OBJECTIVE The role of inducible cAMP early repressor (ICER), a transcriptional repressor, in the vascular remodeling process has not been determined. We examined whether ICER affects growth of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs). METHODS AND RESULTS Semi-quantitative RT-PCR and Western blot analysis showed that expression of ICER was increased in beraprost (a prostaglandin I2 analogue)-stimu...

BACKGROUND To investigate the combination of beraprost sodium (BPS) and aspirin in the treatment of acute ischemic stroke (AIS). MATERIAL AND METHODS 308 patients with acute cerebral infarction were randomly divided into two groups: experimental group (n=154), treated with BPS (40 μg, tid) and aspirin (100 mg, qd); control group (n=154), treated with 100 mg of aspirin, qd). The antiplatelet the...

Beraprost sodium (BPS) is a prostaglandin analogue. We investigated its effects on rats with diabetic nephropathy. There were 20 rats each in the normal control group (NC), the diabetic nephropathy group (DN), and the BPS treatment group. The rats in DN and BPS groups were given a high-fat diet combined with low-dose streptozotocin intraperitoneal injections. The rats in the BPS group were give...

OBJECTIVE The prostacyclin analog, beraprost sodium (BPS), was examined for its potential to improve the symptoms of obesity-type diabetes (i.e., hyperglycemia, hyperinsulinemia, dyslipidemia, histopathologic changes, and diabetic complications). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Obese Zucker rats, an experimental model of genetic obesity-induced type 2 diabetes, were repeatedly administered BPS at...

Inflammatory mediators are involved in the pathogenesis of airway inflammation, but the role of prostaglandin I2 (PGI2) remains obscure. This study was designed to investigate the role of PGI2 in cough reflex sensitivity of the asthmatic airway, which is characterized by chronic eosinophilic airway inflammation. The effect of beraprost, a chemically and biologically stable analogue of PGI2, on ...