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)

Ligation of advanced glycation end products (AGEs) with their receptor (RAGE) plays an important role in the development of various diabetes complications, including atherosclerosis. Monocyte activation, adhesion, and migration are key events in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Previous studies showed that AGEs and S100b, a specific RAGE ligand, could augment monocyte inflammatory responses via RAGE. In this study, we examined whether LR-90, a compound belonging to a new class of AGE inhibitor, could inhibit inflammatory responses in human monocytes. Human THP-1 cells were pretreated with LR-90 and then stimulated with S100b. LR-90 significantly inhibited S100b-induced expression of RAGE and other proinflammatory genes including monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, interferon-gamma-inducible protein-10, and cyclooxygenase-2 in a dose-dependent manner. These inhibitory effects may be exerted via inhibition of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activation, as LR-90 suppressed both S100b-and tumor necrosis factor-alpha-induced IkappaB-alpha degradation as well as NF-kappaB promoter transcriptional activity. LR-90 also prevented oxidative stress in activated monocytes, as demonstrated by its inhibitory effects on S100b-induced expression of NADPH oxidase and intracellular superoxide production. In addition, LR-90 blocked S100b-induced monocyte adhesion to human umbilical vein endothelial cell. These new data show that, in addition to its AGE inhibitory effects, LR-90 has novel anti-inflammatory properties and might therefore have additional protective effects against diabetic vascular complications.
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PMID:Anti-inflammatory effects of the advanced glycation end product inhibitor LR-90 in human monocytes. 1732 32

Macrophage-derived foam cells in atherosclerotic lesions are generally thought to play a major role in the pathology of the disease. Hypoxia-inducible factor-1alpha (HIF-1alpha) was recently found to play an important role in atherosclerosis. Here we applied RNA interference to study the role of HIF-1alpha in foam cell formation in vitro. Transfection of HIF-1alpha-siRNA reduced HIF-1alpha synthesis as measured on mRNA and protein level by real-time RT-PCR, Western blot. It was found that RNA interference for HIF-1alpha with small interfering RNAs (HIF-1alpha-siRNA) inhibits foam cell formation by the human monoblastic cell line (U937) which was treated with oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) while the majority of atherosclerosis-related genes, such as cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta), and so on, were down-regulated, through large scale gene expression analysis using DNA microarrays. These data demonstrate that induction of HIF-1alpha by atherogenic factors may be a key step in coordinating the cellular events that result in atherosclerotic lesions.
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PMID:RNA interference for HIF-1alpha inhibits foam cells formation in vitro. 1734 48

LCY-2-CHO has anti-inflammatory actions on macrophages. To understand its therapeutic implication in atherosclerosis, we examined its effects on the expressions of anti-inflammatory and inflammatory proteins in cultured rat aortic vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC). LCY-2-CHO is able to induce heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) protein expression through a transcriptional action. The HO-1 inducting effect of LCY-2-CHO was inhibited by SB203580, N(G)-nitro-l-arginine methylester (l-NAME), and wortmannin, but was not affected by U0126 or SP600125. In accordance LCY-2-CHO increased protein phosphorylation of p38, Akt, and eNOS. Nrf2 is a transcription factor essential for HO-1 gene induction and we showed that LCY-2-CHO is able to cause Nrf2 nuclear translocation and this action depends on p38, Akt and eNOS. In addition to induce anti-inflammatory HO-1, LCY-2-CHO reduced interleukin-1beta (IL-1beta)-induced inflammatory mediators, inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), growth-related oncogene protein-alpha (GRO-alpha), and interleukin-8 (IL-8). Inhibitory effect on IL-1beta-mediated NF-kappaB activation was evidenced by the diminishment of IkappaB kinase (IKK) phosphorylation and IkappaBalpha degradation. In contrast, IL-1beta-mediated ERK and JNK activations were not changed by LCY-2-CHO, while p38 activation by IL-1beta and LCY-2-CHO displayed the non-additivity. Taken together, given the overall anti-inflammatory properties of LCY-2-CHO in VSMC, in terms to induce HO-1 gene expression and inhibit inflammatory gene expression, these results highlight the therapeutic potential of LCY-2-CHO in atherosclerosis.
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PMID:The anti-inflammatory actions of LCY-2-CHO, a carbazole analogue, in vascular smooth muscle cells. 1749 20

Curcumin, a yellow pigment from Curcuma longa, is a major component of turmeric and is commonly used as a spice and food-coloring agent. It is also used as a cosmetic and in some medical preparations. The desirable preventive or putative therapeutic properties of curcumin have also been considered to be associated with its antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. Because free-radical-mediated peroxidation of membrane lipids and oxidative damage of DNA and proteins are believed to be associated with a variety of chronic pathological complications such as cancer, atherosclerosis, and neurodegenerative diseases, curcumin is thought to play a vital role against these pathological conditions. The anti-inflammatory effect of curcumin is most likely mediated through its ability to inhibit cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), lipoxygenase (LOX), and inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS). COX-2, LOX, and iNOS are important enzymes that mediate inflammatory processes. Improper upregulation of COX-2 and/or iNOS has been associated with the pathophysiology of certain types of human cancer as well as inflammatory disorders. Because inflammation is closely linked to tumor promotion, curcumin with its potent anti-inflammatory property is anticipated to exert chemopreventive effects on carcinogenesis. Hence, the past few decades have witnessed intense research devoted to the antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin. In this review, we describe both antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin, the mode of action of curcumin, and its therapeutic usage against different pathological conditions.
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PMID:Antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties of curcumin. 1756 7

Atherosclerosis is a disorder of lipid metabolism as well as a chronic inflammatory disease. Cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), an inducible isoform responsible for high levels of prostaglandin production during inflammation and immune responses, mediates a variety of biological actions involved in vascular pathophysiology. We have previously shown that COX-2 gene expression is dramatically induced by a lipid-derived endogenous electrophile, 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (HNE) (Kumagai, T., Matsukawa, N., Kaneko, Y., Kusumi, Y., Mitsumata, M., and Uchida, K. (2004) J. Biol. Chem. 279, 48389-48396). In the present study, based on the finding that HNE induced COX-2 expression only in the serum-containing media, we characterized a serum component essential for the HNE-induced COX-2 induction and found that low density lipoprotein (LDL) that had been denatured by freeze-thawing or oxidized LDL might be involved in the COX-2 induction. Moreover, we characterized the cellular events triggered by the combined stimulus of HNE and oxidized LDL and established that COX-2 induction is regulated by two sets of signaling mechanisms, one for the up-regulation of the scavenger receptor CD36 by HNE and one for the CD36-mediated COX induction by oxidized LDL. These findings represent a demonstration of a link between lipoprotein modification and activation of the inflammatory potential of macrophages.
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PMID:Identification of a serum component that regulates cyclooxygenase-2 gene expression in cooperation with 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal. 1758 12

Antiphlogistic analgesics comprise the most widely used class of drugs worldwide. These compounds derive more or less directly from three prototypes which were discovered about 130 years ago in Central Europe: acetylsalicylic acid (aspirin), acetanilide (the forerunner of acetaminophen), and phenazone. All of them are still available. Attempts to improve their effect/side effect spectrum and enhance their analgesic activity led to the development of animal models of inflammatory pain which allowed for the screening and discovery of the so-called aspirin-like drugs, also termed nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAIDs) or cyclooxygenase inhibitors. This group presently dominates the market despite the fact that all these compounds imply the risk of unwanted drug effects, including gastrointestinal ulcers, renal dysfunction, inhibition of blood coagulation, pseudoallergic reactions, and possibly also accelerated development of atherosclerosis. Attempts to reduce these unwanted drug effects on the basis of molecular pharmacological insights resulted in the development of the so-called selective cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors which are presently discussed ambiguously. These compounds appear to go along with less gastrointestinal toxicity, they do not inhibit blood coagulation, and have a reduced propensity for causing pseudoallergic asthmatic attacks. They may, on the other hand, cause more unwanted cardiovascular effects than the traditional NSAIDs. Hope for further reduction of unwanted drug effects comes from the recently discovered role of glycinergic spinal pain control. It is hoped that new classes of analgesic compounds may result from these new glycinergic mechanisms.
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PMID:[From willow bark to the coxibs. Development of antiphlogistic analgesics]. 1767 56

Hyaluronan (HA) is a macromolecular polysaccharide of the vascular extracellular matrix that confers both structural functions as well as signalling activity. HA is involved in a wide variety of biological processes, such as tissue morphogenesis, malignant growth and metastasis, wound healing and angiogenesis. In atherosclerosis, HA associates with leukocytes and vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMC) and is involved in vascular remodelling. HA is synthesized at the plasma membrane by three HA-synthase isoforms (HAS1-3). Human VSMC upregulate HAS1 and HAS2 in response to prostaglandins via Gs-coupled prostaglandin receptor subtypes IP and EP2. This review discusses the regulation of HA-synthesis by prostaglandins and the evidence for a central role of cyclooxygenase-2/PGE2 in regulation of HA-synthesis during atherogenesis.
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PMID:Regulation of hyaluronan synthesis by vasodilatory prostaglandins. Implications for atherosclerosis. 1772 9

Fenofibrate has beneficial effects on the progression and clinical emergence of atherosclerosis in normoglycemic and in diabetic patients. Given the involvement of endothelium in these processes, we speculated that fenofibrate may influence endothelial cell apoptosis and proliferation, regulators of endothelium integrity. Fenofibrate effects on apoptosis and proliferation were studied in human umbilical vein endothelial cells under normal (5.5 mmol/l, NG) and high (22 mmol/l, HG) glucose with or without fenofibrate (50 micromol/l). Apoptosis was evaluated by annexin V, by poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase protein cleavage, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), Bax/Bcl-2, and p53 protein levels; proliferation was assessed by determining cell cycle phase distribution and the amounts of the cell cycle regulators E2F1, cyclin D1, E1, and A and the levels of the hyper-phosphorylated form of the retinoblastoma protein (ppRb). HG resulted in increased (p<0.05) apoptosis rate associated with COX-2 protein overexpression, without modification of Bax/Bcl2 ratio and p53 levels. Fenofibrate decreased apoptosis and normalized increased COX-2 expression in HG (p<0.05). Both in HG and NG, fenofibrate dramatically reduced cell proliferation (p<0.05) through a G1/G0 block mediated by the reduction in ppRb and the decrease in E2F1, cyclin E1, A, and D1 protein expression, with a mechanism that, for cyclin E1, occurred at the posttranscriptional level. In conclusion, our data show that fenofibrate reduces apoptosis caused by HG but severely interferes with endothelial cell proliferation both in NG and HG. The resulting effect may influence endothelium integrity in vivo and may impact the outcome of acute complications of atherosclerosis in diabetes.
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PMID:Inhibitory effects of fenofibrate on apoptosis and cell proliferation in human endothelial cells in high glucose. 1787 65

The 5-lipoxygenase (5-LO) pathway generates lipid mediators, i.e. the cysteinyl leukotrienes (cysLTs) LTC(4)/LTD(4) and LTB(4). CysLT receptors are expressed in endothelial cells (EC) and EC cysLT(2)-R activation induces diverse pro-inflammatory genes in vitro. We now report that LTD(4) promotes formation of an atherosclerosis-protective and anti-thrombotic eicosanoid by markedly up-regulating EC cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). CysLT-induced COX-2 transcripts were transiently up-regulated as determined by microarray and QRT-PCR analyses though COX-2 protein remained elevated for several hours. Prostacyclin formation, measured as its stable metabolite 6-keto-PGF(1alpha), was increased several fold in LTD(4)-stimulated ECs, and was inhibited by the COX-2-specific inhibitor, NS-398. COX-2 up-regulation was Ca(2+)-dependent and was partially blocked by cyclosporin A indicating that the 5-LO/COX-2 cross-talk involved signaling through a nuclear factor of activated T cells (NFAT) dependent pathway. Since prostacyclin is a major blood vessel-protective and anti-thrombotic eicosanoid, the EC cysLT(2)-R may limit its otherwise pro-inflammatory actions through a protective Ca(2+)/calcineurin/NFAT-dependent COX-2 feedback loop.
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PMID:5-Lipoxygenase/cyclooxygenase-2 cross-talk through cysteinyl leukotriene receptor 2 in endothelial cells. 1799 13

The effects of 3-(4'-hydroxyl-3',5'-dimethoxyphenyl)propionic acid (HDMPPA) originating from Korean cabbage kimchi were investigated, showing an antioxidant effect on the prevention of atherosclerosis in hypercholesterolemic rabbits. Twenty-one 3-month-old rabbits were fed an atherogenic diet containing 0.5% (w/w) cholesterol and 10% (w/w) coconut oil, whereas another two groups were given an atherogenic diet with intravenous injection of either HDMPPA or simvastatin (0.33 mg/kg/day) for 4 weeks. HDMPPA inhibited the oxidative modification of low-density lipoprotein (IC 50 = 1.4 microg/mL) and increased 2,2'-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical scavenging activity (IC 50 = 0.78 microg/mL) in a dose-dependent manner. In hypercholesterolemic rabbits, the thickness of intima of aorta of the HDMPPA group was significantly reduced (control versus HDMPPA, 42%; simvastatin, 38%) without a plasma cholesterol-lowering effect. Thiobarbituric acid reactive substance formation in the plasma of the HDMPPA group was significantly decreased compared to that of the control group. Furthermore, the generation of vascular reactive oxygen species in HDMPPA group was suppressed as the cyclooxygenase-2 protein level decreased. These findings suggest that HDMPPA prevents the development of aortic atherosclerosis in high-cholesterol-fed rabbits. The antiatherosclerotic effect of HDMPPA may be due to an antioxidative effect at a low dose without cholesterol-lowering effects.
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PMID:3-(4'-hydroxyl-3',5'-dimethoxyphenyl)propionic acid, an active principle of kimchi, inhibits development of atherosclerosis in rabbits. 1800 5


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