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Full-Text Articles in Life Sciences
Voltage-Gated Potassium Channel Dependent Mechanisms Of Cardiovascular Adaptation To Chronic Exercise., Sean Raph
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Exercise increases cardiac workload, escalating the demand for oxygen. The myocardial vasculature responds to the greater demand for oxygen by increasing blood flow to match the needs of the heart during augmented work. Increasing blood flow requires the coronary arteries dilate (a.k.a. vasodilation); this is mediated predominantly by vascular smooth muscle cell relaxation. Vasodilation is driven through inhibition of calcium influx into vascular smooth muscle cells. The prevention of calcium influx is largely mediated by efflux of potassium via potassium channels causing membrane hyperpolarization, which in turn closes voltage-dependent (or gated) calcium channels (VDCC). Changes in vascular smooth muscle cell …
Metabolic Foundations Of Exercise-Induced Cardiac Growth., Kyle Fulghum
Metabolic Foundations Of Exercise-Induced Cardiac Growth., Kyle Fulghum
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Regular aerobic exercise promotes physiological cardiac growth, which is an adaptive response thought to enable the heart to meet higher physical demands. Cardiac growth involves coordination of catabolic and anabolic activities to support ATP generation, macromolecule biosynthesis, and myocyte hypertrophy. Although previous studies suggest that exercise-induced reductions in cardiac glycolysis are critical for physiological myocyte hypertrophy, it remains unclear how exercise influences the many interlinked pathways of metabolism that support adaptive remodeling of the heart. In this thesis project, we tested the general hypothesis that aerobic exercise promotes physiological cardiac growth by coordinating myocardial metabolism to promote glucose-supported anabolic pathway …
Establishing The Efficacy Of Non-Cellular Components Of Adipose-Derived Stromal Vascular Fraction In Promoting Angiogenesis., Daniel Benson
Establishing The Efficacy Of Non-Cellular Components Of Adipose-Derived Stromal Vascular Fraction In Promoting Angiogenesis., Daniel Benson
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
Microvascular disease is hallmarked by pathophysiological conditions such as endothelial senescence, intimal thickening which impairs vasodilation, and regression of the capillary beds causing tissue ischemia in the myocardium or in peripheral vascular networks. Adipose-derived stromal vascular fraction (SVF) has previously demonstrated the ability to revascularize tissue. Increasing evidence shows that regenerative cells elicit their therapeutic benefit by paracrine mechanisms, leaving open extracellular vesicles (EVs) as a potential crux of the cell therapy paradigm. To test this idea, three types of gelatin methacrylate hydrogels were employed: SVF gels, EV gels derived from SVF, and blank control gels, which were used in-vitro …
Re-Engineering Cardio-Oncology Testing Using Biomimetic Heart Slice Cultures., Jessica Miller
Re-Engineering Cardio-Oncology Testing Using Biomimetic Heart Slice Cultures., Jessica Miller
Electronic Theses and Dissertations
28% of drug withdrawal from the market are due to unforeseen disruptions in cardiomyocyte contractility and electrophysiology. The most commonly used platforms for drug testing are in vivo animal models and in vitro cell culture models. While both have been of paramount importance for the discovery and detection of many cardiotoxicities and mechanisms of action, they lack the ability to model an intact human myocardium. This work aims to establish cardiac tissue slices, which are 300-micron thin tissue sections taken from the left ventricular myocardium, as an alternative platform for cardio-oncology studies, specifically cardiotoxicity testing. Additionally, this work aims to …