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Query: UMLS:C0038454 (stroke)
 147,016 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

The mechanistic basis of the neuroprotective activity of the nitrone-based free radical trap PBN (alpha-phenyl-N-tert-butyl nitrone) has been investigated extensively. Key observations exclude its simple mass action spin trapping of free radicals activity as the key mechanism of action. These include: A) the fact that it protects in experimental stroke even if administered several hours after the event and B) the fact that its chronic low-level administration to old experimental animals reverses their age-enhanced susceptibility to stroke even several days after the last dosage. PBN was found to inhibit gene induction in several models including stroke and an LPS-mediated septic shock model. Stoke causes inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) to be expressed. High levels of nitric oxide and peroxynitrite (formed from nitric oxide), produced by iNOS, is particularly neurotoxic. PBN inhibits iNOS induction. Therefore, it seems that prevention of the formation of neurotoxic products is a rational mechanism of action of PBN in the stroke model. There is strong rationale to consider that there is an enhanced propensity for a "smoldering" neuro-inflammatory state in the old brain. Reversal of this state by PBN may explain its action in preventing age-enhanced stroke susceptibility in old experimental animals. Significant new findings underscore the importance of neuro-inflammatory processes in neuronal death or dysfunction in Alzheimer's disease. Neuro-inflammatory processes implicate enhanced signal transduction processes. Strong evidence for this is the enhanced p38 kinase activation in neurons near plaques and tangles of the Alzheimer's brain in contrast to normal aged-matched control brain which did not show p38 activation. In rat primary astrocytes p38 activation by the pro-inflammatory cytokine IL-1 beta, as well as by H2O2, was significantly suppressed by PBN. Mechanistically it was shown that PBN suppresses the amount of reactive oxygen species (ROS) produced in mitochondrial respiration. Much evidence indicates that ROS are signaling molecules and that they also are involved to maintaining brain phosphatases in an inactive state. We argue that finding a specific high affinity site mechanism for the neuroprotective action of PBN is unlikely based on the complexity of the system reflecting ROS generation and signal transduction processes that have apparently evolved to maintain adaptive responses. The promising pharmacological activity of molecules like PBN is not diminished by this however, for only excessive amounts of ROS is considered detrimental. The action of PBN in suppressing signal transduction processes, most likely by suppressing ROS production in mitochondrial respiration, effectively controls excessive oxidative damage and prevents induction of genes that form neurotoxic products.
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PMID:Nitrone inhibition of age-associated oxidative damage. 1086 42

Selective cardiotoxicity of doxorubicin remains a significant and dose-limiting clinical problem. The mechanisms involved have not been fully defined but may involve the production of reactive oxygen species and/or alteration of cardiac energetics. Here, we tested the hypotheses that doxorubicin causes left ventricular dysfunction in mice and is associated with dysregulation of nitric oxide in cardiac tissue, leading to the accumulation of 3-nitrotyrosine (a biomarker of peroxynitrite formation). Animals were dosed with doxorubicin (20 mg/kg i.p.), and left ventricular performance was assessed in vivo using M-mode and Doppler echocardiography. Five days after doxorubicin administration, left ventricular fractional shortening, cardiac output, and stroke volume parameters were significantly reduced relative to control values (30.0 +/- 3.6 versus 46.1 +/- 1. 6%, 8.9 +/- 0.9 versus 11.5 +/- 0.6 ml/min, and 21.2 +/- 0.1 versus 29.5 +/- 0.1 microl for doxorubicin versus control, P <.05). Statistically significant (P <.05) increases in the immunoprevalence of myocardial inducible nitric oxide synthase (33 +/- 18 versus 9 +/- 2%, via quantitative image analysis) and 3-nitrotyrosine formation (56 +/- 24 versus 0.3 +/- 0.4%) were also observed after doxorubicin. Correlation analyses revealed a highly significant inverse relationship between left ventricular fractional shortening and cardiac 3-nitrotyrosine immunoprevalence (P <.01). No such relationship was observed for inducible nitric oxide synthase. Western blot analyses of cardiac myofibrillar fractions revealed extensive nitration of an abundant 40-kDa protein, shown to be the myofibrillar isoform of creatine kinase. These data demonstrate that alteration of cardiac nitric oxide control and attendant peroxynitrite formation may be an important contributor to doxorubicin-induced cardiac dysfunction. Furthermore, nitration of key myofibrillar proteins and alteration of myocyte energetics are implicated.
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PMID:Cardiac peroxynitrite formation and left ventricular dysfunction following doxorubicin treatment in mice. 1087 38

We investigated the possible contribution of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) to postischemic heart dysfunction and injuries in stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). SHRSP, 13-14 wk of age, had significantly higher systolic blood pressure and greater heart weight than age-matched Wistar-Kyoto rats (WKY). Permanent occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery (LAD) caused significant and long-lasting increases in the activity and mRNA expression of myocardial iNOS in SHRSP compared with WKY. However, there was no significant difference in the LAD occlusion-induced expression of interleukin-1beta mRNA between SHRSP and WKY. Hemodynamic deterioration and myocardial fibrosis were also observed in SHRSP at 4 wk after LAD occlusion. Continuous administration of 2-amino-5,6-dihydro-6-methyl-4H-1,2-thiazin (AMT) completely blocked the LAD occlusion-induced increase in the myocardial iNOS activity of SHRSP. Moreover, postischemic heart dysfunction and injuries were also significantly ameliorated by 2-amino-5,6-dihydro-6-methyl-4H-1,2-thiazin (AMT). These results suggest that the increased activity of myocardial iNOS plays a pivotal role in the development of postischemic cardiac dysfunction and injuries in SHRSP with the hypertensive and hypertrophic heart.
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PMID:Involvement of iNOS in postischemic heart dysfunction of stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats. 1115 65

Cerebral ischemia is accompanied by a marked inflammatory reaction that is initiated by ischemia-induced expression of cytokines, adhesion molecules, and other inflammatory mediators, including prostanoids and nitric oxide. Preclinical studies suggest that interventions that are aimed at attenuating such inflammation reduce the progression of brain damage that occurs during the late stages of cerebral ischemia. In particular, strategies that block the activity of inflammation-related enzymes, such as inducible nitric oxide synthase and cyclo-oxygenase-2, reduce ischemic damage with an extended therapeutic window. Although a clinical trial using murine antibodies against intercellular adhesion molecule-1 did not show benefit in patients with ischemic stroke, recent data indicate that immune activation induced by the heterologous protein may have played an important role in the failure of this trial. Therefore, there is a strong rationale for continuing to explore the efficacy of anti-inflammatory therapies in the treatment of the late stages of cerebral ischemia.
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PMID:Cerebral ischemia and inflammation. 1117 23

Murine prion disease is accompanied by a modified inflammatory response characterized by early but prolonged microglial activation and T-lymphocyte recruitment. In this model, we look at the profile of cytokine production, particularly IL-1beta. Mice inoculated with prion-infected brain homogenate show typical signs of prion disease. We were unable to detect any IL-1beta using immunohistochemistry, with various fixation protocols, or ELISA between 8 and 24 wk post-inoculation. Also, there was no increase in mRNA for IL-1beta, IL-6, IFNgamma, and iNOS as measured by quantitative RT-PCR. Using the same procedures and examining tissues at the same time, IL-1beta immunostaining was detected in infiltrating inflammatory cells in mouse brains injected with LPS or in a delayed-type hypersensitivity response in the brain. Soluble IL-1beta was also increased, as measured by ELISA, and there was an increase in mRNA species for IL-1beta, IL-6, TNFalpha but not IFNgamma or iNOS in these brains. These data reveal that chronic neurodegeneration seen in prion disease does not induce production of a range of proinflammatory mediators despite showing marked microglial activation and raise the question as to whether IL-1beta would exacerbate the neurodegeneration as it does in acute neurodegeneration following head injury and stroke.
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PMID:Absence of detectable IL-1beta production in murine prion disease: a model of chronic neurodegeneration. 1127 5

To evaluate the contribution of cellular dysfunction and neuronal loss to brain N-acetylaspartate (NAA) depletion, NAA was measured in brain tissue by HPLC and UV detection in rats subjected to cerebral injury, associated or not with cell death. When lesion was induced by intracarotid injection of microspheres, the fall in NAA was related to the degree of embolization and to the severity of brain oedema. When striatal lesion was induced by local injection of malonate, the larger the lesion volume, the higher the NAA depletion. However, reduction of brain oedema and striatal lesion by treatment with the lipophilic iron chelator dipyridyl (20 mg/kg, 1 h before and every 8 h after embolization) and the inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibitor aminoguanidine (100 mg/kg given 1 h before malonate and then every 9 h), respectively, failed to ameliorate the fall in NAA. Moreover, after systemic administration of 3-nitropropionic acid, a marked reversible fall in NAA striatal content was observed despite the lack of tissue necrosis. Overall results show that cellular dysfunction can cause higher reductions in NAA level than neuronal loss, thus making of NAA quantification a potential tool for visualizing the penumbra area in stroke patients.
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PMID:N-Acetylaspartate, a marker of both cellular dysfunction and neuronal loss: its relevance to studies of acute brain injury. 1129 3

Glutamate excitotoxicity to a large extent is mediated through activation of the N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA)-gated ion channels in several neurodegenerative diseases and ischemic stroke. Minocycline, a tetracycline derivative with antiinflammatory effects, inhibits IL-1beta-converting enzyme and inducible nitric oxide synthase up-regulation in animal models of ischemic stroke and Huntington's disease and is therapeutic in these disease animal models. Here we report that nanomolar concentrations of minocycline protect neurons in mixed spinal cord cultures against NMDA excitotoxicity. NMDA treatment alone induced microglial proliferation, which preceded neuronal death, and administration of extra microglial cells on top of these cultures enhanced the NMDA neurotoxicity. Minocycline inhibited all these responses to NMDA. Minocycline also prevented the NMDA-induced proliferation of microglial cells and the increased release of IL-1beta and nitric oxide in pure microglia cultures. Finally, minocycline inhibited the NMDA-induced activation of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) in microglial cells, and a specific p38 MAPK inhibitor, but not a p44/42 MAPK inhibitor, reduced the NMDA toxicity. Together, these results suggest that microglial activation contributes to NMDA excitotoxicity and that minocycline, a tetracycline derivative, represents a potential therapeutic agent for brain diseases.
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PMID:Minocycline provides neuroprotection against N-methyl-D-aspartate neurotoxicity by inhibiting microglia. 1139 May 7

In order to clarify the causative role of cytotoxic nitric oxide (NO) in hypertensive cerebral injury, the effects of inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) inhibition on leukocytes and endothelial function were examined using stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSP). For the iNOS inhibition, S-methylisothiourea (SMT) was administered to 12-week-old male SHRSP for 3 weeks. Immunohistochemical examination were carried out for the expression of intercellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), glucose transporter-1 (GLUT-1), fibrinogen and glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) in cerebral cortex. The effects of iNOS inhibition was also examined for Mac-1 expression by flow cytometric analysis. Plasma NO metabolites level was significantly lower in the SMT group than in the control group. Mac-1 expression was inhibited by SMT. In the SMT group, brain weight was significantly lower than in the control. By SMT administration, ICAM-1 expression was suppressed, GLUT-1 was enhanced, fibrinogen was decreased and GFAP was decreased as compared to those in control group. In hypertensive cerebral injury in SHRSP, iNOS-derived NO, mainly in activated leukocytes, could be an important causative factor for endothelial injury.
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PMID:Effects of inducible nitric oxide synthase inhibition on cerebral edema in severe hypertension. 1145 38

It is understood that marked biochemical, molecular, and performance alterations occur in cardiovascular tissues related to aging. It is logical, therefore, that differences in the cardiovascular response to ethanol consumption, when comparing younger with older individuals, may exist. We compared the left ventricular function of 6- and 15-month-old (senescent) mice and 16-month-old (senescent) inducible nitric oxide synthase knockout mice (n=7 each) before and subsequent to acute treatment with 60% ethanol (2 g/kg, i.p.). A Millar 1.4 Fr conductance/micromanometer catheter was placed into the left ventricle of the mice for acquisition of pressure-volume loops. Heart contractile functions were significantly decreased in the senescent group, compared with findings in the younger mice. Subsequent to ethanol treatment, the younger mice showed a significant reduction in cardiac function, with a 28% decrease in cardiac index, a 29% decrease in end-systolic elastance, and a 16% decrease in preload recruitable stroke work (P<.01). Conversely, the senescent mice showed significantly increased contractile function, with a 40% increase in end-systolic elastance (P<.01) and a 19% increase in preload recruitable stroke work (P<.05). The myocardial cyclic guanosine monophosphate levels were significantly higher in the older group (P<.002), and subsequent to ethanol treatment, they were decreased by 68.5% (P<.001). Northern blot analysis demonstrated inducible nitric oxide synthase message only in senescent myocardial tissues. Moreover, the cardiac function of senescent inducible nitric oxide synthase knockout mice was comparable with that of young mice, and after ethanol treatment, cardiac function decreased significantly, just as that for young mice did, with a 26% decrease in cardiac index (P<.05) and a 23% decrease in preload recruitable stroke work (P<.01). It was concluded that the differential cardiovascular function and response to acute ethanol
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PMID:Differential effects of acute ethanol treatment on cardiac contractile function in young adult and senescent mice. 1155 5

Essential hypertension is a common multifactorial trait that results in a significantly increased risk for heart attack and stroke. The condition has a genetic basis, although at present the number of genes is unknown. In order to identify such genes, we are utilising a linkage scanning approach using microsatellite markers and affected sibships. Here we provide evidence for the location of at least one hypertension susceptibility locus on chromosome 17. Analysis of 177 affected sibpairs gave evidence for significant excess allele sharing to D17S949 (SPLINK: P=0.0029; MAPMAKER SIBS: P=0.0033; ASPEX: P=0.0061; GENEHUNTER: P=0.0096; ANALYZE (SIBPAIR): P=0.0025) on 17q22-24, with significant allele sharing also indicated for an additional marker, D17S799 (SPLINK: P=0.025; MAPMAKER SIBS: P=0.025) located close to the centromere. Since these two genomic regions are well separated, our results indicate that there may be more than one chromosome 17 locus affecting human blood pressure. Moreover, further investigation of this chromosome, utilizing a polymorphism within the promoter of the iNOS candidate gene, NOS2A, revealed both increased allele sharing among sibpairs (SPLINK: P=0.02; ASPEX: P=0.00004) and positive association (P=0.034) of NOS2A to essential hypertension. Hence these results indicate that chromosome 17 and, more specifically, the NOS2A gene may play a role in human essential hypertension.
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PMID:Chromosome 17 and the inducible nitric oxide synthase gene in human essential hypertension. 1170 22


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