91 research outputs found

    Role of 20-Hydroxyeicosatetraenoic and Epoxyeicosatrienoic Acids in the Regulation of Vascular Function in a Model of Hypertension and Endothelial Dysfunction

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    The objective of this study was to determine if acute inhibition of 20-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (20-HETE) synthesis or reduced inactivation of epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) can correct &lt;i&gt;L&lt;/i&gt;-N&lt;sup&gt;G&lt;/sup&gt;-nitro-arginine-methyl-ester (&lt;i&gt;L&lt;/i&gt;-NAME)-induced abnormal vascular reactivity in the perfused mesenteric bed and the carotid artery of spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR). Administration of &lt;i&gt;L&lt;/i&gt;-NAME in drinking water (80 mg/l) to SHR for 3 weeks resulted in abnormal vascular reactivity to norepinephrine and carbachol in the perfused mesenteric vascular bed and carotid artery, and significantly elevated mean arterial blood pressure (244 ± 9 mm Hg) as compared to SHR controls drinking regular water (176 ± 3 mm Hg). In the perfused mesenteric vascular bed, the impaired vascular responsiveness to norepinephrine was corrected by acute treatment with N-hydroxy-N′-(4-butyl-2-methylphenyl)formamidine (HET0016), an inhibitor of 20-HETE formation, but not by 1-cyclohexyl-3-dodecyl urea (CDU), an inhibitor of soluble epoxide hydrolase. Treatment with either HET0016 or CDU did not improve impaired carbachol-induced vasodilation in the perfused mesenteric vascular bed. In the isolated carotid artery, treatment with HET0016 corrected the &lt;i&gt;L&lt;/i&gt;-NAME-induced increase in norepinephrine-induced vasoconstriction, whereas only CDU treatment could improve impaired carbachol-induced vasodilation. Results of this study indicate that vascular function in a state of compromised nitric oxide formation is differentially modulated by 20-HETE and EETs, and that treatment with HET0016 or CDU may improve vascular function in a state of high blood pressure and endothelial dysfunction.</jats:p

    Mitigating Cardiotoxicity of Dendrimers: Angiotensin-(1-7) via Its Mas Receptor Ameliorates PAMAM-Induced Cardiac Dysfunction in the Isolated Mammalian Heart

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    Aim: The influence of the physiochemical properties of dendrimer nanoparticles on cardiac contractility and hemodynamics are not known. Herein, we investigated (a) the effect of polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer generation (G7, G6, G5, G4 and G3) and surface chemistry (-NH2, -COOH and -OH) on cardiac function in mammalian hearts following ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury, and (b) determined if any PAMAM-induced cardiotoxicity could be mitigated by Angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7), a cardioprotective agent. Methods: Hearts isolated from male Wistar rats underwent regional I/R and/or treatment with different PAMAM dendrimers, Ang-(1-7) or its MAS receptors antagonists. Thirty minutes of regional ischemia through ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery was followed by 30 min of reperfusion. All treatments were initiated 5 min prior to reperfusion and maintained during the first 10 min of reperfusion. Cardiac function parameters for left ventricular contractility, hemodynamics and vascular dynamics data were acquired digitally, whereas cardiac enzymes and infarct size were used as measures of cardiac injury. Results: Treatment of isolated hearts with increasing doses of G7 PAMAM dendrimer progressively exacerbated recovery of cardiac contractility and hemodynamic parameters post-I/R injury. Impairment of cardiac function was progressively less on decreasing dendrimer generation with G3 exhibiting little or no cardiotoxicity. Cationic PAMAMs (-NH2) were more toxic than anionic (-COOH), with neutral PAMAMs (-OH) exhibiting the least cardiotoxicity. Cationic G7 PAMAM-induced cardiac dysfunction was significantly reversed by Ang-(1-7) administration. These cardioprotective effects of Ang-(1-7) were significantly revoked by administration of the MAS receptor antagonists, A779 and D-Pro7-Ang-(1-7). Conclusions: PAMAM dendrimers can impair the recovery of hearts from I/R injury in a dose-, dendrimer-generation-(size) and surface-charge dependent manner. Importantly, PAMAM-induced cardiotoxicity could be mitigated by Ang-(1-7) acting through its MAS receptor. Thus, this study highlights the activation of Ang-(1-7)/Mas receptor axis as a novel strategy to overcome dendrimer-induced cardiotoxicity

    Diabetes is associated with reduced expression and phosphorylation of EGFR receptor at multiple tyrosine sites that can be further inhibited by chronic treatment with AG1478.

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    <p><b>a</b>) Representative Western blots showing levels of phosphorylated EGFR at Y992, Y1068, Y1086, and Y1148 as well as total EGFR (t-EGFR) and Actin as a control protein in non-diabetic control hearts (C), diabetic hearts (D) and diabetic hearts chronically treated with AG1478 (+AG1478). <b>b</b>) quantification of EGFR expression relative to actin and <b>c–f</b>) quantification of EGFR phosphorylation at the stated tyrosine site relative to total EGFR expression for all the groups studied by densitometry. N=4; * significantly different from control (p<0.05); ** significantly different from diabetes (p<0.05).</p

    The cardiac toxicity of PAMAM dendrimer drug delivery systems can be attenuated with the adjunct use of cardioprotective agents.

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    Polyamidoamine (PAMAM) dendrimer nanoparticles are efficient drug delivery vectors with potential clinical applications in nanomedicine. However, PAMAMs can compromise heart function, and strategies to mitigate cardiotoxicity would be beneficial. In this study, we investigated whether the adjunct use of three key cardioprotective agents could prevent the cardiac injury induced by a seventh-generation cationic PAMAM dendrimer (G7). Isolated rat hearts were subjected to ischemia and reperfusion (I/R) injury in the presence or absence of G7 or the cardioprotective agents Losartan, Epidermal Growth Factor (EGF), or S-nitroso-N-acetylpenicillamine (SNAP). I/R injury significantly compromised cardiac function, in terms of left ventricular hemodynamics, contractility, and vascular dynamics, which were markedly improved (p<0.05) by the administration of Losartan, EGF, or SNAP alone, confirming their cardioprotective effects. The administration of G7 significantly worsened cardiac function recovery following I/R(p<0.05). G7-induced impairments in cardiac and vascular dynamics were significantly improved by co-administration of Losartan, EGF, or SNAP. Treatment with G7 also significantly increased cardiac enzyme levels and infarct size, both of which were markedly reduced upon co-infusion of Losartan, EGF, or SNAP (p<0.05). Thus, G7 deteriorates the recovery of cardiac function in isolated hearts subjected to I/R injury, which can be rescued by co-administration of Losartan, EGF, or SNAP. These findings enhance our understanding of the nanotoxicology of PAMAM dendrimers in the mammalian heart and suggest that the adjunct use of cardioprotective agents is an effective strategy for mitigating the cardiotoxicity of these dendrimers and potentially other drug delivery systems

    Diabetes is associated with reduced expression and phosphorylation of erbB2 receptor at multiple tyrosine sites that can be further inhibited by chronic treatment with AG825.

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    <p><b>a</b>) Representative Western blots showing levels of phosphorylated erbB2 at Y877, Y1248, Y1248-a (which represents detection of Y1248 using an alternative antibody (p- erbB2-Antibody (Tyr1248)/EGFR (Tyr1173)) and Y12221/2 as well as total erbB2 (t-erbB2) and actin as a control protein in non-diabetic control hearts (C), diabetic hearts (D) and diabetic hearts chronically treated with AG825 (+AG825). <b>b</b>) quantification of erbB2 expression relative to actin and <b>c–f</b>) quantification of erbB2 phosphorylation at the stated tyrosine site relative to total erbB2 expression for all the groups studied by densitometry. N=4; * significantly different from control (p<0.05); ** significantly different from diabetes (p<0.05).</p

    Activation of EGFR/ERBB2 via pathways involving ERK1/2, P38 MAPK, AKT and FOXO enhances recovery of diabetic hearts from ischemia-reperfusion injury.

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    This study characterized the effects of diabetes and/or ischemia on epidermal growth factor receptor, EGFR, and/or erbB2 signaling pathways on cardiac function. Isolated heart perfusion model of global ischemia was used to study the effect of chronic inhibition or acute activation of EGFR/erbB2 signaling on cardiac function in a rat model of type-1 diabetes. Induction of diabetes with streptozotocin impaired recovery of cardiac function (cardiac contractility and hemodynamics) following 40 minutes of global ischemia in isolated hearts. Chronic treatment with AG825 or AG1478, selective inhibitors of erbB2 and EGFR respectively, did not affect hyperglycemia but led to an exacerbation whereas acute administration of the EGFR ligand, epidermal growth factor (EGF), led to an improvement in cardiac recovery in diabetic hearts. Diabetes led to attenuated dimerization and phosphorylation of cardiac erbB2 and EGFR receptors that was associated with reduced signaling via extracellular-signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2), p38 mitogen activated protein (MAP) kinase and AKT (protein kinase B). Ischemia was also associated with reduced cardiac signaling via these molecules whereas EGF-treatment opposed diabetes and/or ischemia induced changes in ERK1/2, p38 MAP kinase, and AKT-FOXO signaling. Losartan treatment improved cardiac function in diabetes but also impaired EGFR phosphorylation in diabetic heart. Co-administration of EGF rescued Losartan-mediated reduction in EGFR phosphorylation and significantly improved cardiac recovery more than with either agent alone. EGFR/erbB2 signaling is an important cardiac survival pathway whose activation, particularly in diabetes, ischemia or following treatment with drugs that inhibit this cascade, significantly improves cardiac function. These findings may have clinical relevance particularly in the treatment of diabetes-induced cardiac dysfunction

    RU28318, an Aldosterone Antagonist, in Combination with an ACE Inhibitor and Angiotensin Receptor Blocker Attenuates Cardiac Dysfunction in Diabetes

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    Aims. We evaluated the effects of RU28318 (RU), a selective mineralocorticoid receptor (MR) antagonist, Captopril (Capt), an angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor, and Losartan (Los), an angiotensin receptor blocker, alone or in combination with ischemia/reperfusion- (I/R-) induced cardiac dysfunction in hearts obtained from normal and diabetic rats. Methods. Isolated hearts were perfused for 30 min and then subjected to 30 min of global ischemia (I) followed by a period of 30 min of reperfusion (R). Drugs were administered for 30 min either before or after ischemia. Drug regimens tested were RU, Capt, Los, RU + Capt, RU + Los, Capt + Los, and RU + Capt + Los (Triple). Recovery of cardiac hemodynamics was evaluated. Results. Recovery of cardiac function was up to 5-fold worse in hearts obtained from diabetic animals compared to controls. Treatment with RU was generally better in preventing or reversing ischemia-induced cardiac dysfunction in normal hearts compared to treatment with Capt or Los alone. In diabetic hearts, RU was generally similarly effective as Capt or Los treatment. Conclusions. RU treatment locally might be considered as an effective therapy or preventative measure in cardiac I/R injury. Importantly, RU was the most effective at improving -dP/dt (a measure of diastolic function) when administered to diabetic hearts after ischemia
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