Macrophage foam cells (FCs) play a crucial role in the initiation and progression of atherosclerosis. Reducing the formation or inducing the removal of FCs could ameliorate atherosclerosis. The present study examined whether the whole-cell vaccination using FCs could be used as novel prevention and treatment strategies to battle atherosclerosis.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFFor the effective inhibition of atherosclerotic plaque rupture, there is an urgent need to develop a carrier which can specifically deliver the therapeutic agents to atherosclerotic lesions. Since the representative hallmark of plaques in advanced atherosclerosis is the large number of macrophages which highly upregulate folate receptor beta (FR-), we herein investigated the potential of folate-modified liposomes (FA-P-LP) as the carrier for active targeting of atherosclerotic plaques. cellular uptake tests, FA-P-LP exhibited an enhanced uptake in activated RAW264.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFObjectives: Blockade of the renin-angiotensin II (Ang II) system by AT1 blockers (ARBs) and angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitors retards the progression of chronic kidney disease (CKD) by reducing albuminuria/proteinuria. However, many patients with CKD suffer from residual albuminuria/proteinuria, which is an independent risk factor for CKD progression. The aim of the current study is to investigate the effect of pitavastatin, one of the adjunctive agents to ARBs, on the reduction of albuminuria/proteinuria and further renoprotection mediated by telmisartan in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFHypertension has become a significant global public health concern and is also one of the most common risk factors of cardiovascular disease. Recent studies have shown the promising result of peptides inhibiting angiotensin converting enzyme (ACE) in lowering the blood pressure in both animal models and humans. However, the oral bioavailability and continuous antihypertensive effectiveness require further optimization.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFTo investigate the pharmacokinetic (PK) interaction between telmisartan (Tel) and pitavastatin (Pit), a rapid and sensitive ultra performance liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometric assay method had been successfully established and fully validated for the simultaneous quantification of Tel and Pit in rat plasma. A simple protein precipitation procedure was adopted for the sample preparation with satisfactory extraction recovery for both analytes and the internal standard. The samples were chromatographed on an Inertsil ODS-3 C18 column (100mm×2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFThe objective of this study was to investigate the potential of liposomes as an ophthalmic delivery system for brinzolamide (Brz) to enhance the local glaucomatous therapeutic effect. The liposomes of Brz (Brz-LPs) were produced by the thin-film dispersion method with a particle size of 84.33 ± 2.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFAngiotensin II-receptor blockers (ARBs), similar to HMG-CoA reductase inhibitors (statins), could improve lipid metabolism abnormalities. There might be some cross-talking pathways between statins and ARBs to produce additive beneficial effects on lipid metabolism in dyslipidemia. However, few studies investigate the effects of ARBs on the therapeutic efficacy of statins in dyslipidemia.
View Article and Find Full Text PDFSalidroside (Sal) is a potent antitumor drug with high water-solubility. The clinic application of Sal in cancer therapy has been significantly restricted by poor oral absorption and low tumor cell uptake. To solve this problem, lipid-shell and polymer-core nanoparticles (Sal-LPNPs) loaded with Sal were developed by a double emulsification method.
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