentin, S100A4, α-smooth muscle actin (αSMA), and functional markers such as MMP9. This study aimed to evaluate the protein expression of vimentin, S100A4, αSMA, FAP, and MMP9 in mesenchymal stem cells (MSC)-CAF cells, as well as in cervical cancer samples...

Spring viremia of carp virus (SVCV), as a high pathogenicity pathogen, has seriously restricts the healthy and sustainable development of cyprinid farming industry. In this study, we selected 5-Fluorouracil (5-Fu) as the drug model based on zeolitic imidazolate framework-8 (ZIF-8) to construct a drug delivery system (5-Fu@ZIF-8), and the anti-SVCV activity was detected in vitro and in vivo. The results showed 5-Fu@ZIF-8 was uniform cubic particle with truncated angle and smooth surface, and the particle size was 90 nm...

An effective pulmonary hypertension (PH) treatment should combine antiproliferative and vasodilator effects. We characterized a wide-range of drugs comparing their anti-proliferative vs vasodilator effects in human and rat pulmonary artery smooth muscle cells (PASMC). Key findings: 1) Approved PH drugs (PDE5 inhibitors, sGC stimulators and PGI2 agonists) are preferential vasodilators. 2) cGMP stimulators were more effective in cells derived from hypertensive rats. 3) Nifedipine acted equally as vasodilator and antiproliferative...

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerosis (AS) is a multifaceted disease characterized by disruptions in lipid metabolism, vascular inflammation, and the involvement of diverse cellular constituents. Recent investigations have progressively underscored the role of microRNA (miR) dysregulation in cardiovascular diseases, notably AS. Proprotein convertase subtilisin/kexin type 9 inhibitors (PCSK9i) can effectively reduce circulating levels of low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) and lipoprotein (a) [Lp (a)], potentially fostering a more enduring phenotype for AS plaques...

BACKGROUND: Enteral nimodipine is the most evidence-based and widely used drug for the treatment of delayed cerebral ischemia and is known to have various neuroprotective functions. However, the neuroprotective mechanism of nimodipine still remains unclear, and the effects of nimodipine remain ambiguous. Herein, we studied the effect of enteral nimodipine on endothelial apoptosis after subarachnoid hemorrhage (SAH). METHODS: SAH was experimentally introduced in white rabbits (n = 42) that were grouped as follows: enteral nimodipine (SAH-nimodipine group, n = 14), a control that received normal saline (SAH-saline group, n = 13), and a control without hemorrhage (control group, n = 15)...

INTRODUCTION: Congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is a complex congenital disorder, characterized by pulmonary hypertension (PH) and hypoplasia. PH secondary to CDH (CDH-PH) features devastating morbidity and mortality (25-30%) among neonates. An unmet need is determining mechanisms triggering CDH-PH to save infants. Prior data suggest abnormal remodeling of the pulmonary vascular extracellular matrix (ECM), presumed to be driven by endothelial-to-mesenchymal transition (EndoMT), hinders postnatal vasodilation and limits anti-PH therapy in CDH...

Renal fibrosis (RF) is an important pathogenesis for renal function deterioration in chronic kidney disease. Secreted frizzled-related protein 5 (SFRP5) is an anti-fibrotic adipokine but its direct role on RF remains unknown. It was aimed to study the protective effect of SFRP5 against RF and interference with Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway for the first time. First, the therapeutic efficacy of SFRP5 was evaluated by adenovirus overexpression in rats with unilateral ureteral obstruction (UUO) in vivo ...

Objective: To investigate the effects of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphooxidase 4 (NOX4) inhibitors GKT137831 and M2-type macrophages on oxidative stress markers NOX4, nuclear factor E2-related factor 2 (Nrf2) and heme oxygenase 1 (HO-1) in the rat hepatic stellate cell line (HSC-T6). Methods: Rat bone marrow macrophages were extracted and induced using interleukin (IL)-4 to differentiate them into M2 phenotype macrophages. HSC-T6 activation was performed with 5 μg/L transforming growth factor β1 (TGF-β1)...

Pancreatic ductal adenocarcinoma (PDAC) is the most lethal malignancy worldwide owing to its complex tumour microenvironment and dense physical barriers. Stromal-derived factor-1 (SDF-1), which is abundantly secreted by tumour stromal cells, plays a pivotal role in promoting PDAC growth and metastasis. In this study, we investigated the impact and molecular mechanisms of the anti-PD-L1&CXCR4 bispecific nanobody on the TME and their consequent interference with PDAC progression. We found that blocking the SDF-1/CXCR4 signalling pathway delayed the epithelial-mesenchymal transition in pancreatic cancer cells...

During early development, the enteric nervous system forms from the migration of enteric neural crest cells (ENCCs) from the foregut to the hindgut, where they undergo proliferation and differentiation facilitated by interactions with enteric mesenchymal cells (EMCs). This study investigates the impact on ENCC migration of EMC-ENCC communication mediated by GFRA1b expressed in EMCs. GFRA1-expressing cells in day 11-12 (E11-12) mouse embryos differentiated into smooth muscle cells from E12 onwards. Observations at E12-13...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Atherosclerosis is the primary underlying cause of myocardial infarction and stroke, which are the major causes of death globally. Heparanase (Hpse) is a pro-inflammatory extracellular matrix degrading enzyme that has been implicated in atherogenesis. However, to date the precise roles of Hpse in atherosclerosis and its mechanisms of action are not well defined. This study aims to provide new insights into the contribution of Hpse in different stages of atherosclerosis in vivo...

The Regional Indian Ocean model based on Modular Ocean Model (MOM4p1) was used to understand the importance of a realistic representation of bathymetry on Ocean General Circulation. The model has 1/4° uniform horizontal resolution and is forced with Coordinated Ocean-Ice Reference Experiments (CORE-II) inter-annual forcing with two simulations named BLND (realistic bathymetry) and OM3 (smoothed bathymetry), which only differ in the representation of bathymetry for the years 1992-2005. We also used recent reanalysis products from ORAS5 and SODA3 and ADCP observation to compare the subsurface currents...

INTRODUCTION: Morocco is carrying out several actions to generalize basic compulsory health insurance (CHI). Managing this project requires coordination, information sharing, and the commitment of all actors to the goal of covering an additional 22 million people. One of the key factors for achieving this objective is the implementation of a unified registration system. PURPOSE OF THE RESEARCH: The aim is to analyze the existing situation and the feasibility of implementing a unified registration system, and to describe the potential positive impact of the latter on the extension of CHI...