Immunosuppressants FK506 and cyclosporin A inhibit neurotoxicity of N-methyl-D-aspartate in primary cortical cultures, while having no effect on quisqualate- and kainate-mediated neurotoxicity. Rapamycin completely reverses the neuroprotective effect of FK506. Both FK506 and cyclosporin A inhibit NMDA-elicited/nitric oxide-mediated increases in cGMP levels in cortical cultures. FK506 has no eff...

Nitric oxide (NO) is undoubtedly quite an important intercellular messenger in cerebral and peripheral hemodynamics. This molecule, formed by constitutive isomers of NO synthase, endothelial nitric-oxide synthase, and neuronal nitric-oxide synthase, plays pivotal roles in the regulation of cerebral blood flow and cell viability and in the protection of nerve cells or fibers against pathogenic f...

In addition to their role in reverse cholesterol transport, high-density lipoproteins (HDL) exert several beneficial effects, including the prevention and correction of endothelial dysfunction. HDL promote endothelium proliferation and diminish endothelial apoptosis; they play a key role in vasorelaxation by increasing the release of nitric oxide and prostacyclin through the induction of the ex...

OBJECTIVES We tested the effects of liver reperfusion in the immunohistochemical expression of nitric oxide synthase on the thoracic aorta and the heart. MATERIALS AND METHODS We randomized 24 male Wistar rats into 3 groups: (1) control; (2) R2 group, with 60 minutes of partial (70%) liver ischemia and 2 hours of global liver reperfusion; (3) and R6 group, with 60 minutes of partial liver isc...

ABSTRACT We analyzed the mechanisms underlying enhanced IgA production in cells of Peyer's patch via membrane vesicles derived from Lactobacillus sakei subsp. NBRC 15893. Depletion CD11c+ suppressed mediated by vesicles. Meanwhile, stimulation bone-marrow–derived dendritic with increased gene expression inducible nitric oxide synthase, retinaldehyde dehydrogenase 2, and several inflammatory cyt...

Nitric oxide (NO) plays pivotal roles in controlling physiological functions, participates in pathophysiological intervention, and is involved in mechanisms underlying beneficial or untoward actions of therapeutic agents. Endogenous nitric oxide is formed by three isoforms of nitric oxide synthase: endothelial, neurogenic and inducible. The former two are constitutively present mainly in the en...

A growing body of evidence has shown that Fas, a death receptor, mediates apoptosis-unrelated biological effects. Here, we report that Fas engagement with Fas ligand induced activation of Akt and upregulation of endothelial nitric oxide synthase expression without induction of apoptosis. In the presence of the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase inhibitor wortmannin, Fas ligand, however, induced apop...

The vascular endothelium mediates the ability of blood vessels to alter their architecture in response to hemodynamic changes; however, the specific endothelial-derived factors that are responsible for vascular remodeling are poorly understood. Here we show that endothelial-derived nitric oxide (NO) is a major endothelial-derived mediator controlling vascular remodeling. In response to external...