Medicine and Health Sciences Commons^™

Role Of Neuronal Nitric Oxide Synthase On Cardiovascular Functions In Physiological And Pathophysiological States, Ahmmed Ally, Isabella Powell, Minora M. Ally, Kevin Chaitoff, Surya M. Nauli

Pharmacy Faculty Articles and Research

This review describes and summarizes the role of neuronal nitric oxide synthase (nNOS) on the central nervous system, particularly on brain regions such as the ventrolateral medulla (VLM) and the periaqueductal gray matter (PAG), and on blood vessels and the heart that are involved in the regulation and control of the cardiovascular system (CVS). Furthermore, we shall also review the functional aspects of nNOS during several physiological, pathophysiological, and clinical conditions such as exercise, pain, cerebral vascular accidents or stroke and hypertension. For example, during stroke, a cascade of molecular, neurochemical, and cellular changes occur that affect the nervous system …

Microvascular Endothelial Cells-Derived Microvesicles Imply In Ischemic Stroke By Modulating Astrocyte And Blood Brain Barrier Function And Cerebral Blood Flow, Qunwen Pan, Caixia He, Hua Liu, Xiaorong Liao, Bingyan Dai, Yanfang Chen, Yi Yang, Bin Zhao, Ji C. Bihl, Xiaotang Ma

Pharmacology and Toxicology Faculty Publications

Background

Endothelial cell (EC) released microvesicles (EMVs) can affect various target cells by transferring carried genetic information. Astrocytes are the main components of the blood brain barrier (BBB) structure in the brain and participate in regulating BBB integrity and blood flow. The interactions between ECs and astrocytes are essential for BBB integrity in homeostasis and pathological conditions. Here, we studied the effects of human brain microvascular ECs released EMVs on astrocyte functions. Additionally, we investigated the effects of EMVs treated astrocytes on regulating BBB function and cerebral ischemic damage.

Results

EMVs prepared from ECs cultured in normal condition (n-EMVs) or …

Epc-Derived Microvesicles Protect Cardiomyocytes From Ang Ii-Induced Hypertrophy And Apoptosis, Shenhong Gu, Wei Zhang, Ji Chen, Ruilian Ma, Xiang Xiao, Xiaotang Ma, Zhen Yao, Yanfang Chen

Pharmacology and Toxicology Faculty Publications

Cell-released microvesicles (MVs) represent a novel way of cell-to-cell communication. Previous evidence indicates that endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs)-derived MVs can modulate endothelial cell survival and proliferation. In this study, we evaluated whether EPC-MVs protect cardiomyocytes (CMs) against angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced hypertrophy and apoptosis. The H9c2 CMs were exposed to Ang II in the presence or absence of EPC-MVs. Cell viability, apoptosis, surface area and β-myosin heavy chain (β-MHC) expression were analyzed. Meanwhile, reactive oxygen species (ROS), serine/threonine kinase (Akt), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), and their phosphorylated proteins (p-Akt, p-eNOS) were measured. Phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase (PI3K) and NOS inhibitors were used …

Hypoxia/Aglycemia-Induced Endothelial Barrier Dysfunction And Tight Junction Protein Downregulation Can Be Ameliorated By Citicoline, Xiaotang Ma, Huiting Zhang, Qunwen Pan, Yuhui Zhao, Ji Chen, Yanfang Chen

Pharmacology and Toxicology Faculty Publications

This study explores the effect of citicoline on the permeability and expression of tight junction proteins (TJPs) in endothelial cells under hypoxia/aglycemia conditions. Hypoxia or oxygen and glucose deprivation (OGD) was utilized to induce endothelial barrier breakdown model on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and mouse brain microvascular endothelial cells (bEnd.3s). The effect of citicoline on endothelial barrier breakdown models was determined at either low or high concentrations. FITC-Dextran flux was used to examine the endothelial permeability. The expression of TJPs was measured by immunofluorescence, Real-time PCR and Western Blot methods. Results showed that hypoxia or OGD increased the …

The Anti-Angiogenic Effects Of Sparstolonin B, Henry Rhodes Bateman

Theses and Dissertations

Sparstolonin B (SsnB) is a novel bioreactive compound isolated from Sparganium stoloniferum, an herb historically used in Traditional Chinese Medicine as an anti-tumor agent. SsnB has demonstrated anti-inflammatory properties, inhibiting Toll-like receptor mediated inflammation in isolated macrophages and in mice. Angiogenesis, the process of new capillary formation from existing blood vessels, is dysregulated in many pathological disorders, including atherosclerosis, diabetic retinopathy, and tumor growth. The goal of the project was to investigate the anti-angiogenic effects of SsnB.

The first part of the project utilized in vitro functional assays to study how SsnB affected endothelial cells. SsnB inhibited endothelial cell tube …