PURPOSE To compare the endothelial structure and thickness of the cornea in diabetic and nondiabetic patients, and to evaluate the systemic and ocular factors that contribute to the damage of endothelial cells in diabetic patients. METHODS The corneal endothelial structure and central corneal thickness (CCT) were investigated in 99 type II diabetic patients (99 eyes) and in 97 nondiabetic pat...

The protective effect exerted by angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors (ACEI) in cardiovascular diseases caused by endothelial injury and aging has been attributed to the restoration of endothelial cell functions. Recently, we demonstrated a central role of the fibroblast growth factor-2 (FGF-2)/FGF receptor-1 system in mediating the acquisition of an angiogenic phenotype in coronary microva...

This review discusses the concept that the turnover and replacement of endothelial cells is a major mechanism in the maintenance of vascular integrity within the kidney. CD133+CD34+KDR+ endothelial cell progenitor cells emigrate from the bone marrow and differentiate into CD34+KDR+ expressing cells, which are present in high numbers within the circulation. These progenitor cells are available f...

Impaired angiogenic function has been reported in patients with kidney failure. During vascular damage, endothelial cells may detach from the site of inflammation and be released into the peripheral blood. With the use of Wegener's granulomatosis as a study model, whether circulating inflammatory endothelial cells (IEC) can (1) be used as a disease activity marker and (2) contribute to sustaine...

Silica nanoparticles have become promising carriers for drug delivery or gene therapy. Endothelial cells could be directly exposed to silica nanoparticles by intravenous administration. However, the underlying toxic effect mechanisms of silica nanoparticles on endothelial cells are still poorly understood. In order to clarify the cytotoxicity of endothelial cells induced by silica nanoparticles...

Semaphorin 3A (Sema3A) increased significantly in mouse brain following cerebral ischemia. However, the role of Sema3A in stroke brain remains unknown. Our aim was to determine wether Sema3A functions as a vascular permeability factor and contributes to ischemic brain damage. Recombinant Sema3A injected intradermally to mouse skin, or stereotactically into the cerebral cortex, caused dose- and ...

Disruption of endothelial cell function is a principle event in cardiovascular disease. Accordingly, therapies have mostly focused on repairing the endothelium, but little attention has been paid to the reconstruction of glycocalyx, which covers the endothelium and protects the function of endothelial cells. Sulodexide has a similar glycosaminoglycan structure to glycocalyx, so it is assumed to...

Endothelial cells (ECs) at arterial branching points are physiologically subjected to chronic damage by disturbed blood flow, which triggers a vascular wound healing response. Additional damage by hyperlipidaemia perturbs this delicate balance of endothelial injury and regeneration, and the progressive accumulation of noxious modified lipoproteins leads to macrophage death. Several miRNAs such ...

Atherosclerosis is an aging disease in which increasing age is a risk factor. Modified low-density lipoprotein (LDL) is a well-known risk marker for cardiovascular disease. High-plasma LDL concentrations and modifications, such as oxidation, glycosylation, carbamylation and glycoxidation, have been shown to be proatherogenic experimentally in vitro and in vivo. Atherosclerosis results from alte...

Candida albicans interacts with oral epithelial cells during oropharyngeal candidiasis and with vascular endothelial cells when it disseminates hematogenously. We set out to identify C. albicans genes that govern interactions with these host cells in vitro. The transcriptional response of C. albicans to the FaDu oral epithelial cell line and primary endothelial cells was determined by microarra...