Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
 77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Statin drugs represent the major improvement in the treatment of hypercholesterolemia that constitutes the main origin of atherosclerosis, leading to coronary heart disease. Besides tremendous beneficial effects of statins, various forms of muscular toxicity (myalgia, cramp, exercise intolerance, and fatigability) occur frequently. We hypothesized that the iatrogenic effects of statins could result from alterations in Ca(2+) homeostasis. Acute applications of simvastatin on human skeletal muscle fibers triggered a Ca(2+) wave of intra-cellular Ca(2+) that mostly originates from sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+)-release. In addition, simvastatin increased mitochondrial NADH content and induced mitochondrial membrane depolarization (EC(50)=1.96 microM) suggesting an altered mitochondrial function. Consequently on simvastatin application, a weak mitochondrial Ca(2+) efflux (EC(50)=7.8 microM) through permeability transient pore and Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchanger was triggered, preceding the large SR-Ca(2+) release. Increased SR Ca(2+) content after acute application of statin is also suggested by the increased Ca(2+) spark amplitude and by the effect of cyclopiazonic acid. We thus conclude that simvastatin induced alterations in mitochondrial function which lead to an increase in cytoplasmic Ca(2+), SR-Ca(2+) overload, and Ca(2+) waves. Taken together, these statin-induced muscle dysregulations may contribute to myotoxicity.
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PMID:Simvastatin triggers mitochondria-induced Ca2+ signaling alteration in skeletal muscle. 1575 63

Several risk factors for coronary artery disease (CAD) induce atherosclerosis through endothelial activation and dysfunction, and ample evidence now suggests that the balance between production and removal of reactive oxygen species (ROS) - a condition termed oxidative stress - is implicated in such processes. A main source of ROS in vascular cells is the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H) oxidase system. This is a membrane-associated enzyme, composed of five subunits, catalyzing the one-electron reduction of oxygen, using NADH or NADPH as the electron donor. One of the system subunits, termed p22-phox, has a polymorphic site on exon 4, associated with variable enzyme activity. This polymorphism is generated by a point mutation (C(242)T) producing a substitution of histidine with tyrosine at position 72, which affects one of the heme binding sites essential for the NAD(P)H enzyme activity. The consequent decrease of superoxide production thus characterizes a phenotype candidate for conferring to the carrier a reduced susceptibility to CAD. At present, however, the body of evidence from current literature is not yet sufficient to confirm or exclude the hypothesis that the C(242)T polymorphism protects from CAD. The functional effects of this polymorphism and the potential and its pathophysiological consequences also need further investigation.
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PMID:Oxidative stress and cardiovascular risk: the role of vascular NAD(P)H oxidase and its genetic variants. 1586 42

Atherosclerosis, the primary cause of coronary artery disease (CAD), is a multifactorial disease, the molecular etiology of which involves interaction of many genes and environmental factors. Reactive oxygen species are integral to many cellular and biomolecular processes that are active in the transition of incipient fatty streaks into acute coronary syndromes. Animal models of atherosclerosis and correlative data from human studies support the oxidative stress hypothesis of atherosclerosis. However, the association of genetic polymorphisms that underlie enhanced oxidative stress with CAD is controversial. In this review, we discuss polymorphisms in genes that are main sources of reactive oxygen species generation (NADH oxidase, endothelial nitric oxide synthase, and myeloperoxidase) in mitochondria and the antioxidant enzymes paraoxonase, glutathione reductase, and heme oxygenase. The contribution of defined genetic variants involved in oxidative homeostasis to human atherosclerosis susceptibility is modest because regulation of oxidative stress is multifactorial. However, the contribution of genetic haplotypes in concert with environmental factors is likely significant. A more rigorous characterization of genetic and oxidative phenotypes together with characterization of novel gene polymorphisms may help in early therapeutic intervention for CAD.
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PMID:Genetic markers of oxidative stress and coronary atherosclerosis. 1664 Sep 54

A family of constitutive cell surface ECTO-NOX proteins capable of oxidizing reduced quinones, initially described as NADH oxidases, has offered an opportunity to formulate, for the first time, a complete electron transport chain from the cytosol to oxygen at the cell surface with the ECTO-NOX proteins acting as the terminal oxidases. The ECTO-NOX proteins of the cell surface have been postulated as well to link the accumulation of lesions in mitochondrial DNA to cell surface accumulations of reactive oxygen species as one consequence of their role as a terminal oxidase in a plasma membrane electron transport chain. Of the several ECTO-NOX proteins now known, one is a novel cell surface form (arNOX) associated with lymphocytes, sera, saliva and perspiration of patients of age 50 or older and is capable of directly reducing ferric cytochrome c through the generation of superoxide. Because of their cell surface location, ECTO-NOX proteins capable of superoxide generation in response to aging would serve to propagate the aging cascade both to adjacent cells and to oxidize circulating lipoproteins. The generation of superoxide associated with aging is inhibited by coenzyme Q10. As such, the findings provide a rational basis for the antiaging activity of circulating coenzyme Q10 in the prevention of atherosclerosis and other aging-related oxidative changes in cell membranes and circulating lipoproteins.
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PMID:Aging-related cell surface ECTO-NOX protein, arNOX, a preventive target to reduce atherogenic risk in the elderly. 1670 50

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the Western world. Its incidence has been increasing lately in developing countries. Several lines of evidence support a role for oxidative stress in atherogenesis. Growing evidence indicates that chronic and acute overproduction of reactive oxygen species (ROS) under pathophysiologic conditions is integral in the development of cardiovascular diseases (CVD). ROS mediate various signaling pathways that underlie vascular inflammation in atherogenesis from the initiation of fatty streak development through lesion progression to ultimate plaque rupture. Various animal models of oxidative stress support the notion that ROS have a causal role in atherosclerosis and other cardiovascular diseases. Human investigations also support the oxidative stress hypothesis of atherosclerosis. Oxidative stress is the unifying mechanism for many CVD risk factors, which additionally supports its central role in CVD. A main source of ROS in vascular cells is the reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide/nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H) oxidase system. This is a membrane-associated enzyme, composed of five subunits, catalyzing the one-electron reduction of oxygen, using NADH or NADPH as the electron donor. This system is an important target for genetic investigations. Identification of groups of patients with genetically prone or resistant of oxidative stress is therefore an obvious target of investigation. A better understanding of the complexity of cellular redox reactions, development of a new class of antioxidants targeted to specific subcellular sites, and the phenotype-genotype linkage analysis for oxidative stress will likely be avenues for future research with regards to the broader use of pharmacological therapies in the treatment and prevention of CVD.
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PMID:Oxidative stress and atherosclerosis. 1675 57

The NAD(P)H oxidase is an enzyme assembled at the cellular membrane able to produce superoxide anion from NADH or NAD(P)H (nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate). It is one of the main sources of superoxide anion in cardiovascular tissues and its role in a variety of cardiovascular disorders such as atherosclerosis, cardiac hypertrophy, and endothelial dysfunction was recently proposed. Although, many factors and receptors were shown to lead to the activation of the enzyme, particulary the type 1 angiotensin receptor, the pathways involved are still widely unknown. Despite the identification of factors such as c-Src and protein kinase C implicated in the acute activation of NAD(P)H oxidase, the signalling involved in the sustained activation of the enzyme is probably far more complex than was previously envisioned. In this review, we describe the role of endothelin-1 in NAD(P)H oxidase signalling after a sustained stimulation by angiotensin II. Since most pathologies caused by an NAD(P)H oxidase overactivation develop over a relatively long period of time, it is necessary to better understand the long-term signalling of the enzyme for the development or use of more specific therapeutic tools.
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PMID:The interrelation of the angiotensin and endothelin systems on the modulation of NAD(P)H oxidase. 1684 87

Low ethanol intake is known to have a beneficial effect on cardiovascular disease. In cardiovascular disease, insulin resistance leads to altered glucose and lipid metabolism resulting in an increased production of aldehydes, including methylglyoxal. Aldehydes react non-enzymatically with sulfhydryl and amino groups of proteins forming advanced glycation end products (AGEs), altering protein structure and function. These alterations cause endothelial dysfunction with increased cytosolic free calcium, peripheral vascular resistance, and blood pressure. AGEs produce atherogenic effects including oxidative stress, platelet adhesion, inflammation, smooth muscle cell proliferation and modification of lipoproteins. Low ethanol intake attenuates hypertension and atherosclerosis but the mechanism of this effect is not clear. Ethanol at low concentrations is metabolized by low Km alcohol dehydrogenase and aldehyde dehydrogenase, both reactions resulting in the production of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (NADH). This creates a reductive environment, decreasing oxidative stress and secondary production of aldehydes through lipid peroxidation. NADH may also increase the tissue levels of the antioxidants cysteine and glutathione, which bind aldehydes and stimulate methylglyoxal catabolism. Low ethanol improves insulin resistance, increases high-density lipoprotein and stimulates activity of the antioxidant enzyme, paraoxonase. In conclusion, we suggest that chronic low ethanol intake confers its beneficial effect mainly through its ability to increase antioxidant capacity and lower AGEs.
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PMID:Beneficial effect of low ethanol intake on the cardiovascular system: possible biochemical mechanisms. 1732 32

Peroxisome proliferator activated receptors (PPARs) are a class of nuclear receptors now actively investigated for their involvement in lipid and glucidic metabolism, immune regulation and cell differentiation. Drugs binding and activating PPARs are therefore attracting attention for their potential therapeutic role in various diseases like type 2 diabetes, dyslipidemias, atherosclerosis, obesity (i.e., metabolic syndrome). Agonists of these receptors have been already used in therapeutic protocols: fibrates (PPAR-alpha ligands) are being used in hyperlipidemias, and thiazolidinediones (mainly PPAR-gamma ligands) are being employed as insulin sensitizers. The latter drugs introduction into therapy, however, showed very soon some unwanted effects (hepatotoxicity at first and myocardiotoxicity later on) which confirmed some contradictory data already suggested by pre-clinical trial-experiments. In this study we show that some PPAR ligands impair mitochondrial oxidative metabolism in human liver cell line mainly by deranging NADH oxidation. Intriguingly, the PPAR-gamma ligand ciglitazone caused a dose-dependent inhibition of NADH-cytochrome c reductase that resulted, at a drug concentration of 50 microM, of about 60% (P<0.001), while other PPAR ligands with different receptor affinity - positive controls like clofibrate (0.7 mM), gemfibrozil (0.23 mM) and bezafibrate (1 mM) - reduced the activity of mitochondrial Complex I by about 20% (P<0.01, P<0.01 and P<0.05, respectively). The induced mitochondrial dysfunction imposed a series of metabolic compensatory adaptations characterized by a significant shift to anaerobic glycolysis. These findings underline the undervalued non-genomic effects of PPAR ligands and can provide a better understanding of the pharmacotoxicological profiles of these drugs and of their roles in the therapy of diabetes mellitus.
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PMID:Mitochondria, ciglitazone and liver: a neglected interaction in biochemical pharmacology. 1749 14

Endothelial dysfunction plays an important role in all stages of atherosclerosis, and is characterized by an increased activity of vasoconstricting factors, proinflammatory and prothrombotic mediators. The aim of the review is to evaluate the role of angiotensin II (Ang II) and especially of angiotensin type 1 (AT1) receptor in inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. Ang II with AT(1) receptor are through several mechanisms implicated in the progression of atherosclerosis. Stimulation of AT(1) receptor increases oxidative stress especially through activation of NADH/NADPH oxidase in the vascular cells. Oxidative stress is associated with activation of the inflammatory processes. Ang II via AT(1) receptor increases expression of adhesion molecules and stimulates the induction of monocyte chemoattractant protein-1 (MCP-1). AT(1) receptor enhances the activation of nuclear factor NF-kappaB, which stimulates the production of proinflammatory cytokines. Proinflammatory cytokines on the other side may induce acute-phase response in the liver. Activation of AT(1) receptor via inducible cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 promotes biosynthesis of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs). Ang II is implicated in the process of angiogenesis. Via AT(1) receptor takes part in the regulation of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), which is one of the most angiogenic factors and stimulates the activity of endothelial progenitor cells (EPC). Recently some patents were reported discussing role of different compounds for the treatment of cardiovascular disease, renovascular disease nephropathy, peripheral vascular disease, portal hypertension and ophthalmic disorders, are cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors.
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PMID:The role of angiotensin type 1 receptor in inflammation and endothelial dysfunction. 1822 Oct 99

A mutant allele quantitative assay was developed to study somatic mitochondrial mutations associated with human diseases. This assay may be used in the clinical diagnostics for diseases associated with somatic mutations. To detect somatic mutations associated with atherosclerotic lesions of the aortal intima, we analyzed 40 mitochondrial mutations previously identified in several pathological conditions. 10 mutations associated with lipofibrosis plaques were found in mitochondrial genes that encode rRNA 12S, tRNA-Leu (UUR recognition codon), tRNA-Leu (CUN recognition codon), subunits of 1, 2, 5, and 6 NADH-dehydrogenase, and cytochrome B.
Atherosclerosis 2009 May
PMID:Studies of the human aortic intima by a direct quantitative assay of mutant alleles in the mitochondrial genome. 1884 29


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