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)

We have analyzed expression of a novel transforming growth factor type beta (TGF-beta)-related cytokine, bone morphogenetic protein-6 (BMP-6) in normal and atherosclerotic brain arteries. BMP-6 immunoreactivity was detected in smooth muscle cells of normal cerebral blood vessels. It is also expressed by smooth muscle cells of intimal plaques in atherosclerotically changed blood vessels. The BMPs regulate tissue modeling and remodeling and aberrant expression of BMPs might contribute to smooth muscle cell migration, proliferation, tissue reorganization and macrophage attraction, which are known mechanisms of atherosclerotic plaque formation.
Atherosclerosis 1995 Mar
PMID:Immunolocalization of BMP-6, a novel TGF-beta-related cytokine, in normal and atherosclerotic smooth muscle cells. 760 53

Previous studies in our laboratory demonstrated messenger RNA for bone morphogenetic protein-2a in human calcified plaque, suggesting that arterial calcification is a regulated process, similar to osteogenesis. To further test this hypothesis, we have isolated and cloned a subpopulation of cells from bovine aortic media that show osteoblastic potential. These novel cells are primarily distinguished from smooth muscle cells by expression of a surface marker preliminarily identified as a modified form of the ganglioside sialyl-lactosylceramide (GM3). Osteoblastic potential was indicated by high levels of alkaline phosphatase and collagen I, expression of osteopontin and osteonectin (SPARC), and production of bone-specific osteocalcin and hydroxyapatite. Cultures of these cells were stimulated to form increased numbers of calcium-mineral-producing nodules by the oxysterol 25-hydroxycholesterol as well as by transforming growth factor-beta 1, both known to be present in atherosclerotic lesions. The stimulation of calcifying vascular cells in the artery wall by these two factors suggests a possible mechanism for the colocalization of calcification with atherosclerosis in vivo.
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PMID:TGF-beta 1 and 25-hydroxycholesterol stimulate osteoblast-like vascular cells to calcify. 818 41

Artery wall calcification associated with atherosclerosis frequently contains fully formed bone tissue including marrow. The cellular origin is not known. In this study, bone morphogenetic protein-2a, a potent factor for osteoblastic differentiation, was found to be expressed in calcified human atherosclerotic plaque. In addition, cells cultured from the aortic wall formed calcified nodules similar to those found in bone cell cultures and expressed bone morphogenetic protein-2a with prolonged culture. The predominant cells in these nodules had immunocytochemical features characteristic of microvascular pericytes that are capable of osteoblastic differentiation. Pericyte-like cells were also found by immunohistochemistry in the intima of bovine and human aorta. These findings suggest that arterial calcification is a regulated process similar to bone formation, possibly mediated by pericyte-like cells.
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PMID:Bone morphogenetic protein expression in human atherosclerotic lesions. 847 18

This brief review and update considers a few aspects of the mechanisms of action of statins, especially those related to some of the pleiotropic effects that have clinical relevance. The beneficial effect on endothelial dysfunction is a class effect that is related not only to the lowering of plasma LDL-cholesterol but also to a direct effect on nitric oxide (NO) production. It is an early and sustained effect, linked to oxidative processes, that deserves particular attention since endothelial dysfunction is intimately linked to atherogenesis. Awareness of the anti-inflammatory effect came about following the observation that statin administration in humans reduces markers of inflammation in the circulation. The importance of these observations is ascribable to the fact that atherosclerosis is an inflammatory disease, that the inflammatory process in a coronary artery is now measurable in vivo in humans, that it contributes to the progression and the destabilization of the plaque, and also, because statins exert a number of effects that tend to stabilize it. Statins, and particularly lipophilic statins, in general inhibit cell proliferation, seemingly by multifaceted mechanisms. These include inhibition of cell cycle progression, induction of apoptosis, reduction of cyclooxygenase-2 activity and an enhancement of angiogenesis. At the center of these mechanisms stands the ability to inhibit G protein prenylation through a reduction of farnesylation and geranylgeranylation. This effect has been used to show that statins are anticarcinogenic in vitro and in animals. The clinical relevance of such a property remains to be proven but is supported by promising observations in animals and in humans which are detailed in this review. Finally, the ability of lipophilic statins to increase the production of bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2), and to enhance osteogenesis in animals combined with the results of several clinical studies should stimulate physicians to seriously consider an eventual indication of statins for the treatment of osteoporosis.
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PMID:[Mechanisms of action of statins and their pleiotropic effects]. 1124 Apr 12

In the present study, we examined the expression of regulators of bone formation and osteoclastogenesis in human atherosclerosis because accumulating evidence suggests that atherosclerotic calcification shares features with bone calcification. The most striking finding of this study was the constitutive immunoreactivity of matrix Gla protein, osteocalcin, and bone sialoprotein in nondiseased aortas and the absence of bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2, BMP-4, osteopontin, and osteonectin in nondiseased aortas and early atherosclerotic lesions. When atherosclerotic plaques demonstrated calcification or bone formation, BMP-2, BMP-4, osteopontin, and osteonectin were upregulated. Interestingly, this upregulation was associated with a sustained immunoreactivity of matrix Gla protein, osteocalcin, and bone sialoprotein. The 2 modulators of osteoclastogenesis (osteoprotegerin [OPG] and its ligand, OPGL) were present in the nondiseased vessel wall and in early atherosclerotic lesions. In advanced calcified lesions, OPG was present in bone structures, whereas OPGL was only present in the extracellular matrix surrounding calcium deposits. The observed expression patterns suggest a tight regulation of the expression of bone matrix regulatory proteins during human atherogenesis. The expression pattern of both OPG and OPGL during atherogenesis might suggest a regulatory role of these proteins not only in osteoclastogenesis but also in atherosclerotic calcification.
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PMID:Differential expression of bone matrix regulatory proteins in human atherosclerotic plaques. 1174 76

Research in the area of vascular calcification has grown rapidly in the past decade, and there is a greater understanding of its active regulatory mechanisms. This brief review covers the ideas presented in the 2003 Jeffrey M. Hoeg Award lecture, including the concepts that bone tissue forms in the artery wall in patients with atherosclerosis, that vascular cells undergo osteoblastic differentiation, that bone morphogenetic protein and matrix GLA protein regulate vascular calcification in opposition, that inflammatory cytokines and lipids promote vascular cell calcification but inhibit osteoblastic cell differentiation, that these same factors promote differentiation of bone-resorbing osteoclasts, and that the artery wall may contain osteoclast-like cells with the potential to resorb calcium mineral. The review closes with a mention of therapeutic possibilities and an evolutionary paradigm to explain the reciprocal responses of vascular and bone mineralization to inflammation.
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PMID:Mineral exploration: search for the mechanism of vascular calcification and beyond: the 2003 Jeffrey M. Hoeg Award lecture. 1295 41

Atherosclerosis is a disease characterized by accumulation of lipids and fibrous elements in the innermost layer of the arterial wall. An asymptomatic atherosclerotic plaque is characterized by a lipid core, composed of modified lipids, macrophages and T cells, which were separated from the lumen vessel by a thick fibrous cap, composed of vascular smooth muscle cell-secreted solid collagen matrix. Recently, it has been reported that expressions of TGF-beta family were up regulated in human atherosclerotic plaques. In addition TGF-beta family seems to plays pivotal roles for the development of atherosclerosis: TGF-beta and activin A were suggested to play protective roles against the development of atherosclerotic plaques. On the other hand bone morphogenetic protein seems to play pivotal roles for the calcification of the atherosclerotic plaques. Therefore, it is debatable whether gene therapy modulating cellular signal transductions of TGF-beta family is a useful tool for the inhibition of progression of atherosclerotic disease. In this review, our discussion is focused on the possibilities of gene therapies for atherosclerosis either by enhancement or suppression of cellular signaling of TGF-beta family in target cells, in atherosclerotic plaques.
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PMID:Novel ideas of gene therapy for atherosclerosis: modulation of cellular signal transduction of TGF-beta family. 1651 3

Cardiovascular disease, such as atherosclerosis, has been associated with reduced bone mineral density and fracture risk. A major etiologic factor in atherogenesis is believed to be oxidized phospholipids. We previously found that these phospholipids inhibit spontaneous osteogenic differentiation of marrow stromal cells, suggesting that they may account for the clinical link between atherosclerosis and osteoporosis. Currently, anabolic agents that promote bone formation are increasingly used as a new treatment for osteoporosis. It is not known, however, whether atherogenic phospholipids alter the effects of bone anabolic agents, such as bone morphogenetic protein (BMP)-2 and parathyroid hormone (PTH). Therefore we investigated the effects of oxidized 1-palmitoyl-2-arachidonoyl-sn-glycero-3-phosphorylcholine (ox-PAPC) on osteogenic signaling induced by BMP-2 and PTH in MC3T3-E1 cells. Results showed that ox-PAPC attenuated BMP-2 induction of osteogenic markers alkaline phosphatase and osteocalcin. Ox-PAPC also inhibited both spontaneous and BMP-induced expression of PTH receptor. Consistently, pretreatment of cells with ox-PAPC inhibited PTH-induced cAMP production and expression of immediate early genes Nurr1 and IL-6. Results from immunofluorescence and Western blot analyses showed that inhibitory effects of ox-PAPC on BMP-2 signaling were associated with inhibition of SMAD 1/5/8 but not p38-MAPK activation. These effects appear to be due to ox-PAPC activation of the ERK pathway, as the ERK inhibitor PD98059 reversed ox-PAPC inhibitory effects on BMP-2-induced alkaline phosphatase activity, osteocalcin expression, and SMAD activation. These results suggest that atherogenic lipids inhibit osteogenic signaling induced by BMP-2 and PTH, raising the possibility that hyperlipidemia and atherogenic phospholipids may interfere with anabolic therapy.
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PMID:Atherogenic phospholipids attenuate osteogenic signaling by BMP-2 and parathyroid hormone in osteoblasts. 1752 49

Tetramethylpyrazine (TMP), an effective component of traditional Chinese medicine Chuanxiong, is commonly used to resolve embolism. Its possible therapeutic effect against atherosclerosis has received considerable attention recently. Angiotensin II (Ang II) is highly implicated in the proliferation of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs), resulting in atherosclerosis. The mechanisms of TMP in the proliferation of VSMCs induced by Ang II remain to be defined. The present study was aimed to study the effect of TMP on Ang II-induced VSMC proliferation through detection of nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB) activity and bone morphogenetic protein-2 (BMP-2) expression. Primary cultured rat aortic smooth muscle cells were divided into the control group, Ang II group, Ang II + TMP group and TMP group. Cells in each group were harvested at different time points (15, 30 and 60 min for detection of NF-kappaB activity; 6, 12 and 24 h for measurement of BMP-2 expression). NF-kappaB activation was identified as nuclear staining by immunohistochemistry. BMP-2 expression was observed through Western blot, immunohistochemistry and in situ hybridization. The results showed that: (1) Ang II stimulated the activation of NF-kappaB. Translocation of NF-kappaB p65 subunit from cytoplasm to nucleus appeared as early as 15 min, peaked at 30 min (P<0.01) and declined after 1 h. (2) TMP inhibited Ang II-induced NF-kappaB activation (P<0.01). (3) Ang II increased BMP-2 expression at 6 h but declined it significantly at 12 and 24 h (P<0.01). (4) BMP-2 expression was also kept at high level at 6 h in Ang II + TMP group but maintained at the normal level at 12 and 24 h. (5) There was no significant difference in NF-kappaB activation and BMP-2 expression between the control group and TMP group. These results indicate that TMP inhibits Ang II-induced VSMC proliferation through repression of NF-kappaB activation and BMP-2 reduction, and BMP-2 expression is independent of the NF-kappaB pathway. In conclusion, TMP has therapeutic potential for the treatment of atherosclerosis.
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PMID:Tetramethylpyrazine inhibits agiontensin II-induced nuclear factor-kappaB activation and bone morphogenetic protein-2 downregulation in rat vascular smooth muscle cells. 1757 90

Studies of fracture repair have revealed that paracrine endothelial-mesenchymal interactions direct bone formation that restores osseous integrity. Angiogenic growth factors and specific members of the bone morphogenetic protein (BMP) family mediate these interactions. Recently, these same signals have been shown to be critical in the vascular pathobiology of hypertension, diabetes, and atherosclerosis. In the arterial vasculature, mechanical and inflammatory redox signals, characteristic of hypertension and diabetes have emerged as a secretagogues for BMP production-with downstream activation of endothelial NADPH oxidases (Nox). Preliminary data now indicate that the paracrine signals provided by BMP and reactive oxygen species augment aortic myofibroblast Msx2-Wnt signaling and matrix turnover. The net mural response to these stimuli promotes osteogenic differentiation of calcifying vascular cells, moreover, oxidation of vascular LDL cholesterol generates oxysterols that trigger Runx2 activity via hedgehog pathways. Thus, BMP, Wnt, and hedgehog gene expression programs-osteogenic pathways highly familiar to the bone biologist-are elaborated in the arterial vasculature via redox-regulated mechanisms. In the brief review, we recount mounting evidence that points to oxidative stress as a major contributor to the pathobiology of diabetic arterial calcification.
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PMID:Vascular Bmp Msx2 Wnt signaling and oxidative stress in arterial calcification. 1805 36


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