OBJECTIVE Vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), secreted by vascular cells and a variety of tumour cells, is a potent angiogenic factor. Since nitric oxide (NO) seems to play a key role in the VEGF-induced proliferation of endothelial cells, the aim of the present study was to determine whether VEGF stimulates endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) expression and hence results in a maintained incr...

GSEs (grape seed extracts) which contain polyphenolic compounds cause an endotheliumdependent relaxation of blood vessels. The aim of the present study was to examine the mechanisms involved in this response. A well-characterized GSE was applied to rabbit aortic rings suspended in organ baths containing Krebs–Henseleit buffer maintained at 37 ◦C. In aortic rings pre-contacted with noradrenaline...

The consequences of estrogen deficiency on the cardiovascular system have been widely examined in females. The effects of endogenous estrogen deficiency in males are less clear. The aromatase-knockout (ArKO) mouse lacks a functional Cyp19 gene, which encodes aromatase, and is thus incapable of synthesizing endogenous estrogen. In the present study, we examined the effect of lack of endogenous e...

Background and Objective: The effect of chronic dietary soybean (Glycine max L.) on aortic reactivity of streptozotocin (STZ)-diabetic rats was studied. Materials and Methods: Male diabetic rats received soybean for 7 weeks 1 week after diabetes induction at weight ratios of 3 and 6%. Contractile responses to KCl and phenylephrine (PE) and relaxation response to acetylcholine (ACh) were obtaine...

We therefore designed the present study to evaluate the effect of S-adenosyl-L-methionine (SAMe) on the synthesis of platelet thromboxane and vascular prostacyclin. The experimental materials were human blood and aortic rings from untreated Wistar rats; and platelets and aortic rings from Wistar rats treated for 7 days with SAMe at 5 or 10 mg/kg/day s.c. The administration of 10 mg/Kg/day of SA...

In the glycerol model of renal injury we describe an acute rise in systemic arterial pressure which is attended by a reduced vasodilatory response to acetylcholine in vivo; vasodilatory responses to verapamil, however, were not impaired. Neither arginine nor sodium nitroprusside diminished this rise in blood pressure; N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) elevated basal mean arterial ...

Background—Hypercholesterolemia (HC) is known to elicit oxidative stress and impair endothelium-dependent vasodilation (EDV) in arterioles and large arteries. Although RANTES, a chemokine that promotes the recruitment of leukocytes, has been implicated in atherosclerosis, its role in HC has not been previously evaluated. Methods and Results—Wire myography, a cytochrome C reduction assay, and RT...

BACKGROUND The root of Angelica dahurica Bentham et Hooker (Umbelliferae) has been used as a traditional medicine for colds, headache, dizziness, toothache, supraorbital pain, nasal congestion, acne, ulcer, carbuncle, and rheumatism in China, Japan, and Korea. Interestingly, it has been used in the treatment of vascular diseases including hypertension. The aim of this study was to provide pharm...

BACKGROUND The imaging modalities used to diagnose vascular rings have evolved over time, from basic radiographic studies to advanced cross-sectional imaging. The goal of preoperative imaging is to provide the surgeon with an accurate representation of the ring configuration so that the surgical approach may be planned. METHODS We conducted a review of all patients with vascular rings who und...

Rhododendron dauricum L. is an ancient Chinese traditional herb. The pharmacological effects of R. dauricum extract have been shown in chronic tracheitis. The aim of this study was to investigate the cardiovascular effects of Rhododendron dauricum L. flavonoids (RF) on rats and its mechanisms. This study was performed in isolated vascular rings and a rat model of myocardial infarction and isola...