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Query: UMLS:C0042373 (vascular disease)
 17,070 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Passive smoking has been demonstrated to exert a variety of deleterious effects eventually resulting in vascular damage. Isoprostanes, a reliable marker of in vivo oxidation injury, have been shown to increase in active cigarette smoking. Data for passive smoking are lacking. We were examining the isoprostane 8-epi-PGF2alpha in 12 smokers and non-smokers exposed daily to passive cigarette smoke for 12 days. Plasma samples stored at liquid nitrogen from people having been examined earlier were used. Prevalues of 8-epi-PGF2alpha are higher in cigarette smokers. Exposure to passive smoking causes a significant increase in 8-epi-PGF2alpha in non-smokers, while in smokers there is only a trendwise increase. After repeated passive smoke exposure, 8-epi-PGF2alpha in non-smokers approaches the respective values of smokers. There is a significant correlation of 8-epi-PGF2alpha to the thromboxane (plasma, serum, conversion from exogenous precursor, 11-dehydro-TXB2) parameters (MDA, HHT- conversion) examined in these patients before. The findings document a significant temporary increase in in vivo oxidation injury due to passive smoke favouring development and/or progression of vascular disease.
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PMID:Passive cigarette smoking increases isoprostane formation. 1616 64

1. Nitric oxide (NO) plays a fundamental role in the vasculature because of its diverse influence in vascular protection, including its well-reported antiproliferative, anti-inflammatory, antithrombotic and vasodilator effects. In many vascular disease states, NO production is reduced as a result of endothelial dysfunction, in part caused by a decrease in substrate (L-arginine) availability. 2. The role of L-arginine and other amino acids important in nitrogen balance has been re-examined in the context of their effects on vascular health. The metabolism of L-arginine is complex because it is involved in a plethora of other pathways, such as urea, creatine and agmatine production. L-Arginine supplementation in patients with vascular disease is well reported to benefit patients therapeutically because of its effect on both NO-dependent and -independent mechanisms. 3. L-Arginine availability depends on the flux of other amino acids in the body, including L-glutamine, L-glutamate, L-ornithine, L-citrulline and L-lysine. The role of L-methionine and homocystine and their effect on NO also play an influential role in the body. 4. Recent data suggest that the key enzyme involved in the L-arginine-urea cycle, arginase, is coexpressed in NO-producing cells in the vasculature. In the present review, we examine the potential role of arginase as a therapeutic target for vascular health.
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PMID:Amino acids, arginase and nitric oxide in vascular health. 1644 92

Insulin resistance is a major contributor to macro- and microvascular complications, particularly in the presence of the metabolic syndrome, and is also associated with polycystic ovary syndrome. Impaired nitric oxide metabolism and endothelial function are important components of the vascular disease. Increasing the bioavailability of arginine, the precursor of nitric oxide, thus potentially offers protection against end-stage disease. We have recently demonstrated that dietary supplementation with a novel silicate inositol arginine complex reduces vasculopathy and glomerular sclerosis in the insulin-resistant JCR:LA-cp rat. The objective of this study was to address the absorption of, and the underlying metabolic alterations caused by, the arginine silicate inositol complex and arginine HCl (as a reference agent) in obese insulin-resistant male and female JCR:LA-cp rats. Male and female rats were treated with the preparations at 1.0 mg/(kg d) (expressed as arginine HCl) from 8 to 12 and 12 to 18 weeks of age, respectively. Obese female, but not male, rats treated with the arginine silicate inositol complex showed a reduced rate of weight gain without concomitant reduction in food intake. Plasma silicon levels were raised very significantly in arginine silicate-treated rats, consistent with significant absorption of the complex. In male rats, arginine levels were elevated by treatment with arginine silicate only; and female rats responded to both preparations. Plasma concentrations of oxides of nitrogen in rats treated with the silicate complex showed a dimorphism, decreasing in male and increasing in female rats. Fasting insulin levels were elevated in male rats treated with the arginine silicate complex, whereas fasting and postprandial insulin levels were decreased in female rats. Furthermore, female, but not male, rats treated with either of the arginine preparations showed significant reductions in cholesterol, triglyceride, and phospholipid concentrations. We conclude that the arginine silicate inositol complex is absorbed efficiently, raising plasma arginine levels, and is more biologically effective than the free amino acid hydrochloride. This has different beneficial metabolic effects in both sexes of an animal model of insulin resistance and cardiovascular disease, consistent with reduction in end-stage disease.
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PMID:Metabolic effects of a novel silicate inositol complex of the nitric oxide precursor arginine in the obese insulin-resistant JCR:LA-cp rat. 1788 39

This brief review considers some of the cardiac diseases and conditions where free radicals and related reactants are believed to be causative. The report also describes the beneficial actions of melatonin against oxidative cardiovascular disorders. Based on the data available, melatonin seems to have cardioprotective properties via its direct free radical scavenger and its indirect antioxidant activity. Melatonin efficiently interacts with various reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species (receptor independent actions) and it also upregulates antioxidant enzymes and downregulates pro-oxidant enzymes (receptor-dependent actions). Moreover, melatonin enters all cells and subcellular compartments and crosses morphophysiologic barriers. These findings have implications for the protective effects of melatonin against cardiac diseases induced by oxidative stress. Melatonin attenuates molecular and cellular damages resulting from cardiac ischemia/reperfusion in which destructive free radicals are involved. Anti-inflammatory and antioxidative properties of melatonin are also involved in the protection against a chronic vascular disease, atherosclerosis. The administration of melatonin, as a result of its antioxidant features, has been reported to reduce hypertension and cardiotoxicity induced by clinically used drugs. The results described herein help to clarify the beneficial effects of melatonin against these conditions and define the potential clinical applicability of melatonin in cardiovascular diseases.
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PMID:Cardiovascular diseases: protective effects of melatonin. 1807 44

The role of homocysteine role in inflammation and malignancy has been studied experimentally. Some researchers suggest that a relationship exists between pancreatitis and homocystinuria, possibly being secondary to occlusive vascular disease of the pancreas. To date, plasma homocysteine levels in pancreatic disease have not been studied. We aimed to analyze the homocysteine status in patients with acute pancreatitis, and the changes of the plasma homocysteine level at the acute phase of the disease and six months after hospital discharge. Fourteen acute pancreatitis patients and 14 healthy subjects were studied. Plasma homocysteine, vitamin B12, folate, amylase, lipase, C-reactive protein, total, HDL and LDL cholesterol, triglycerides, blood urea nitrogen, white blood cells, and creatinine were measured in the two groups of subjects. Plasma levels of homocysteine were significantly higher in patients with acute pancreatitis as were serum creatinine, blood urea nitrogen, WBC counts, amylase, lipase, and C-reactive protein. An impaired creatinine clearance was also found in these patients but this did not reach statistical significance. Serum total, HDL, and LDL cholesterol concentrations were not significantly different between the two groups of subjects. Our data suggest that homocysteine may play a role in inflammatory diseases of the pancreas. Increased plasma homocysteine levels in acute pancreatitis may be a reason, or a marker, for the diagnosis of acute pancreatitis. In conclusion, this is the first report showing that patients with acute pancreatitis have higher plasma homocysteine levels than healthy subjects.
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PMID:Changes in plasma levels of homocysteine in patients with acute pancreatitis. 1846 55

Nitric oxide (NO(.)) is a reactive nitrogen radical produced by the NO synthase (NOS) enzymes; it affects a plethora of downstream physiological and pathological processes. The past two decades have seen an explosion in the understanding of the role of NO(.) biology, highlighting various protective and damaging modes of action. Much of the controversy surrounding the role of NO(.) relates to the differing concentrations generated by the three isoforms of NOS. Both calcium-dependent isoforms of the enzyme (endothelial and neuronal NOS) generate low-nanomolar/picomolar concentrations of NO(.). By contrast, the calcium-independent isoform (inducible NOS (iNOS)) generates high concentrations of NO(.), 2-3 orders of magnitude greater. This review summarizes the current literature in relation to iNOS gene therapy for the therapeutic benefit of various pathological conditions, including various states of vascular disease, wound healing, erectile dysfunction, renal dysfunction and oncology. The available data provide convincing evidence that manipulation of endogenous NO(.) using iNOS gene therapy can provide the basis for future clinical trials.
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PMID:Gene therapy via inducible nitric oxide synthase: a tool for the treatment of a diverse range of pathological conditions. 1864 93

Preeclampsia, a pregnancy-specific syndrome characterized by hypertension, proteinuria and edema, resolves on delivery of the placenta. Normal pregnancy is itself characterized by systemic inflammation, oxidative stress and alterations in levels of angiogenic factors and vascular reactivity. This is exacerbated in preeclampsia with an associated breakdown of compensatory mechanisms, eventually leading to placental and vascular dysfunction. The underlying pathology of preeclampsia is thought to be a relatively hypoxic or ischemic placenta. Both the placenta and maternal vasculatures are major sources of reactive oxygen and nitrogen species which can interact to produce peroxynitrite a powerful prooxidant that covalently modifies proteins by nitration of tyrosine residues, to possibly alter vascular function in preeclampsia. The linkage between placental hypoxia and maternal vascular dysfunction has been proposed to be via placental syncytiotrophoblast basement membranes shed by the placenta or via angiogenic factors which include soluble flt1 and endoglin secreted by the placenta that bind vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and placental growth factor (PIGF) in the maternal circulation. There is also abundant evidence of altered reactivity of the maternal and placental vasculature and of the altered production of autocoids in preeclampsia. The occurrence of preeclampsia is increased in women with preexisting vascular disease and confers a long-term risk for development of cardiovascular disease. The vascular stress test of pregnancy thus identifies those women with a previously unrecognized at risk vascular system and promotes the development of preeclampsia. Preexisting maternal vascular dysfunction intensified by placental factors is possibly responsible for the individual pathologies of preeclampsia.
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PMID:Vascular biology of preeclampsia. 1908 23

Cigarette smoking is the major cause of preventable morbidity and mortality in the United States and constitutes a major risk factor for atherosclerotic vascular disease, including coronary artery disease and stroke. Increasing evidence supports the hypothesis that oxidative stress and inflammation provide the pathophysiological link between cigarette smoking and CAD. Previous studies have shown that cigarette smoke activates leukocytes to release reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (ROS/RNS) and secrete pro-inflammatory cytokines, increases the adherence of monocytes to the endothelium and elicits airway inflammation. Here we present an overview of the direct effects of water-soluble cigarette smoke constituents on endothelial function, vascular ROS production and inflammatory gene expression. The potential pathogenetic role of peroxynitrite formation, and downstream mechanisms including poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase (PARP) activation in cardiovascular complications in smokers are also discussed.
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PMID:Oxidative stress and accelerated vascular aging: implications for cigarette smoking. 1927 62

The Guangzhou Biobank Cohort Study (GBCS, n=30 519, age >or=50 years) was established to examine the effects of genetic and environmental influences on health problems and chronic disease development. Guangzhou is undergoing massive economic development, but from a baseline that had remained unchanged for millennia. The Cardiovascular Disease Subcohort (GBCS-CVD) consists of 2000 participants who have been intensively phenotyped including a range of surrogate markers of vascular disease, including carotid artery intima-media thickness, cerebral artery stenoses, arterial stiffness, ankle-to-brachial blood pressure index and albuminuria, as well as coagulatory and inflammatory markers. Plasma and leukocytes are stored in liquid nitrogen for future studies. Preliminary demographic data show the female volunteers are younger than the male ones, but present with greater levels of adiposity including central obesity (31 vs 16%). Women had more body fat (33 vs 24%) and associated levels of adipokines. Despite this, body mass index and hip circumferences were similar, which contrasts with Caucasian populations. Men had more physician-diagnosed vascular disease (6.1 vs 2.5%), hypertension (42 vs 34%) and hyperglycaemia (36.6 vs 29.6%) than the women, but were less insulin resistant. In men, smoking (40 vs 2%) and drinking alcohol (67 vs 50%) was more common and they also had lower energy expenditures. The genotype distributions of the 15 typed single nucleotide polymorphisms were all in Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium. This article describes the rationale and methodology for the study. Given the comprehensive characterization of demographic and psychosocial determinants and biochemistry, the study provides a unique platform for multidisciplinary collaboration in a highly dynamic setting.
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PMID:An overview of the Guangzhou biobank cohort study-cardiovascular disease subcohort (GBCS-CVD): a platform for multidisciplinary collaboration. 1958

An emerging consensus underscores the importance of oxidative events in vascular disease including excess production of reactive oxygen/nitrogen species (ROS/RNS), in addition to lipoprotein oxidation. Sesamum indicum has long been used extensively as a traditional food. The aim of present study was to evaluate antioxidant action of aqueous and ethanolic seed extracts from S. indicum using various in vitro ROS/RNS generated chemical and biological models. Results demonstrated that the graded-dose (25-1000 microg/ml) of aqueous and ethanolic extracts markedly scavenged the nitric oxide, superoxide, hydroxyl, 1,1-diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl and 2,2'-azinobis-(3-ethylbenzothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) radicals and, showed metal chelating ability as well as reducing capacity in Fe(3+)/ferricyanide complex and ferric reducing antioxidant power assays. In biological models, both extracts were found to inhibit metal-induced lipid peroxidation in mitochondrial fractions, human serum and LDL oxidation models. In lipoprotein kinetics study, both extracts significantly (P<0.05) increased lag phase time along with reduced oxidation rate and conjugated dienes production. Ethanolic extract of S. indicum showed higher amounts of total polyphenol and flavonoid content as compared to their counterpart. The IC(50) values of both extracts were compared with respective antioxidant standards. Overall, ethanolic extract of S. indicum possess strong antioxidant capacity and offering effective protection against LDL oxidation susceptibility.
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PMID:Free radical scavenging and antiatherogenic activities of Sesamum indicum seed extracts in chemical and biological model systems. 1960 71


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