Background: Malaria parasites detoxify copious amounts of heme during human infection but enzyme involvement remains unclear. Results: Parasite-infected and uninfected erythrocytes contain indistinguishable low levels of heme catabolites, and a heme oxygenase-like parasite protein binds but does not degrade heme. Conclusion: P. falciparum parasites do not enzymatically degrade heme. Significanc...

Heme oxygenase (HO)-1, the inducible isoform of heme oxygenase, is a cytoprotective enzyme that plays a central role in the defense against oxidative and inflammatory insults in the lung. HO-1 catalyzes the degradation of heme, a potent oxidant, into biliverdin, iron, and carbon monoxide (CO). These downstream products of heme catabolism have recently been found to mediate the antioxidant, anti...

The induction of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) is widely recognized as an effective cellular strategy to counteract a variety of stressful events. We have shown that curcumin and caffeic acid phenethyl ester, two naturally occurring phytochemicals that possess antioxidant, anti-inflammatory, and anticarcinogenic activities, induce HO-1 in many cell types. This suggests that stimulation of HO-1 could ...

Although hepatitis C virus (HCV) affects approximately 130-170 million people worldwide, no vaccines are available. HCV is an important cause of chronic hepatitis, cirrhosis and hepatocellular carcinoma, leading to the need for liver transplantation. In this study, curcumin, a constituent used in traditional Chinese medicine, has been evaluated for its anti-HCV activity and mechanism, using a h...

Preeclampsia is a multisystemic disorder of pregnancy characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, and maternal endothelial dysfunction. It is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality and is thought to be attributable, in part, to inadequate trophoblast invasion. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) is a ligand-activated transcription factor expressed in t...

The objective is to evaluate the effect of heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) enzyme inducer and inhibitor on Mesenchymal Stem Cells (MSCs) in Alzheimer disease. 70 female albino rats were divided equally into 7 groups as follows: group 1: healthy control; group 2: Aluminium chloride induced Alzheimer disease; group 3: induced Alzheimer rats that received intravenous injection of MSCs; group 4: induced Al...

Kozma, Fruzsina, Robert A. Johnson, Fan Zhang, Changhua Yu, Xianglan Tong, and Alberto Nasjletti. Contribution of endogenous carbon monoxide to regulation of diameter in resistance vessels. Am. J. Physiol. 276 (Regulatory Integrative Comp. Physiol. 45): R1087–R1094, 1999.— Endogenous carbon monoxide was proposed to subserve vasodepressor functions. If so, inhibition of heme oxygenase may be exp...

Endogenous carbon monoxide was proposed to subserve vasodepressor functions. If so, inhibition of heme oxygenase may be expected to promote vascular contraction. This hypothesis was examined in large and small arteries and in isolated first-order gracilis muscle arterioles of rat. The heme oxygenase inhibitors chromium mesoporphyrin (CrMP) and cobalt protoporphyrin (0.175-102 μmol/l) decreased ...

Preeclampsia is a multisystemic disorder of pregnancy characterized by hypertension, proteinuria, and maternal endothelial dysfunction. It is a major cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality and is thought to be attributable, in part, to inadequate trophoblast invasion. Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor(PPAR) is a ligand-activated transcription factor expressed in tropho...