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Query: UMLS:C0004153 (atherosclerosis)
77,401 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Emerging evidence indicates that reactive oxygen species, especially superoxide and hydrogen peroxide, are important signaling molecules in cardiovascular cells. Their production is regulated by hormone-sensitive enzymes such as the vascular NAD(P)H oxidases, and their metabolism is coordinated by antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase, catalase, and glutathione peroxidase. Both of these reactive oxygen species serve as second messengers to activate multiple intracellular proteins and enzymes, including the epidermal growth factor receptor, c-Src, p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, Ras, and Akt/protein kinase B. Activation of these signaling cascades and redox-sensitive transcription factors leads to induction of many genes with important functional roles in the physiology and pathophysiology of vascular cells. Thus, reactive oxygen species participate in vascular smooth muscle cell growth and migration; modulation of endothelial function, including endothelium-dependent relaxation and expression of a proinflammatory phenotype; and modification of the extracellular matrix. All of these events play important roles in vascular diseases such as hypertension and atherosclerosis, suggesting that the sources of reactive oxygen species and the signaling pathways that they modify may represent important therapeutic targets.
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PMID:Modulation of protein kinase activity and gene expression by reactive oxygen species and their role in vascular physiology and pathophysiology. 1103 Dec 1

ADVERSE EFFECTS OF OXYGEN: Adverse effect of oxygen on anaerobes implies oxidation of the basic cell constituents NAD(P)H, thiols, iron-sulphur proteins, pteridines and others) and inactivation of the essential components of the active site of enzymes. Oxygen can also adversely affect the aerobes, especially if long-term influence is taken into consideration, while exposition to high-pressure oxygen causes considerable damages. Direct influence of oxygen on aerobes due to slow and limited enzyme inactivation (for example glutamate decarboxylase) and small number of affected "targets" is not responsible for total adverse effects of oxygen. Even in 1954 it was supposed that oxygen free radicals are the most responsible for the adverse effects of oxygen. ATMOSPHERIC (TRIPLET) OXYGEN: Electron configuration of triplet oxygen explains its reactivity since it is a biradical. The reactions of oxygen with non-radicals are possible with participation of transition metals (except zinc), while its reactivity is much more expressed in case of reactions with other radical species. ACTIVE OXYGEN: More reactive forms of oxygen, known as singlet oxygen, can be generated by an input of energy to triplet oxygen. Singlet-oxygen is obtained mainly by photoexcitation in the presence of initiators (methylene blue, chlorophyll etc.) and as a product of reactions of ozone with certain biomolecules. REDUCED FORMS OF OXYGEN: If a single electron is added to the triplet oxygen, it must enter one of the antibonding molecular orbitals and produce the superoxide radical--(O2.-). Addition of one more electron produces peroxide ion--O2(2-), which forms hydro peroxide in presence of H+, the most common two-electron reduction product of oxygen in biological systems. The four-reduction product of oxygen in biological systems is water. SUPEROXIDE RADICAL: The in vivo production of superoxide radical is possible in many different ways mentioned in this paper. This radical species is unstable in water solutions because of dismutation reaction leading to non-enzymic generation of hydroperoxide. The most reactive radical species--hydroxyl radical is produced from hydro peroxide by Fenton or Haber-Weiss reactions in the presence of catalytic transition metals (iron or copper). HYDROXYL RADICAL: Hydroxyl radicals are the most reactive radical species. The way of their generation has been shown in detail in this paper with special emphasis given to Fenton and Haber-Weiss reactions, that is, transition metals (iron and copper) as catalizators for these reactions. The reactivity of hydroxyl radical can be recognized by monitoring the second-order rate constants for reactions of the hydroxyl radical with some organic compounds in aqueous solution presented in this paper. Although the number of compounds that can be affected and damaged by hydroxyl radicals is great, until now, attention has been paid mostly to investigation of attacks of these radical species on lipids, proteins and DNA. LIPID PEROXIDATION: Radicals react with lipids and cause oxidative destruction of unsaturated, that is, polyunsaturated fatty acids, known as lipid peroxidation. Both lipids in biological systems and lipids as food constituents are submitted to this process. Lipid peroxidation is a chain reaction and its mechanism has been shown in detail in this paper. Lipid peroxidation in cells leads to direct damage of cell membranes with indirect damages of other cell constituents, caused by reactivity of secondary products of this reaction, aldehydes. This complex reaction is responsible for damages of many tissues and progress of some diseases (atherosclerosis). OXIDATIVE STRESS: Protection of an organism from oxygen free radicals implies activity of enzymatic (catalase, SOD, glutathione peroxidase, glutathione reductase etc.) and nonenzymatic (vitamin E. vitamin C. glutathione, uric acid etc.) systems of protection. Disturbance of the balance between production of oxygen free radicals (or some other radical species) and activity of antioxidative system of protection causes the so called oxidative stress. An organism can tolerate a mild oxidative stress but a higher disturbance between the production of free radicals and the activity of the antioxidative protection results in lipid protein and DNA as well as numerous diseases.
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PMID:[Free oxygen radiacals and kidney diseases--part I]. 1132 Jul 27

Endogenous oxygen- and nitrogen-centered free radicals are considered to play a decisive role in a variety of diseases such as neurodegenerative disorders, atherosclerosis, or cancer. Directly operating antioxidants limit the action of freely diffusing radicals by scavenging the attacking, oxidizing radical and re-reducing the oxidized biomolecule, i.e., the biomolecule-derived radical. From textbooks of biochemistry it is understood that NAD(P)H acts as a hydride (hydrogen anion) donor in a variety of enzymatic processes. One example is the re-reduction of GSSG to GSH, catalyzed by glutathione reductase. Because of this reaction, NADPH has been suggested to also act as an indirectly operating antioxidant, thus maintaining the antioxidative power of glutathione. To the best of our knowledge, however, neither NADPH nor NADH has been considered to be directly operating antioxidants. Based on recently published data, new experiments, and theoretical considerations, we propose that NAD(P)H represents a decisive, directly operating antioxidant that should be considered of major importance in the mitochondrial compartment. NAD(P)H fulfills this task both by scavenging toxic free radicals and repairing biomolecule-derived radicals.
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PMID:NAD(P)H, a directly operating antioxidant? 1142 89

Vascular endothelial cells are constantly subjected to pressure-induced cyclic strain. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) have been implicated in atherosclerosis and vascular remodeling. Recent evidence indicates that a vascular NAD(P)H oxidase may be an important source of ROS in both physiologic and pathophysiologic situations. The aim of this study was to investigate cyclic strain-induced NAD(P)H oxidase activity in endothelial cells. ROS production was examined by electron paramagnetic resonance and lucigenin chemiluminescence. Cyclic strain-induced NAD(P)H oxidase activity was quantified by activity assay while the expression of p22phox was monitored by Northern blotting. Endothelial cells produce basal amounts of ROS that were enhanced by cyclic strain. Moreover subsequent stimulation with TNF-alpha resulted in significantly greater ROS production in cells previously exposed to cyclic strain as compared to static conditions. Cyclic strain resulted in a significant increase in message for the p22phox subunit as well as activity of the NAD(P)H oxidase. The induced oxidative stress was accompanied by increased mobilization of the transcription factor NFkappaB, an effect that was blocked by a pharmacological inhibitor of NAD(P)H. These results demonstrate a pivotal role for NAD(P)H oxidase in cyclic strain-induced endothelial ROS production and may provide insight into the modulation of vascular disease by biomechanical forces. J. Cell. Biochem. Suppl. 36: 99-106, 2001.
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PMID:Cyclic strain induces reactive oxygen species production via an endothelial NAD(P)H oxidase. 1145 75

At high concentrations, free radicals and radical-derived, nonradical reactive species are hazardous for living organisms and damage all major cellular constituents. At moderate concentrations, however, nitric oxide (NO), superoxide anion, and related reactive oxygen species (ROS) play an important role as regulatory mediators in signaling processes. Many of the ROS-mediated responses actually protect the cells against oxidative stress and reestablish "redox homeostasis." Higher organisms, however, have evolved the use of NO and ROS also as signaling molecules for other physiological functions. These include regulation of vascular tone, monitoring of oxygen tension in the control of ventilation and erythropoietin production, and signal transduction from membrane receptors in various physiological processes. NO and ROS are typically generated in these cases by tightly regulated enzymes such as NO synthase (NOS) and NAD(P)H oxidase isoforms, respectively. In a given signaling protein, oxidative attack induces either a loss of function, a gain of function, or a switch to a different function. Excessive amounts of ROS may arise either from excessive stimulation of NAD(P)H oxidases or from less well-regulated sources such as the mitochondrial electron-transport chain. In mitochondria, ROS are generated as undesirable side products of the oxidative energy metabolism. An excessive and/or sustained increase in ROS production has been implicated in the pathogenesis of cancer, diabetes mellitus, atherosclerosis, neurodegenerative diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, ischemia/reperfusion injury, obstructive sleep apnea, and other diseases. In addition, free radicals have been implicated in the mechanism of senescence. That the process of aging may result, at least in part, from radical-mediated oxidative damage was proposed more than 40 years ago by Harman (J Gerontol 11: 298-300, 1956). There is growing evidence that aging involves, in addition, progressive changes in free radical-mediated regulatory processes that result in altered gene expression.
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PMID:Free radicals in the physiological control of cell function. 1177 9

Restenosis, a frequent complication of coronary angioplasty, is associated with increased superoxide (O2*(-)) production. Although the molecular identity of the responsible oxidase is unclear, an NAD(P)H oxidase appears to be involved. In smooth muscle, p22phox and 2 homologues of gp91phox, nox1 and nox4, are expressed, whereas fibroblasts contain gp91phox. To begin investigating the possibility that these oxidase components might contribute to the increased O2*(-) that accompanies neointimal formation, we measured their expression after balloon injury of the rat carotid artery. The increase in O2*(-) production 3 to 15 days after surgery was not due to inflammatory cell infiltration but appeared to be derived from medial and neointimal smooth muscle cells and adventitial fibroblasts. Nox1 and p22phox mRNAs were increased 2.7- and 3.6-fold, respectively, at day 3 after injury and remained elevated for 15 days. gp91Phox was increased 7 to 15 days after injury, and nox4 expression was increased 2-fold, but only at day 15 after surgery. These results confirm and extend our previous in vitro data and suggest that in the vasculature, the nox-based NAD(P)H oxidases serve different functions. This dynamic regulation of oxidase components may be critical to smooth muscle phenotypic modulation in restenosis and atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Upregulation of Nox-based NAD(P)H oxidases in restenosis after carotid injury. 1178 53

Superoxide (O2*-) in arteries may contribute to atherosclerosis in part by inactivation of nitric oxide. We hypothesized that regression of atherosclerosis in nonhuman primates is associated with a decrease in vascular NAD(P)H oxidase, decreased O2*- levels, and improved endothelium-dependent relaxation. Cynomolgus monkeys (n=28) were fed an atherogenic diet for 47+/-10 (mean+/-SE) months. In carotid arteries (containing advanced lesions), femoral arteries (moderate lesions), and saphena arteries (minimal lesions), we examined O2*- levels and vasomotor function. Compared with vessels from normal monkeys (n=8), O2*- levels (measured by lucigenin-enhanced chemiluminescence) were 3.3-fold higher in carotid, 1.7-fold higher in femoral, and not different in saphena arteries from atherosclerotic monkeys. Dihydroethidium staining also demonstrated increased O2*- levels throughout the vessel wall in femoral and carotid arteries from atherosclerotic monkeys. Components of the NAD(P)H oxidase (p22(phox) and p47(phox)) were increased in atherosclerotic arteries, and immunohistochemistry demonstrated colocalization primarily to areas of macrophage infiltration. Relaxation to acetylcholine was impaired in carotid and femoral, but not saphena, arteries from atherosclerotic monkeys. After 8 months of regression diet (n=9), serum cholesterol decreased to normal, and O2*- levels (basal and NAD(P)H-stimulated), as well as expression of NAD(P)H oxidase, returned toward normal. Relaxation to acetylcholine improved in femoral arteries, but not in the more diseased carotid arteries. We conclude that, in a primate model of moderately severe atherosclerosis and regression of atherosclerosis, changes in endothelial function are inversely related to O2*- and NAD(P)H oxidase levels. Reduction in vascular O2*- during regression of atherosclerosis may contribute to improvement in vasomotor function.
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PMID:Regression of atherosclerosis in monkeys reduces vascular superoxide levels. 1186 15

Common vascular disease states including diabetes, hypertension and atherosclerosis are associated with endothelial dysfunction, characterised by reduced bioactivity of nitric oxide (NO). Loss of the vasculoprotective effects of NO contributes to disease progression, but the mechanisms underlying endothelial dysfunction remain unclear. Increased superoxide production in animal models of vascular disease contributes to reduced NO bioavailability, endothelial dysfunction and oxidative stress. In human blood vessels, the NAD(P)H oxidase system is the principal source of superoxide, and is functionally related to clinical risk factors and systemic endothelial dysfunction. Furthermore, the C242T polymorphism in the NAD(P)H oxidase p22phox subunit is associated with significantly reduced superoxide production in patients carrying the 242T allele, suggesting a role for genetic variation in modulating vascular superoxide production. In vessels from patients with diabetes mellitus, endothelial dysfunction, NAD(P)H oxidase activity and protein subunits are significantly increased compared with matched non-diabetic vessels. Furthermore, the vascular endothelium in diabetic vessels is a net source of superoxide rather than NO production, due to dysfunction of endothelial NO synthase (eNOS). This deficit is dependent on the eNOS cofactor, tetrahydrobiopterin, and is in part mediated by protein kinase C signalling. These studies suggest an important role for both the NAD(P)H oxidases and endothelial NOS in the increased vascular superoxide production and endothelial dysfunction in human vascular disease states.
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PMID:Mechanisms of superoxide production in human blood vessels: relationship to endothelial dysfunction, clinical and genetic risk factors. 1251 89

Angiotensin II has been shown to participate in both physiological processes, such as sodium and water homeostasis and vascular contraction, and pathophysiological processes, including atherosclerosis and hypertension. The effects of this molecule on vascular tissue are mediated at least in part by the modification of the redox milieu of its target cells. Angiotensin II has been shown to activate the vascular NAD(P)H oxidase(s) resulting in the production of reactive oxygen species, namely superoxide and hydrogen peroxide. In this article, we review what is known about the molecular steps that link angiotensin II and its receptor to production of reactive oxygen species and subsequent redox-mediated events, focusing on the structural and functional properties of the vascular NAD(P)H oxidases and their downstream mediators. As such, we provide a framework linking angiotensin II to crucial vascular pathologies, such as hypertension, atherosclerosis, and restenosis after angioplasty, by means of the NAD(P)H-dependent oxidases and their effector molecules.
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PMID:NAD(P)H oxidase-derived reactive oxygen species as mediators of angiotensin II signaling. 1257 39

1. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are known to be involved in the progression of various cardiovascular diseases. One source of ROS is activated neutrophils, which can release superoxide anion radicals and hydrogen peroxide by membrane-bound NAD(P)H oxidases. These ROS not only destroy bacteria, but may also affect mammalian tissue. In addition, hydrogen peroxide serves as a substrate for myeloperoxidase, an enzyme that is released by activated neutrophils during inflammatory processes, as seen, for instance, in reperfusion injury and atherosclerosis. Myeloperoxidase catalyses the oxidation of chloride by hydrogen peroxide, yielding hypochlorite, an extremely potent oxidant. 2. The purpose of the present study was to evaluate the effects of hypochlorite on a variety of receptor-dependent processes in rat isolated left atria and rat thoracic aorta and to compare these results with the phenomena observed after incubation with hydrogen peroxide. 3. In the presence of hypochlorite (300 micro mol/L), the positive inotropic response of alpha1-adrenoceptor stimulation by methoxamine (300 micro mol/L) was converted into a negative inotropic response. In contrast, the positive inotropic effects of the beta1/beta2-adrenoceptor agonist isoprenaline (3 micro mol/L) and endothelin (ET)-1 (100 nmol/L) remained largely unaffected. 4. The inversion of alpha1-adrenoceptor-mediated inotropy was not obtained in the presence of hydrogen peroxide (500 micro mol/L). Hydrogen peroxide did not affect the positive inotropic response of isoprenaline, but it completely abolished the inotropic effect of ET-1. 5. The effect of cardiac M2-receptor stimulation was studied in the presence of hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide. The negative inotropic response to acetylcholine (ACh) was significantly enhanced after hypochlorite incubation compared with control. 6. In the rat thoracic aorta, endothelial function, evaluated by means of ACh-induced vasodilation, was completely abolished in the presence of hypochlorite (100 micro mol/L), but remained unaffected by treatment with the same concentration of hydrogen peroxide. 7. From these data, we conclude that hypochlorite exerts more toxic properties than its precursor hydrogen peroxide, leading to substantial physiological alterations in cardiac and vascular tissue.
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PMID:Effects of hypochlorite and hydrogen peroxide on cardiac autonomic receptors and vascular endothelial function. 1268 Aug 42


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