ANG II induces vasoconstriction, at least in part, by stimulating NADPH oxidase and generating reactive oxygen species. ANG II also induces heme oxygenase activity, and bilirubin, a product of such activity, possesses antioxidant properties. We hypothesized that bilirubin, because of its antioxidant properties, may reduce the pressor and prooxidant effects of ANG II. Our in vivo studies used th...

The oxidation of low density lipoproteins (LDL) is regarded as a critical factor in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, especially the initial steps of the disease. In addition, other oxidative events have been shown to participate in the progression of atherosclerosis and precipitation of cardiovascular events, through modulation of important components of lesions of the vessel wall (smooth m...

The inflammatory condition of malignant tumors continually exposes cancer cells to reactive oxygen species, an oxidizing condition that leads to the activation of the antioxidant defense system. A similar activation occurs with glutathione production. This oxidant condition enables tumor cells to maintain the energy required for growth, proliferation, and evasion of cell death. The objective of...

When exposed to Cu2+, alpha-tocopherol, in detergent dispersion, is rapidly oxidised. Moreover, if phospholipids and traces of their hydroperoxide derivatives are included in these dispersions, Cu2+ initiates lipid peroxidation, the rate of which is dramatically stimulated by alpha-tocopherol. The observation that the rate of alpha-tocopherol consumption is identical in the absence and in the p...

Phenolic acids existed in many agricultural products especially vegetables and considered as important natural antioxidants. Eleven phenolic commonly were chosen to assess the antioxidant activities using DPPH·, ·ABTS+, ·O2-, ·OH scavenging assays, well ferric reducing power ?-carotene bleaching assays. The results showed that caffeic protocatechuic acid with simple dihydroxylation structures h...

The present study describes the biological evaluation of a library of 59 organo-selenium compounds as superoxide (O₂⁻) generators and cytotoxic agents in human prostate cancer cells (PC-3) and in breast adenocarcinoma (MCF-7). In order to corroborate that the biological activity for selenium compounds depends on the chemical form, a broad structural variety is presented. These structures includ...

Myofibroblast activation plays a central role during normal wound healing. Whereas insufficient myofibroblast activation impairs wound healing, excessive myofibroblast activation promotes fibrosis in diverse tissues (including benign prostatic hyperplasia, BPH) leading to organ dysfunction and also promotes a stromal response that supports tumor progression. The incidence of impaired wound heal...

Systemic sclerosis (SSc) is an autoimmune connective tissue disorder characterized by oxidative stress, impaired vascular function, and attenuated angiogenesis. The tight-skin (Tsk(-/+)) mouse is a model of SSc that displays many of the cellular features of the clinical disease. We tested the hypotheses that abnormal fibrillin-1 expression and chronic phospholipid oxidation occur in Tsk(-/+) mi...