OBJECTIVE To investigate the role of CD4(+)CD25(+) T cells (Tregs) in protecting fine particulate matter (PM-) induced inflammatory responses, and its potential mechanisms. METHODS Human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) were treated with graded concentrations (2, 5, 10, 20, and 40 µg/cm(2)) of suspension of fine particles for 24h. For coculture experiment, HUVECs were incubated alone...

BACKGROUND Anecdotal evidence suggests that male sex hormones are proatherogenic. We hypothesized that the male sex hormone receptor, the androgen receptor (AR), acts as a molecular switch in sex-specific inflammatory signaling in vascular cells. MATERIALS AND METHODS AR expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs), human monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs) or HeLa cells was ...

OBJECTIVE We explored the effect of hydrogen sulfide (H(2)S) on atherosclerotic progression, particularly on intracellular adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1) in apolipoprotein-E knockout (apoE(-/-)) mice and human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). METHODS AND RESULTS ApoE(-/-) mice were treated with sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS) or DL-propargylglycine (PPG); HUVECs were pretreated with NaHS. ...

To evaluate the impact of hypoxia on the angiogenic capability of endothelial cells (ECs), and further investigate whether the cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2)/prostaglandin E(2) (PGE(2)) signalling is involved in the angiogenic response of ECs to hypoxia. We explored the impact of various periods (1, 3, 6, 12, 24 hrs) of hypoxia (2% O(2)) on human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) in vitro. We...

GDF11/BMP11, a member of TGF-β superfamily, was reported to rejuvenate heart, skeletal muscle and blood vessel architecture in aged mice. However, the rejuvenative effects of GDF11 were questioned recently. Here, we investigated the effects of GDF11 on smad and non-smad signals in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and the effects of GDF11 on proliferation and migration of HUVECs a...

objective(s): herbal medicines are promising cancer preventive candidates. it has been shown that punica granatum l. could inhibit angiogenesis and tumor invasion. in this study, we investigated whether the anti-angiogenic effect of pomegranate peel extract (ppe) is partly attributable to peroxisome proliferator-activated receptors (ppars) activation in the human umbilical vein endothelial cell...

The cyclic AMP sensor, EPAC1, activates AP1-mediated transcription in HUVECs. Correspondingly, induction of the SOCS3 minimal promoter by EPAC1 requires a single AP1 site that constitutively binds phosphorylated (Ser63) c-Jun in DNA-pull-down assays. c-Jun (Ser63) becomes further phosphorylated following cyclic AMP stimulation and specific activation of protein kinase A (PKA), but not through s...

Extracellular vesicles (EVs) released by endothelial cells support vascular homeostasis. To better understand cell EV biogenesis, we examined cultured human umbilical vein (HUVECs) prepared rapid freezing, freeze-substitution, and serial thin section electron microscopy (EM). Thin sections of HUVECs revealed clusters membrane protrusions on the otherwise smooth surface. The contained membrane-b...

BACKGROUND/AIMS To investigate the roles of hypoxia-inducible factor 1α (HIF-1α), cyclooxygenase-2 (Cox-2) and its product, Prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), in the mechanisms underlying hypoxia-induced survivin expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and to examine the effect of celecoxib, a selective Cox-2 inhibitor, on survivin expression. METHODS HUVECs were exposed to a norm...

Background: Resistin, a recently discovered adipocyte-secreting adipokine, may play critical role in modulating cancer pathogenesisestablish a new association between obesity and hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) metastasis. The aim of this study was to investigate the effects of resistin on HCC adhesion to the endothelium, and the mechanism underlying these resistin effects. Methods: Human SK-Hep...