BACKGROUND Ghrelin has been reported to protect the cardiovascular system; however, the cardioprotective effect of ghrelin against cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) induced myocardial injury are unclear. In this study, the protective effect of ghrelin on CPB induced myocardial injury and the underlying mechanisms were investigated. METHODS AND RESULTS Adult male rats were subjected to CPB and rand...

As a G protein-coupled receptor, the extracellular Ca(2+)-sensing receptor (CaSR) responds to changes not only in extracellular Ca(2+), but also to many other ligands. CaSR has been found to be expressed in the hearts and cardiovascular system. In this study, we confirmed that CaSR is expressed in mouse cardiomyocytes and showed that it is predominantly localized in caveolae. The goal of this s...

OBJECTIVE To determine whether obesity and insulin resistance associate with changes in the protein content of high-density lipoprotein (HDL) in 2 different groups of men by using targeted proteomics. METHODS AND RESULTS Insulin resistance and obesity are hallmarks of type 2 diabetes mellitus and the metabolic syndrome, which confer an increased risk of cardiovascular disease. Recent studies ...

Peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor Gamma (PPARγ), a ligand-activated transcription factor, has a role in various cellular functions as well as glucose homeostasis, lipid metabolism, and prevention of oxidative stress. The activators of PPARγ are already widely used in the treatment of diabetes mellitus. The cardioprotective effect of PPARγ activation has been studied extensively over th...

Cardiolipin (CL), the signature phospholipid of mitochondrial membranes, is crucial for both mitochondrial function and cellular processes outside of the mitochondria. The importance of CL in cardiovascular health is underscored by the life-threatening genetic disorder Barth syndrome (BTHS), which manifests clinically as cardiomyopathy, skeletal myopathy, neutropenia, and growth retardation. BT...

Hexarelin, a synthetic growth hormone-releasing peptide, can bind to and activate the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) in the brain similar to its natural analog ghrelin. However, the peripheral distribution of GHSR in the heart and blood vessels suggests that hexarelin might have direct cardiovascular actions beyond growth hormone release and neuroendocrine effects. Furthermore, the...

It is known that physical activity plays a cardioprotective role. Various types of exercise have positive effects on the plasma lipid panel, which generally indicates risk cardiovascular disease. The aim this study to examine levels elite volleyball players who trained heavily for 10 weeks. Male athletes voluntarily participated in study, are healthy and between ages 18-35 (n=18). Body mass ind...

OBJECTIVE Adiponectin (APN) system malfunction is causatively related to increased cardiovascular morbidity/mortality in diabetic patients. The aim of the current study was to investigate molecular mechanisms responsible for APN transmembrane signaling and cardioprotection. METHODS AND RESULTS Compared with wild-type mice, caveolin-3 knockout (Cav-3KO) mice exhibited modestly increased myocar...

BACKGROUND Many epidemiological, clinical and laboratory studies suggest that chronic and moderate consumption of red wine benefits cardiovascular health, because of the alcoholic content or the polyphenols/flavonoids. AIMS The antioxidant and cardioprotective properties of a French red wine (cabernet sauvignon, 12% alcohol by volume) were compared with those of the same wine subjected to rev...

Not only the prevalence, but also the mortality due to ischaemic cardiovascular disease is higher in older than in young humans, and the demographic shift towards an ageing population will further increase the prevalence of age-related cardiovascular disease. In order to develop strategies aimed to limit reversible and irreversible myocardial damage in older patients, there is a need to better ...