Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
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Query: UMLS:C0038454 (stroke)
 147,016 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Using an immunoblotting technique, we investigated changes in the concentrations of microtubule-associated protein 2, 200-kDa neurofilament, tubulin, myelin-associated glycoprotein, and 2':3'-cyclic nucleotide 3'-phosphodiesterase in the brains of 40 rats following occlusion of the left middle cerebral artery or sham operation. Compared with those 4 hours after surgery, concentrations of all proteins decreased significantly in the left hemisphere 3 days after surgery (p less than 0.01). Microtubule-associated protein 2 was the most susceptible to ischemia, and its mean +/- SEM concentration decreased to 23 +/- 9.4% of that in concurrent sham-operated controls. Degradation products of microtubule-associated protein 2 and myelin-associated glycoprotein were detected on the blots. Furthermore, in the contralateral hemisphere (where calpain might be activated), concentrations of these two proteins decreased to 57 +/- 12.0% and 83 +/- 4.3% of those in concurrent sham-operated controls, respectively, 3 days after surgery. Changes in the concentrations of cerebral proteins in the contralateral hemisphere are important for understanding clinical symptoms not attributable solely to the ipsilateral lesion following a focal cerebral stroke.
Stroke 1990 Jun
PMID:Changes in the concentrations of cerebral proteins following occlusion of the middle cerebral artery in rats. 211 75

We have previously demonstrated that transient cerebral ischemia induces marked decreases in concentrations of cytoskeletal proteins and have suggested putative involvement of calpain in the decrease of microtubule-associated protein 2 (MAP2) content. We examine the effect of nilvadipine, a new calcium channel blocker, on protein degradation in gerbil brains after 5 minutes of bilateral carotid artery occlusion and compare this effect with those of nimodipine and nicardipine. By densitometric quantification of the electrophoretically separated soluble proteins, mean +/- SEM MAP2 content in the hippocampus (14.4 +/- 1.8 micrograms/mg protein) was depleted (5.4 +/- 0.5 micrograms/mg, p less than 0.01) 4 days after ischemia; this depletion was significantly inhibited by 1 or 10 mg nilvadipine/kg/day. MAP2 content was also depleted in vitro when normal nonischemic brain extract was incubated with calcium, but this degradation was not inhibited by the calcium channel blockers. Our results suggest that calcium channel blockers do not act directly on calpain but act at the calcium channels of neurons and may suppress activation of the enzyme and attenuate ischemic degradation of cytoskeletal protein. We found nilvadipine to be the most potent drug among those studied, and we believe it could be useful for the treatment of cerebral ischemia.
Stroke 1989 Jan
PMID:Nilvadipine attenuates ischemic degradation of gerbil brain cytoskeletal proteins. 291 39

Experiments were conducted to determine whether a potent, reversible calpain inhibitor could reduce the cortical ischemic brain damage associated with focal ischemia in the rat. AK275 (Z-Leu-Abu-CONH-CH2CH3), the active isomer of the diastereomeric mixture, CX275, was employed in conjunction with a novel method of perfusing drug directly onto the infarcted cortical surface. This protocol reduced or eliminated numerous, nonspecific pharmacokinetic, hemodynamic, and other potentially confounding variables that might complicate interpretation of any drug effect. Focal ischemia was induced using a variation of the middle cerebral artery occlusion method. These studies demonstrated a reliable and robust neuroprotective effect of AK275 over the concentration range of 10 to 200 microM (perfused supracortically at 4 microliters/h for 21 h). Moreover, a 75% reduction in infarct volume was observed when initiation of drug treatment was delayed for 3 h postocclusion. Our data further support an important role of calpain in ischemia-induced neuropathology and suggest that calpain inhibitors may provide a unique and potentially powerful means of treating stroke and other ischemic brain incidents.
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PMID:Postischemic administration of AK275, a calpain inhibitor, provides substantial protection against focal ischemic brain damage. 801

The use of first generation plasminogen activators, urokinase, streptokinase and tissue plasminogen activator has revolutionized thrombolytic therapy for myocardial infarction and ischaemia, and potentially stroke. However, thrombolytic therapy employing these activators is limited by reocclusion of the very arteries being opened, which follows in a small but significant number of patients. The development of second generation plasminogen activators, e.g. staphylokinase and anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex, has not alleviated the problems encountered with classical plasminogen activators. It is now widely recognized that aberrant platelet aggregation induced primarily by thrombin, rather than plasmin, is one of the major causes of recurrent thrombosis following pharmacologic thrombolysis. Agents that (a) inhibit enzymatic and/or coagulant activity of thrombin, (b) block binding of thrombin to its receptor, and (c) interfere with the generation of thrombin by the prothrombinase complex may compromise haemostasis resulting in haemorrhage. We recently demonstrated that thrombin-induced platelet aggregation is accompanied by cleavage of aggregin, a putative ADP-receptor on the platelet surface, and that these events are indirectly mediated by intracellularly activated calpain expressed on the surface. In this review, we discuss the known mechanisms of thrombin-induced platelet aggregation and suggest relative advantages of potential pharmacological agents, being developed in our laboratory, over those that have been previously developed and tested. These inhibitors selectively prevent aggregation of platelets induced by thrombin by inhibiting calpain expressed on the surface. Moreover, one of these inhibitors which blocks thrombin-induced platelet aggregation does not interfere with other platelet responses mediated by thrombin or platelet aggregation induced by other agonists, such as, ADP, collagen, phorbol myristate acetate and thromboxane A2 mimetics. This selectivity could reduce the chances of perturbing the formation of a haemostatic plug.
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PMID:Reocclusion after thrombolytic therapy: strategies for inhibiting thrombin-induced platelet aggregation. 832 74

Post-ischemic treatment of di-Calciphor (16,16'-dimethyl-15- dehydroprostaglandin B1) significantly improves animal survival and prevents ischemia-induced neurodegeneration of vulnerable forebrain regions assessed with histochemical and biochemical techniques in gerbils. Neuronal degeneration seen by Cresyl violet staining and silver impregnation in the CA1 sector of the hippocampus and the dorso-lateral sector of the striatum was significantly reduced in animals treated with di-Calciphor. In addition, the early onset of selective degradation of calpain I substrates spectrin and microtubule-associated protein (MAP2) in these same vulnerable regions was prevented. The lack of adverse side effects may facilitate the potential therapeutic use of this drug in preventing neuronal damage caused by stroke.
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PMID:Neuroprotective activity of dimer of 16,16'-dimethyl-15-dehydroprostaglandin B1 (di-Calciphor) in cerebral ischemia. 846 94

Drs. John Elce and Peter Davies, biochemists at Queen's University, Kingston, Ont., are investigating the molecular structure of calpain, an enzyme that has been implicated in the cellular damage that occurs after such events as myocardial infarction and stroke. This damage is precipitated by an imbalance in the regulation of calpain that arises as an indirect result of ischemia. Elce and Davies hope that their research, which involves techniques such as recombinant DNA technology and x-ray crystallography, will lead to the development of a calpain inhibitor that will prevent such damage from occurring and enhance recovery.
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PMID:Inhibiting calpain, rescuing cells. 854 9

Overactivation of calcium-activated neutral protease (calpain) has been implicated in the pathophysiology of several degenerative conditions, including stroke, myocardial ischemia, neuromuscular degeneration, and cataract formation. Alpha-mercaptoacrylate derivatives (exemplified by PD150606), with potent and selective inhibitory actions against calpain, have been identified. PD150606 exhibits the following characteristics: (i) Ki values for mu- and m-calpains of 0.21 microM and 0.37 microM, respectively, (ii) high specificity for calpains relative to other proteases, (iii) uncompetitive inhibition with respect to substrate, and (iv) it does not shield calpain against inactivation by the active-site inhibitor trans-(epoxysuccinyl)-L-leucyl-amido-3-methylbutane, suggesting a nonactive site action for PD150606. The recombinant calcium-binding domain from each of the large or small subunits of mu-calpain was found to interact with PD150606. In low micromolar range, PD15O6O6 inhibited calpain activity in two intact cell systems. The neuroprotective effects of this class of compound were also demonstrated by the ability of PD150606 to attenuate hypoxic/hypoglycemic injury to cerebrocortical neurons in culture and excitotoxic injury to Purkinje cells in cerebellar slices.
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PMID:An alpha-mercaptoacrylic acid derivative is a selective nonpeptide cell-permeable calpain inhibitor and is neuroprotective. 869 79

Therapy for stroke is undergoing major changes. Many of the changes parallel the advances made in the therapy for myocardial infarction. Acute intervention with cytoprotective and thrombolytic agents is undergoing active investigation. Cytoprotective therapy includes drugs that act to prevent cell death during ischemia and reperfusion. These agents include calpain inhibitors, voltage-sensitive calcium- and sodium-channel antagonists, receptor-mediated calcium-channel antagonists [including N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) and alpha-amino-3-hydroxy-5-methyl-4-isoxazole propionic acid (AMPA) antagonists], glutamate-synthesis inhibitors, glutamate-release antagonists, gamma-aminobenzoic acid (GABA) antagonists, 5-HT (serotonin) receptor agonists, gangliosides, antioxidants, growth factors, antiapoptotic agents, and antiadhesion molecules. Thrombolysis is effective in myocardial infarction. Thrombolysis is undergoing evaluation in stroke with streptokinase, anisoylated plasminogen streptokinase activator complex (APSAC), tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA; including recombinant t-PA), urokinase, and single-chain urokinase (scu-PA). Both systemic and selective administration are being evaluated. Preventive therapy with both antiplatelet and anticoagulant drugs sheds new light on how best to stratify patients in terms of a risk-benefit ratio. Continuing public education will be essential as stroke therapy advances.
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PMID:Medical therapy for ischemic stroke. 877 66

Calpain I, an intracellular cysteine protease, has been implicated in the neurodegeneration following an episode of stroke. In this paper, we report on a series of potent dipeptide fluoromethyl ketone inhibitors of recombinant human calpain I (rh calpain I). SAR studies revealed that while calpain I tolerates a variety of hydrophobic groups at the P1 site, Leu at P2 is preferred. However, the nature of the N-terminal capping group has a significant effect on the inhibitory activity of this series of compounds. Compound 4e [(1,2,3,4-tetrahydroisoquinolin-2-yl)carbonyl-Leu-D,L-Phe-CH2F+ ++], having a tetrahydroisoquinoline containing urea as the N-terminal capping group, is the most potent dipeptide fluoromethyl ketone inhibitor of calpain I (with a second-order rate constant for inactivation of 276,000 M-1 s-1) yet reported; tripeptide 4k (Cbz-Leu-Leu-D,L-Phe-CH2F) is equipotent. A number of compounds presented in this study displayed excellent selectivity for calpain I over cathepsins B and L, two related cysteine proteases. Compounds which exhibited good inhibitory activity in the assay against isolated rh calpain I also inhibited intracellular calpain I in a human cell line. Thus, in an intact cell assay, compounds 4e and 4k inhibited calpain I with IC50 values of 0.2 and 0.1 microM, respectively. Finally, we also disclose the first example of fluorination of a dipeptide enol silyl ether to generate the corresponding dipeptide fluoromethyl ketone.
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PMID:Synthesis and biological activity of a series of potent fluoromethyl ketone inhibitors of recombinant human calpain I. 937 Dec 47

Myocardial infarctions and stroke arise primarily as a result of hypoxia/ischemia-induced cell injury. However, the molecular mechanism of cardiac cell death due to hypoxia has not been elucidated. We showed here that chemical hypoxia induced by 1 mM azide triggered apoptosis of isolated neonatal rat ventricular cardiac myocytes but had no effect on cardiac fibroblasts. The azide-induced cardiomyocyte apoptosis could be characterized by a reversible initiation phase (0-46 h after azide exposure) during which cytosolic ATP levels remained little affected. This was followed by an irreversible execution phase (12-18 h) exhibiting prominent internucleosomal DNA fragmentation, cell membrane leakage, mitochondrial dysfunction, and increased calpain messenger RNA. Blocking extracellular calcium influx or intracellular calcium release was each effective in suppressing myocyte apoptosis. Cell death was also found to be mediated by calcium sensitive signal transduction events based on the use of specific antagonists. Consistent with the induction of calpain expression during apoptosis, blocking de novo protein synthesis and calpain activity inhibited cell death. These regulatory features coupled with the ease of the cell system suggest that the myocyte apoptosis model described here should be useful in the study of events leading to the demise of the myocardium.
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PMID:Chemical hypoxia triggers apoptosis of cultured neonatal rat cardiac myocytes: modulation by calcium-regulated proteases and protein kinases. 954 93


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