AIMS Intermedin (IMD) is a novel member of the calcitonin gene-related peptide family, which acts via calcitonin receptor-like receptors (CLRs), mediating activation of cAMP signalling. The main objective of the present study was to analyse the molecular mechanisms of the differential effects of IMD on the macromolecule permeability of endothelial cells of different vascular beds. METHODS AND...

Panax quinquefolius saponin of stem and leaf (PQS), the effective parts of American ginseng, is widely used in China as a folk medicine for diabetes and cardiovascular diseases treatment. In our previous studies, we have demonstrated that PQS could improve the endothelial function of type II diabetes mellitus (T2DM) rats with high glucose fluctuation. In the present study, we investigated the p...

AIMS The role of antisense oligodeoxynucleotide against tissue factor (aODN/TF) in cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) subjected to anoxia-reoxygenation (A/R) was investigated. METHODS HUVECs were divided randomly into control group, A/R group, aODN/TF+A/R group, sense oligodeoxynucleotide (sODN/TF) + A/R group and mismatched oligodeoxynucleotide (mODN/TF) + A/R group, in...

Tenomodulin (TeM) is a type II transmembrane glycoprotein that contains a C-terminal domain with homology to the mature, secreted form of chondromodulin-I (ChM-I), a cartilage-derived angiogenesis inhibitor. TeM transcripts have been found in hypovascular tissues such as tendons and ligaments but the biological activity of TeM has not yet been fully explored. Using an adenovirus expression syst...

Endothelial injury or dysfunction is an early event in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. Epidemiological and animal studies have shown that 2, 3, 7, 8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD) exposure increases morbidity and mortality from chronic cardiovascular diseases, including atherosclerosis. However, whether or how TCDD exposure causes endothelial injury or dysfunction remains largely unkno...

This study was designed to determine whether rebamipide can inhibit neutrophil adhesion to human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) stimulated with 1 h of hypoxia followed by 4 h of reoxygenation (H/R). Furthermore, to define the action mechanisms, we determined the effect of rebamipide on the surface expression of endothelial cell adhesion molecules E-selectin, P-selectin, and intercell...

Cardamonin has promising potential in cancer prevention and therapy by interacting with proteins and modifying the expressions and activities, including factors of cell survival, proliferation, and angiogenesis. In our precious study, we have demonstrated that cardamonin suppressed vascular endothelial growth factor- (VEGF-) induced angiogenesis as evaluated in the mouse aortic ring assay. It i...

Endothelial cells that functionally express blood brain barrier (BBB) properties are useful surrogates for studying leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions at the BBB. In this study, we compared two different endothelial cellular models: transfected human brain microvascular endothelial cells (THBMECs) and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). With each grow under optimal conditions,...

We studied the role of adenosine (Ado), which is generated from adenine nucleotides via the activity of ecto-5*-nucleotidase (ecto-5*-NT), in the inhibition of platelet aggregation by endothelial cells (ECs). The enzymatic activity of nucleotidases on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) was examined with regard to (1) the inhibition of adenosine diphosphate (ADP)–induced platelet ag...

BACKGROUND The beneficial effect of Δ-17 FAD is poorly understood. The aim of this study was to investigate the protective mechanism of fatty acids against atherosclerotic (AS) damage induced by oxidized low-density lipoprotein (ox-LDL) in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), and to identify the molecular mechanisms involved. MATERIAL AND METHODS The ox-LDL was used to induce lipoto...