Unravelling Potential Health-Beneficial Properties of Phenolic Compounds: A Systematic Review.

(C.) belongs to the family Ericaceae and can be found in the Iberian Peninsula, especially on the coastal areas facing the Atlantic coast. berries have been used for centuries in traditional medicine.

Protein Hydrolysates from Brewing By-Products as Natural Alternatives to ACE-Inhibitory Drugs for Hypertension Management.

The treatment of hypertension is of major importance to reduce the risk of cardiovascular disease, the leading cause of death worldwide. Angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitors are anti-hypertensive drugs associated with several side effects. Natural products, namely bioactive peptides from brewing by-products, brewers' spent grain (BSG), and yeast (BSY), are promising alternatives since they can inhibit ACE in vitro.

Fetal Undernutrition Modifies Vascular RAS Balance Enhancing Oxidative Damage and Contributing to Remodeling.

Fetal stress is known to increase susceptibility to cardiometabolic diseases and hypertension in adult age in a process known as fetal programming. This study investigated the relationship between vascular RAS, oxidative damage and remodeling in fetal programming. Six-month old Sprague-Dawley offspring from mothers that were fed ad libitum (CONTROL) or with 50% intake during the second half of gestation (maternal undernutrition, MUN) were used.

Experimental and Clinical Evidence of Endothelial Dysfunction in Inflammatory Bowel Disease.

The endothelium has a crucial role in proper hemodynamics. Inflammatory bowel disease (IBD) is mainly a chronic inflammatory condition of the gastrointestinal tract. However, considerable evidence points to high cardiovascular risk in patients with IBD.

Insights into sympathetic nervous system and GPCR interplay in fetal programming of hypertension: a bridge for new pharmacological strategies.

Cardiovascular diseases (CVDs) are the most common cause of death from noncommunicable diseases worldwide. In addition to the classical CVD risk factors related to lifestyle and/or genetic background, exposure to an adverse intrauterine environment compromises fetal development leading to low birth weight and increasing offspring susceptibility to develop CVDs later in life, particularly hypertension - a process known as fetal programming of hypertension (FPH). In FPH animal models, permanent alterations have been detected in gene expression, in the structure and function of heart and blood vessels, compromising cardiovascular physiology and favoring hypertension development.

Nuclear G-protein-coupled receptors as putative novel pharmacological targets.

Cell surface G-protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) are targets for ∼ 30% of drugs currently on the market, and are the largest group of gene products targeted by drugs. Until recently, signaling mediated by GPCRs was thought to emanate exclusively from the cell membrane as a response to extracellular stimuli. However, recent research has revealed the existence of nuclear (n)GPCRs with the ability to trigger identical and/or distinct signaling pathways to their respective counterparts on the cell surface.

Vascular impairment of adenosinergic system in hypertension: increased adenosine bioavailability and differential distribution of adenosine receptors and nucleoside transporters.

Adenosinergic system regulates vascular tonicity through the complex system of adenosine, adenosine receptors (ARs) and nucleoside transporters. This work aimed at evaluating the impact of hypertension on adenosine bioavailability and expression/distribution profile of AR subtypes (A, A, A, A) and equilibrative nucleoside transporters (ENT1, ENT2, ENT3, ENT4). Adenosine was measured in vascular tissue extracts by HPLC (fluorescence detection); immunoreactivities (ARs/ENTs) in mesenteric arteries/veins from normotensive Wistar Kyoto (WKY) and spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) were analyzed by histomorphometry.

Adenosine Receptor Ligands on Cancer Therapy: A Review of Patent Literature.

Background: Adenosine is a purine, with an adenine group and a ribose sugar, formed endogenously by ATP catabolism both intracellularly and extracellularly. Among the medicinal features of adenosine and its receptors (A1, A2A, A2B and A3), anticancer activity has been an intense field of research. The anticancer potential of adenosine receptor ligands has been brought to the forefront of research and evidenced in innumerous research articles and patents.

The Adenosinergic System as a Therapeutic Target in the Vasculature: New Ligands and Challenges.

Adenosine is an adenine base purine with actions as a modulator of neurotransmission, smooth muscle contraction, and immune response in several systems of the human body, including the cardiovascular system. In the vasculature, four P1-receptors or adenosine receptors-A₁, A, A and A₃-have been identified. Adenosine receptors are membrane G-protein receptors that trigger their actions through several signaling pathways and present differential affinity requirements.

Anti-Invasive and Anti-Proliferative Synergism between Docetaxel and a Polynuclear Pd-Spermine Agent.

The present work is aimed at evaluating the antitumour properties of a Pd(II) dinuclear complex with the biogenic polyamine spermine, by investigating: i) the anti-angiogenic and anti-migration properties of a Pd(II) dinuclear complex with spermine (Pd2Spm); ii) the anti-proliferative activity of Pd2Spm against a triple negative human breast carcinoma (MDA-MB-231); and finally iii) the putative interaction mediated by combination of Pd2Spm with Docetaxel. Anti-invasive (anti-angiogenic and anti-migratory) as well as anti-proliferative capacities were assessed, for different combination schemes and drug exposure times, using the CAM assay and VEGFR2 activity measurement, the MatrigelTM method and the SRB proliferation test. The results thus obtained evidence the ability of Pd2Spm to restrict angiogenesis and cell migration: Pd2Spm induced a marked inhibition of migration (43.

Endothelial and Neuronal Nitric Oxide Activate Distinct Pathways on Sympathetic Neurotransmission in Rat Tail and Mesenteric Arteries.

Nitric oxide (NO) seems to contribute to vascular homeostasis regulating neurotransmission. This work aimed at assessing the influence of NO from different sources and respective intracellular pathways on sympathetic neurotransmission, in two vascular beds. Electrically-evoked [3H]-noradrenaline release was assessed in rat mesenteric and tail arteries in the presence of NO donors or endothelial/neuronal nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors.

Endothelial dysfunction impairs vascular neurotransmission in tail arteries.

The present study intends to clarify if endothelium dysfunction impairs vascular sympathetic neurotransmission. Electrically-evoked tritium overflow (100 pulses/5 Hz) was evaluated in arteries (intact and denuded) or exhibiting some degree of endothelium dysfunction (spontaneously hypertensive arteries), pre-incubated with [(3)H]-noradrenaline in the presence of enzymes (nitric oxide synthase (NOS); nicotinamide adenine dinucleotide phosphate (NADPH) oxidase; xanthine oxidase; cyclooxygenase; adenosine kinase) inhibitors and a nucleoside transporter inhibitor. Inhibition of endothelial nitric oxide synthase with L-NIO dihydrochloride reduced tritium overflow in intact arteries whereas inhibition of neuronal nitric oxide synthase with Nω-Propyl-L-arginine hydrochloride was devoid of effect showing that only endothelial nitric oxide synthase is involved in vascular sympathetic neuromodulation.

Lack of endogenous adenosine tonus on sympathetic neurotransmission in spontaneously hypertensive rat mesenteric artery.

Background: Increased sympathetic activity has been implicated in hypertension. Adenosine has been shown to play a role in blood flow regulation. In the present study, the endogenous adenosine neuromodulatory role, in mesenteric arteries from normotensive and spontaneously hypertensive rats, was investigated.

Antioxidant versus cytotoxic properties of hydroxycinnamic acid derivatives - a new paradigm in phenolic research.

Trihydroxycinnamic derivatives were synthesized and evaluated for their antioxidant and cytotoxic activities. The ester derivatives exhibited a higher radical-scavenging activity, when liposomes were used as target systems, a fact which may be related to their lipophilicity and conformational preferences. These compounds were found to display significant growth inhibition and cytotoxic effects towards a human cervix adenocarcinoma cell line (HeLa).