Gene/Protein Disease Symptom Drug Enzyme Compound
Pivot Concepts:   Target Concepts:
Query: UMLS:C0729233 (Thoracic)
6,478 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Epidemiological studies have reported an inverse association between dietary flavonoid intake and mortality for ischemic heart disease. Quercetin reduces blood pressure and restores endothelial dysfunction in hypertensive animals. However, quercetin (aglycone) is usually not present in plasma, but it is rapidly metabolized during absorption by methylation, glucuronidation and sulfation. We have analyzed the vasorelaxant effects and the role on NO bioavailability and endothelial function of quercetin and its conjugated metabolites (quercetin-3-glucuronide, isorhamnetin-3-glucuronide and quercetin-3'-sulfate) in rat aorta. Thoracic aortic rings isolated from Wistar rats were mounted for isometric force recording and endothelial function was tested by measuring the vasorelaxant response to acetylcholine. NADPH-enhanced O(2)(-) release was quantified in homogenates from cultured aortic smooth muscle cells using lucigenin chemiluminescence. Unlike quercetin, the conjugated metabolites had no direct vasorelaxant effect, and did not modify endothelial function or the biological activity of NO. However, all metabolites (at 10 micromol/L) prevented, at least partially, the impairment of endothelial-derived NO response under conditions of high oxidative stress induced by the SOD inhibitor DETCA. Furthermore, they protected the biological activity of exogenous NO when impaired by DETCA. Quercetin and quercetin-3'-sulfate (>or=10 micromol/L) or quercetin-3-glucuronide (100 micromol/L) inhibited NADPH oxidase-derived O(2)(-) release. Quercetin and quercetin-3-glucuronide (1 micromol/L) prevented the endothelial dysfunction induced by incubation with ET-1. These data indicate, for the first time, that the conjugated metabolites could be responsible for the in vivo protective activity of quercetin on endothelial dysfunction.
...
PMID:Glucuronidated and sulfated metabolites of the flavonoid quercetin prevent endothelial dysfunction but lack direct vasorelaxant effects in rat aorta. 1880 86

The role of circulating, systemic TGF-beta levels in endothelial function is not clear. TGF-beta(1) may cause endothelial dysfunction in apolipoprotein E-deficient (apoE(-/-)) mice via stimulation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by the NADPH oxidase (NOX) system and aggravate aortic and heart remodeling and hypertension. Thoracic aorta (TA) were isolated from 4-mo-old control (C57Bl/6), apoE(-/-), TGF-beta(1)-overexpressing (TGFbeta(1)), and crossbred apoE(-/-) x TGFbeta(1) mice. Endothelium-dependent relaxation was measured before and after incubation with apocynin (NOX inhibitor) or superoxide dismutase (SOD; ROS scavenger). Superoxide production within the vessel wall was determined by dihydroethidine staining under confocal microscope. In 8-mo-old mice, aortic and myocardial morphometric changes, plaque formation by en face fat staining, and blood pressure were determined. Serum TGF-beta(1) levels (ELISA) were elevated in TGFbeta(1) mice without downregulation of TGF-beta-I receptor (immunohistochemistry). In the aortic wall, superoxide production was enhanced and NO-dependent relaxation diminished in apoE(-/-) x TGFbeta(1) mice but improved significantly after apocynin or SOD. Myocardial capillary density was reduced, fibrocyte density increased, aortic wall was thicker, combined lesion area was greater, and blood pressure was higher in the apoE(-/-) x TGFbeta vs. C57Bl/6 mice. Our results demonstrate that elevated circulating TGF-beta(1) causes endothelial dysfunction through NOX activation-induced oxidative stress, accelerating atherosclerosis and hypertension in apoE(-/-) mice. These findings may provide a mechanism explaining accelerated atherosclerosis in patients with elevated plasma TGFbeta(1).
...
PMID:Elevated systemic TGF-beta impairs aortic vasomotor function through activation of NADPH oxidase-driven superoxide production and leads to hypertension, myocardial remodeling, and increased plaque formation in apoE(-/-) mice. 2051 16