LPA-induced expression of CCN2 in muscular fibro/adipogenic progenitors (FAPs): Unraveling cellular communication networks.

Cellular Communication Network Factor 2, CCN2, is a profibrotic cytokine implicated in physiological and pathological processes in mammals. The expression of CCN2 is markedly increased in dystrophic muscles. Interestingly, diminishing CCN2 genetically or inhibiting its function improves the phenotypes of chronic muscular fibrosis in rodent models.

Congenital diaphragmatic hernia: phosphodiesterase-5 and Arginase inhibitors prevent pulmonary vascular hypoplasia in rat lungs.

Background: Severe pulmonary hypoplasia related to congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) continues to be a potentially fatal condition despite advanced postnatal management strategies.

Objective: To evaluate the effect of the antenatal sildenafil and 2(S)-amino-6-boronohexanoic acid (ABH-Arginase inhibitor) on lung volume, pulmonary vascular development, and nitric oxide (NO) synthesis in a Nitrofen-induced CDH rat model.

Methods: Nitrofen-induced CDH rat model was used.

Effects of enriched-potassium diet on cardiorespiratory outcomes in experimental non-ischemic chronic heart failure.

Background: Chronic heart failure (CHF) is a global health problem. Increased sympathetic outflow, cardiac arrhythmogenesis and irregular breathing patterns have all been associated with poor outcomes in CHF. Several studies showed that activation of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) play a key role in CHF pathophysiology.

Dietary Potassium Downregulates Angiotensin-I Converting Enzyme, Renin, and Angiotensin Converting Enzyme 2.

Background: The importance of dietary potassium in health and disease has been underestimated compared with that placed on dietary sodium. Larger effort has been made on reduction of sodium intake and less on the adequate dietary potassium intake, although natural food contains much more potassium than sodium. The benefits of a potassium-rich diet are known, however, the mechanism by which it exerts its preventive action, remains to be elucidated.

Canonical Wnt Signaling Modulates the Expression of Pre- and Postsynaptic Components in Different Temporal Patterns.

Wnt ligands play critical roles in neuronal development, synapse formation, synaptic activity, and plasticity. Synaptic plasticity requires molecular remodeling of synapses, implying the expression of key synaptic components. Some studies have linked Wnt signaling activity to changes in synaptic protein levels.

Potassium Intake Prevents the Induction of the Renin-Angiotensin System and Increases Medullary ACE2 and COX-2 in the Kidneys of Angiotensin II-Dependent Hypertensive Rats.

In angiotensin II (Ang II)-dependent hypertensive rats there is an increased expression of proximal tubule angiotensinogen (AGT), collecting duct renin and angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE), which contributes to intratubular Ang II formation. Ang II acts on Ang II type 1 receptors promoting sodium retention and vasoconstriction. However concurrently, the ACE2-Ang-(1-7) axis and the expression of kallikrein and medullary prostaglandins counteract the effects of Ang II, promoting natriuresis and vasodilation.

Fetal Programming of Renal Dysfunction and High Blood Pressure by Chronodisruption.

Adverse prenatal conditions are known to impose significant trade-offs impinging on health and disease balance during adult life. Among several deleterious factors associated with complicated pregnancy, alteration of the gestational photoperiod remains largely unknown. Previously, we reported that prenatal manipulation of the photoperiod has adverse effects on the mother, fetus, and adult offspring; including cardiac hypertrophy.

Denervation-induced skeletal muscle fibrosis is mediated by CTGF/CCN2 independently of TGF-β.

Muscular fibrosis is caused by excessive accumulation of extracellular matrix (ECM) that replaces functional tissue, and it is a feature of several myopathies and neuropathies. Knowledge of the biology and regulation of pro-fibrotic factors is critical for the development of new therapeutic strategies. Upon unilateral sciatic nerve transection, we observed accumulation of ECM proteins such as collagen and fibronectin in the denervated hindlimb, together with increased levels of the profibrotic factors transforming growth factor type β (TGF-β) and connective tissue growth factor (CTGF/CCN2).

Imbalance in Renal Vasoactive Enzymes Induced by Mild Hypoxia: Angiotensin-Converting Enzyme Increases While Neutral Endopeptidase Decreases.

Chronic hypoxia has been postulated as one of the mechanisms involved in salt-sensitive hypertension and chronic kidney disease (CKD). Kidneys have a critical role in the regulation of arterial blood pressure through vasoactive systems, such as the renin-angiotensin and the kallikrein-kinin systems, with the angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) and kallikrein being two of the main enzymes that produce angiotensin II and bradykinin, respectively. Neutral endopeptidase 24.

Bradykinin Stimulates Renal Na and K Excretion by Inhibiting the K Channel (Kir4.1) in the Distal Convoluted Tubule.

Stimulation of BK2R (bradykinin [BK] B2 receptor) has been shown to increase renal Na excretion. The aim of the present study is to explore the role of BK2R in regulating Kir4.1 and NCC (NaCl cotransporter) in the distal convoluted tubule (DCT).

Long-Term, Fructose-Induced Metabolic Syndrome-Like Condition Is Associated with Higher Metabolism, Reduced Synaptic Plasticity and Cognitive Impairment in Octodon degus.

There has been a progressive increase in the incidence of fructose-induced metabolic disorders, such as metabolic syndrome (MetS). Moreover, novel evidence reported negative effects of high-fructose diets in brain function. This study was designed to evaluate for the first time the effects of long-term fructose consumption (LT-FC) on the normal ageing process in a long-lived animal model rodent, Octodon degus or degu.

Blockade of Bradykinin receptors worsens the dystrophic phenotype of mdx mice: differential effects for B1 and B2 receptors.

The Kallikrein Kinin System (KKS) is a vasoactive peptide system with known functions in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis, renal function and blood pressure. The main effector peptide of KKS is Bradykinin (BK). This ligand has two receptors: a constitutive B2 receptor (B2R), which has been suggested to have anti-fibrotic effects in renal and cardiac models of fibrosis; and the inducible B1 receptor (B1R), whose expression is induced by damage and inflammation.

Corrigendum to "-Catenin-Dependent Signaling Pathway Contributes to Renal Fibrosis in Hypertensive Rats".

[This corrects the article DOI: 10.1155/2015/726012.].

The increased potassium intake improves cognitive performance and attenuates histopathological markers in a model of Alzheimer's disease.

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a neurodegenerative disorder characterized by hallmarks that include an accumulation of amyloid-β peptide (Aβ), inflammation, oxidative stress and synaptic dysfunction, which lead to a decrease in cognitive function. To date, the onset and progression of AD have been associated with pathologies such as hypertension and diabetes. Hypertension, a disease with a high incidence worldwide, is characterized by a chronic increase in blood pressure.

Fructose consumption reduces hippocampal synaptic plasticity underlying cognitive performance.

Metabolic syndrome (MetS) is a global epidemic, which involves a spectrum of metabolic disorders comprising diabetes and obesity. The impact of MetS on the brain is becoming to be a concern, however, the poor understanding of mechanisms involved has limited the development of therapeutic strategies. We induced a MetS-like condition by exposing mice to fructose feeding for 7weeks.

β-Catenin-Dependent Signaling Pathway Contributes to Renal Fibrosis in Hypertensive Rats.

The mechanism of hypertension-induced renal fibrosis is not well understood, although it is established that high levels of angiotensin II contribute to the effect. Since β-catenin signal transduction participates in fibrotic processes, we evaluated the contribution of β-catenin-dependent signaling pathway in hypertension-induced renal fibrosis. Two-kidney one-clip (2K1C) hypertensive rats were treated with lisinopril (10 mg/kg/day for four weeks) or with pyrvinium pamoate (Wnt signaling inhibitor, single dose of 60 ug/kg, every 3 days for 2 weeks).

P2C-Type ATPases and Their Regulation.

P2C-type ATPases are a subfamily of P-type ATPases comprising Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase and H(+)/K(+)-ATPase. Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase is ubiquitously expressed and has been implicated in several neurological diseases, whereas H(+)/K(+)-ATPase is found principally in the colon, stomach, and kidney. Both ATPases have two subunits, α and β, but Na(+)/K(+)-ATPase also has a regulatory subunit called FXYD, which has an important role in cancer.

Angiotensin II increases fibronectin and collagen I through the β-catenin-dependent signaling in mouse collecting duct cells.

The contribution of angiotensin II (ANG II) to renal and tubular fibrosis has been widely reported. Recent studies have shown that collecting duct cells can undergo mesenchymal transition suggesting that collecting duct cells are involved in interstitial fibrosis. The Wnt/β-catenin signaling pathway plays an essential role in development, organogenesis, and tissue homeostasis; however, the dysregulation of this pathway has been linked to fibrosis.

N-domain angiotensin-I converting enzyme is expressed in immortalized mesangial, proximal tubule and collecting duct cells.

Somatic ACE (sACE) is found in glomerulus, proximal tubule and excreted in urine. We hypothesized that N-domain ACE can also be found at these sites. ACE profile was analyzed in mesangial (IMC), proximal (LLC-PK1), distal tubule (MDCK) and collecting duct (IMCD) cells.

PGE(2) EP(3) receptor downregulates COX-2 expression in the medullary thick ascending limb induced by hypertonic NaCl.

We tested the hypothesis that inhibition of EP3 receptors enhances cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 expression in the thick ascending limb (TAL) induced by hypertonic stimuli. COX-2 protein expression in the outer medulla increased approximately twofold in mice given free access to 1% NaCl in the drinking water for 3 days. The increase was associated with an approximate threefold elevation in COX-2 mRNA accumulation and an increase in PGE2 production by isolated medullary (m)TAL tubules from 77.

Sildenafil stimulates and dexamethasone inhibits pulmonary vascular development in congenital diaphragmatic hernia rat lungs.

Background: A predictor of neonatal mortality in infants with congenital diaphragmatic hernia (CDH) is disrupted pulmonary vascular development, clinically expressed as pulmonary hypertension.

Objective: To determine if prenatal corticosteroids and phosphodiesterase-5 (PDE-5) inhibitors have a beneficial effect on pulmonary vascular development in CDH lungs.

Methods: We induced CDH in fetal rats by giving nitrofen.

NFAT5 is protective against ischemic acute kidney injury.

NFAT5 is a transcription factor that protects the kidney from hypertonic stress and also is activated by hypoxia. We hypothesized that NFAT5 mitigates the extent of renal damage induced by ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI). Mice were subjected to IRI by unilateral clamping of the left renal pedicle for 30 minutes followed by reperfusion.

Basic fibroblast growth factor reduces functional and structural damage in chronic kidney disease.

Chronic kidney disease (CKD) is characterized by loss of renal function. The pathological processes involved in the progression of this condition are already known, but the molecular mechanisms have not been completely explained. Recent reports have shown the intrinsic capacity of the kidney to undergo repair after acute injury through the reexpression of repairing proteins (Villanueva S, Cespedes C, Vio CP.

Restoration of muscle strength in dystrophic muscle by angiotensin-1-7 through inhibition of TGF-β signalling.

Duchenne muscular dystrophy (DMD) is the most common inherited neuromuscular disease, and is characterized by the lack of dystrophin, muscle wasting, increased transforming growth factor (TGF)-β Smad-dependent signalling and fibrosis. Acting via the Mas receptor, angiotensin-1-7 [Ang-(1-7)], is part of the renin-angiotensin system, with the opposite effect to that of angiotensin II. We hypothesized that the Ang-(1-7)/Mas receptor axis might protect chronically damaged tissues as in skeletal muscle of the DMD mouse model mdx.