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)

Kallikrein cleaves low molecular weight kininogen to generate vasoactive kinins, which bind to the kinin B2 receptor, triggering a host of biological effects. Kallikrein gene delivery has been shown previously to reduce ischemia/reperfusion-induced cerebral infarction. In this study, we tested the hypothesis that the kinin B2 receptor plays a protective role in ischemic brain injury using kinin B2 receptor gene knockout (B2R-KO) mice subjected to middle cerebral artery occlusion (MCAO). The mortality rate and neurological deficit scores of B2R-KO mice (n=48) after MCAO were significantly increased compared with wild-type (WT) mice (n=40) when examined over a 14-day period. In addition, the infarct volume in B2R-KO mice was significantly larger than in WT mice at days 1 and 3 after MCAO. Similarly, apoptotic cells, detected by TUNEL labeling counterstained with propidium iodide, and caspase-3 activity in the ischemic brain increased significantly in B2R-KO mice at days 1 and 3 after MCAO. Furthermore, the accumulation of neutrophils in the ischemic brain of B2R-KO mice after MCAO increased when compared with WT mice and was associated with elevated tumor necrosis factor alpha expression. These alterations in B2R-KO mice correlated with decreased NO levels, Akt, and glycogen synthase kinase-3beta phosphorylation and increased nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide oxidase activity. These results indicate that the kinin B2 receptor promotes survival and protects against brain injury by suppression of apoptosis and inflammation induced by ischemic stroke.
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PMID:Postischemic brain injury is exacerbated in mice lacking the kinin B2 receptor. 1839 Oct 96

Because hyperglycemia is a major detrimental factor in the prognosis of acute cardiovascular conditions such as acute myocardial infarction (AMI) and stroke, and because an acute glucose challenge in healthy subjects has been shown to induce oxidative stress in mononuclear cells (MNCs), we have now investigated whether glucose induces inflammatory stress at the cellular and molecular level. Glucose ingestion (75 g in 300 mL water) in healthy human subjects resulted in an increase in intranuclear nuclear factor kappaB (NF-kappaB) binding, the reduction of inhibitor kappaB alpha (IkappaBalpha) protein, and an increase in the activity of inhibitor kappaB kinase (IKK) and the expression of IKKalpha and IKKbeta, the enzymes that phosphorylate IkappaBalpha, in MNCs. Glucose intake caused an increase in NF-kappaB binding to NF-kappaB2, NF-kappaB2a, and NF-kappaB3 sequences in the promoter site of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha) gene along with an increase in the expression of TNF-alpha messenger RNA in MNCs. Membranous p47(phox) subunit, an index of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase expression and activation, also increased after glucose intake. We conclude that glucose intake induces an immediate increase in intranuclear NF-kappaB binding, a fall in IkappaBalpha, an increase in IKKalpha, IKKbeta, IKK activity, and messenger RNA expression of TNF-alpha in MNCs in healthy subjects. These data are consistent with profound acute pro-inflammatory changes in MNCs after glucose intake.
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PMID:Glucose ingestion induces an increase in intranuclear nuclear factor kappaB, a fall in cellular inhibitor kappaB, and an increase in tumor necrosis factor alpha messenger RNA by mononuclear cells in healthy human subjects. 1691 36

Although vascular cells express multiple members of the Nox family of nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NAD(P)H) oxidase, including gp91phox, Nox1, and Nox4, the reasons for the different expressions and specific roles of these members in vascular injury in chronic hypertension have remained unclear. Thus, we quantified the mRNA expressions of these NAD(P)H oxidase components by real-time polymerase chain reaction and evaluated superoxide production and morphological changes in the aortas of 32-week-old stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP) and age-matched Wistar Kyoto rats (WKY). The aortic media of SHRSP had an approximately 2.5-fold greater level of Nox4 mRNA and an approximately 10-fold greater level of Nox1 mRNA than WKY. The mRNA expressions of gp91phox and p22phox in SHRSP and WKY were comparable. SHRSP were treated from 24 weeks of age for 8 weeks with either high or low doses of candesartan (4 mg/kg/day or 0.2 mg/kg/day), or a combination of hydralazine (30 mg/kg/day) and hydrochlorothiazide (4.5 mg/kg/day). The high-dose candesartan or the hydralazine plus hydrochlorothiazide decreased the blood pressure of SHRSP to that of WKY, whereas the low-dose candesartan exerted no significant antihypertensive action. Media thickening and fibrosis, as well as the increased production of superoxide in SHRSP, were nearly normalized with high-dose candesartan and partially corrected with low-dose candesartan or hydralazine plus hydrochlorothiazide. These changes by antihypertensive treatment paralleled the decrease in mRNA expression of Nox4 and Nox1. These results suggest that blood pressure and angiotensin II type 1 receptor activation are involved in the up-regulation of Nox1 and Nox4 expression, which could contribute to vascular injury during chronic hypertension.
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PMID:Increased expression of gp91phox homologues of NAD(P)H oxidase in the aortic media during chronic hypertension: involvement of the renin-angiotensin system. 1728 59

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) in the brain are thought to contribute to the neuropathogenesis of hypertension by enhancing sympathetic nervous system activity. The nucleus tractus solitarius (NTS), which receives afferent input from baroreceptors, has an important role in cardiovascular regulation. reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase is thought to be a major source of ROS in the NTS. Rac1 is a small G protein and a key component of reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase. The role of Rac1-derived ROS in the NTS in cardiovascular regulation of hypertension is unknown. Therefore, we examined whether inhibition of Rac1 in the NTS decreases ROS generation, thereby reducing blood pressure in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSPs). The basal Rac1 activity level in the NTS was greater in SHRSPs than in Wistar-Kyoto rats. Inhibition of Rac1, induced by transfecting adenovirus vectors encoding dominant-negative Rac1 into the NTS, decreased blood pressure, heart rate, and urinary norepinephrine excretion in SHRSPs but not in Wistar-Kyoto rats. Inhibition of Rac1 also reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase activity and ROS generation. In addition, Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase activity in the NTS of SHRSPs was decreased compared with that of Wistar-Kyoto rats, despite the increased ROS generation. Overexpression of Cu/Zn-superoxide dismutase in the NTS decreased blood pressure and heart rate in SHRSPs. These results indicate that the activation of Rac1 in the NTS generates ROS via reduced nicotinamide-adenine dinucleotide phosphate oxidase in SHRSPs, and this mechanism might be important for the neuropathogenesis of hypertension in SHRSPs.
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PMID:Inhibition of Rac1-derived reactive oxygen species in nucleus tractus solitarius decreases blood pressure and heart rate in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. 1751 54

Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase-1 (PARP-1) is a member of the PARP enzyme family consisting of PARP-1 and four additional, recently identified poly(ADP-ribosylating) enzymes. PARP-1 is one of the most abundant nuclear proteins and functions as a DNA nick sensor enzyme. Upon binding to DNA breaks, activated PARP cleaves NAD+ into nicotinamide and ADP-ribose and polymerizes the latter onto nuclear acceptor proteins including histones, transcription factors and PARP itself. On one hand, PARP is viewed as a guardian angel of genomic integrity, and inhibition of PARP has been used to facilitate the death of tumor cells alone, or in combination with antitumor agents. On the other hand, overactivation of PARP in response to oxidant- and free radical-mediated excessive DNA single strand breaks promotes cell dysfunction and necrotic type cell death in a variety of pathophysiological conditions. Pharmacological inhibition of PARP, consequently, exerts cytoprotective effects in a variety of diseases including stroke, myocardial infarction, heart failure and diabetes mellitus. The research into the role of PARP in diabetic cardiovascular injury is now supported by novel tools such as new classes of potent inhibitors of PARP as well as genetically engineered animals lacking the gene for PARP. In addition, potent PARP inhibitors have entered the stage of clinical testing. The current review provides an update on the most recent developments in the area of PARP.
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PMID:Poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase as a drug target for cardiovascular disease and cancer: an update. 1752 94

The objective of this article is to illustrate both the potential and the limitations of molecular imaging in stroke research. By molecular imaging we mean the visual representation of biological processes at the cellular and molecular level. The use of molecular imaging for stroke diagnosis is still at a very preliminary stage and many of these procedures have only been tested in animals. In rats, stroke therapy using stem cells can be monitored by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), green fluorescent protein (GFP) or luciferase (LUC) imaging. The migration of macrophages, which take up intravenously administered iron-based contrast agents and then migrate to the area of infarction, can already be observed in stroke patients. With MRI, the new agent Gd-DTPA-sLexA that binds to E- and P-selectin can specifically visualize selectin-mediated early endothelial activation after transient focal ischemia "in vivo". Decreased glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) gene expression can be imaged in vivo by scintigraphy 24 hours after cerebral ischemia using a peptide nucleic acid antisense conjugate labeled with 111In and that hybridizes to the rat GFAP mRNA. Technetium-99m hydrazine nicotinamide-labeled HYNIC-annexin V SPECT can not only detect sites of neuronal injury in stroke patients but also can monitor the effects of neuroprotective therapy with a monoclonal antibody raised against FasLigand (FasL) in rats. Finally, information about cell metabolism in the infarct region can be gained using certain intracellular tracers [e.g. 18F-fluoromisonidazole (FMISO)]. Imaging benzodiazepine receptors with 11C-flumazenil (FMZ) can distinguish between irreversibly damaged and viable penumbra tissue early after stroke.
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PMID:Future contrast agents for molecular imaging in stroke. 1762 9

This study investigated whether inhibition of reduced nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase attenuates cerebral infarction after transient focal ischaemia in rats. Focal ischaemia (1.5 h) was produced in male Sprague-Dawley rats (250 - 280 g) by middle cerebral artery occlusion. Some rats also received treatment with 50 mg/kg apocynin, a NADPH oxidase inhibitor, by intraperitoneal injection 30 min prior to reperfusion. Two hours after reperfusion, brains were harvested to measure NADPH oxidase activity and superoxide levels. After 24 h, the remaining brains were harvested to investigate infarct size. NADPH oxidase activity and superoxide level were all augmented 2 h after reperfusion compared with controls. Apocynin treatment significantly reduced NADPH oxidase activity and superoxide levels. Cerebral infarct size was significantly smaller in the apocynin-treated group compared with those undergoing ischaemia/reperfusion alone. These results indicate that inhibition of NADPH oxidase attenuates cerebral infarction after transient focal ischaemia in rats, suggesting that inhibition of NADPH oxidase may provide a therapeutic strategy for ischaemic stroke.
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PMID:Apocynin attenuates cerebral infarction after transient focal ischaemia in rats. 1769 29

Methylenetetrahydrofolate reductase (MTHFR) is a vital enzyme catalyzing the nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) linked reduction of 5,10-methylenetetrahydrofolate to 5-methylenetetrahydrofolate, which serves as cofactor in methylation of homocysteine to methionine. Three clinically important mutations of the MTHFR gene namely C677T, A1298C, and T1317C are reported to be associated with various pathological conditions. The present study deals with the screening of C677T mutation among two endogamous groups viz. Ahirs and Jats of Haryana (India). The mutation is reported to be significantly associated with thrombosis, hypertension, stroke and myocardial infraction, neural tube defects (NTDs), and recurrent pregnancy loss. The T allele among Jats is found to be more frequent (0.06) than Ahirs (0.03). Moreover, the Jats population shows a significant deviation from Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium with respect to C677T mutation. This could probably be due to some selection pressure operating in the population.
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PMID:MTHFR C677T polymorphisms among the Ahirs and Jats of Haryana (India). 1795 61

This review focuses on the morphological features of atherosclerosis and the involvement of oxidative stress in the initiation and progression of this disease. There is now consensus that atherosclerosis represents a state of heightened oxidative stress characterized by lipid and protein in the vascular wall. Reactive oxygen species (ROS) are key mediators of signaling pathways that underlie vascular inflammation in atherogenesis, starting from the initiation of fatty streak development, through lesion progression, to ultimate plaque rupture. Plaque rupture and thrombosis result in the acute clinical complications of myocardial infarction and stroke. Many data support the notion that ROS released from nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase, myeloperoxidase (MPO), xanthine oxidase (XO), lipoxygenase (LO), nitric oxide synthase (NOS) and enhanced ROS production from dysfunctional mitochondrial respiratory chain, indeed, have a causatory role in atherosclerosis and other vascular diseases. Moreover, oxidative modifications in the arterial wall can contribute to the arteriosclerosis when the balance between oxidants and antioxidants shifts in favour of the former. Therefore, it is important to consider sources of oxidants in the context of available antioxidants such as superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase (CAT), glutathione peroxidase (GPx), glutathione reductase and transferases thiol-disulfide oxidoreductases and peroxiredoxins. Here, we review also the mechanisms in which they are involved in order to accelerate the pace of the discovery and facilitate development of novel therapeutic approaches.
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PMID:Atherosclerosis and oxidative stress. 1807 94

Several recent findings point to an important role for redox regulation of platelet responses to collagen involving the receptor, glycoprotein (GP)VI. First, the antioxidant dietary compound, quercetin, was shown to inhibit GPVI-dependent platelet activation and signaling responses to collagen. Second, collagen increased platelet production of the oxygen radical, superoxide anion (O2-), mediated by the multi-subunit enzyme nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide (phosphate) (NAD(P)H) oxidase. In that case, O2- was implicated in regulating not initial aggregation, but collagen-induced thrombus stabilization involving release of ADP. Third, our laboratory showed that an unpaired thiol in the GPVI cytoplasmic tail undergoes rapid oxidation to form GPVI homodimers following ligand binding, preceding GPVI signaling and ectodomain metalloproteolysis, and indicating formation of an oxidative submembranous environment in activated platelets. This review examines receptor/redox regulation in other cells, and relevance to the pathophysiological function of GPVI and other platelet receptors initiating thrombus formation in haemostasis or thrombotic diseases such as heart attack and stroke.
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PMID:Platelet receptor redox regulation. 1823 33


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