Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0020538 (hypertension)
 170,190 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

One of the major consequences of hypertension is an increase in the thickness of the arterial medial smooth muscle cell layer. This has been shown in both large and medium size resistance vessels caused by smooth muscle cell hypertrophy. Both in vivo and in vitro data suggest that the vasoconstrictor peptide angiotensin II (Ang II) may play an important role in the development of the smooth muscle hypertrophy. We have demonstrated that Ang II, when added to quiescence cultures of vascular smooth muscle cells, results in the rapid induction of the early growth response genes c-fos, c-myc, and c-jun. This is due to new transcription as demonstrated by nuclear runoff transcription assay, but is not dependent on new protein synthesis, as it is not blocked by the addition of cycloheximide. The effect is due, however, to an increase in intracellular calcium, suggesting that any vasoconstrictor which results in an increase in intracellular calcium may act in this manner. Following the induction of the early growth response genes there is delayed induction of the platelet derived growth factor A-chain gene. Data from our laboratory and from that of others has shown in preliminary studies that blockade of either the Ang II-induced increases in c-fos or in the platelet-derived growth factor A-chain increases smooth muscle cell protein synthesis. This suggests that Ang II and other vasoconstrictors may play an important role in vascular smooth muscle growth, in hypertension and also in atherosclerosis and following balloon injury of the arterial wall.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:The role of angiotensin II in vascular smooth muscle cell growth. 138 Jun 17

The purpose of this study was to evaluate whether the spontaneously hypertensive rat SHRSP.Z-Lepr(fa)/IzmDmcr (SHRSP fatty) is a useful animal model to clarify molecular mechanisms that underlie metabolic syndrome. We investigated histopathologic changes in the cardiovascular organs and metabolic characteristics of SHRSP fatty rats, which are congenic rats from a cross between SHRSP and Zucker fatty (ZF) rats. The aortic wall and cardiac, carotid, and renal arteries from SHRSP and SHRSP fatty rats were thicker than those of ZF rats. The renal cortex in SHRSP and SHRSP fatty rats showed severe glomerulosclerosis. Pancreatic islands in SHRSP fatty and ZF rats showed marked hyperplasia. Steady-state plasma glucose concentrations were higher in SHRSP fatty than in ZF rats. Non-fasting triglyceride levels in SHRSP fatty rats were higher than in ZF rats. DNA synthesis in cultured vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) from SHRSP fatty and SHRSP rats was significantly higher than that in VSMCs from Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) or ZF rats. Levels of platelet-derived growth factor A-chain and transforming growth factor-beta1 mRNAs were higher in VSMCs from SHRSP fatty and SHRSP than from ZF rats. Microarray analysis identified five genes that were significantly upregulated and four genes that were significantly downregulated in visceral adipose tissue of SHRSP fatty rats compared with levels in control strains (SHRSP and ZF rats). These findings suggest that the combination of hypertension and obesity accelerates vascular remodeling, dyslipidemia, and insulin resistance in metabolic syndrome. The phenotype of SHRSP fatty is similar to that of human metabolic syndrome, and therefore, studies of these rats may help clarify the molecular mechanisms that underlie metabolic syndrome in humans.
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PMID:Cardiovascular remodeling and metabolic abnormalities in SHRSP.Z-Lepr(fa)/IzmDmcr rats as a new model of metabolic syndrome. 1871 58