Alamandine: A promising treatment for fibrosis.

Angiotensin (Ang) II, the main active member of the renin angiotensin system (RAS), is essential for the maintenance of cardiovascular homeostasis. However, hyperactivation of the RAS causes fibrotic diseases. Ang II has pro-inflammatory actions, and moreover activates interstitial fibroblasts and/or dysregulates extracellular matrix degradation.

Assessment of Alamandine in Pulmonary Fibrosis and Respiratory Mechanics in Rodents.

Introduction: Pulmonary fibrosis (PF) is characterized by an accelerated decline in pulmonary function and has limited treatment options. Alamandine (ALA) is a recently described protective peptide of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS) with essential tasks in several conditions. Our group previously demonstrated that ALA is reduced by 365% in the plasma of patients with idiopathic PF, and thus, it is plausible to believe that stimulation of this peptide could represent an important therapeutic target.

Chronic administration of pharmacological doses of angiotensin 1-7 and iodoangiotensin 1-7 has minimal effects on blood pressure, heart rate, and cognitive function of spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Cardiovascular diseases are the principal cause of death worldwide, with hypertension being the most common cardiovascular disease risk factor. High blood pressure (BP) is also associated with an increased risk of poor cognitive performance and dementia including Alzheimer's disease. Angiotensin 1-7 (Ang 1-7), a product of the renin-angiotensin system (RAS), exhibits central and peripheral actions to reduce BP.

Parasympathetic modulation withdrawal improves functional capacity in pulmonary arterial hypertension.

In 15 pulmonary arterial hypertension patients, the relation of functional capacity to their peripheral endothelial function and sympathaovagal modulation was studied by carrying out brachial artery ultrasound and electrocardiogram spectral analysis, respectively. The functional capacity was assessed by cardiopulmonary exercise testing and six-minute walking test. The sympathovagal modulation was correlated with the predicted peak oxygen consumption (peak VO %; r = 0.

I-Angiotensin 1-7 binds to a different site than angiotensin 1-7 in tissue membrane preparations.

Purpose: To study the receptor for Angiotensin (Ang) 1-7 using a radioligand (I-Ang 1-7)-binding assay. For more than a decade, Mas has been viewed as the receptor for Ang 1-7; however, Ang 1-7 binding has not been pharmacologically characterized in tissue membrane preparations.

Methods: Radioligand-binding assays were carried out using tissue membrane preparations using radioiodinated Angiotensin 1-7 (I-Ang 1-7) to characterize its binding site.

Neuromuscular electrical stimulation but not photobiomodulation therapy improves cardiovascular parameters of rats with heart failure.

The aim of the present study was to analyze the effect of neuromuscular electrical stimulation (NMES) and photobiomodulation (PBMT) on the cardiovascular parameters, hemodynamic function, arterial baroreflex sensitivity (BRS), and autonomic balance (ANS) of rats with heart failure (HF). Male Wistar rats (220-290 g) were organized into five groups: Sham ( = 6), Control-HF ( = 5), NMES-HF ( = 6), PBMT-HF ( = 6), and NMES + PBMT-HF ( = 6). Myocardial infarction (MI) was induced by left coronary artery ligation.

Family History of Hypertension Impairs the Autonomic Balance, but not the Endothelial Function, in Young Soccer Players.

Background The family history of hypertension (FHH) imposes consistent risk for diverse chronic diseases that are accompanied by hypertension. Furthermore, the heart rate variability (HRV) and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) are both related to maximal oxygen uptake (VO2max), and are usually impaired during hypertension Objective To compare the autonomic modulation, the endothelial function (EF) and maximum oxygen uptake (VO2max) of young athletes, separated according to their parents' blood pressure (BP) history, in order to study the influence of their genetic background on those parameters. Methods A total of 46 young male soccer players (18±2 years of age) were divided into four groups: 1-normotensive father and mother (FM-N); 2-only father was hypertensive (F-H); 3-only mother was hypertensive (M-H); 4-father and mother were hypertensive (FM-H).

Impact of angiotensin II type 1 and G-protein-coupled Mas receptor expression on the pulmonary performance of patients with idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.

Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is a severe interstitial disease with a mean survival of about 2.5-5 years after diagnosis. Its pathophysiology is still a major challenge for science.

Altered Gut Microbiome Profile in Patients With Pulmonary Arterial Hypertension.

Pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) is considered a disease of the pulmonary vasculature. Limited progress has been made in preventing or arresting progression of PAH despite extensive efforts. Our previous studies indicated that PAH could be considered a systemic disease since its pathology involves interplay of multiple organs.

Spirituality and Religiosity are Associated with Quality of Life in Patients with Lung Disease.

Patients were separated into two groups: (1) non-waiting list (NWL) and (2) waiting list (WL) for the lung transplantation. We found greater levels of the faith and spirituality, in those awaiting transplantation. In the NWL group, higher 'meaning' was associated with higher 'vitality,' 'emotional well-being,' and 'mental health'; higher 'peace' was associated with higher 'mental health.

Involvement of Neuroinflammation in the Pathogenesis of Monocrotaline-Induced Pulmonary Hypertension.

Pulmonary hypertension (PH) is a devastating disease and its successful treatment remains to be accomplished despite recent advances in pharmacotherapy. It has been proposed that PH be considered as a systemic disease, rather than primarily a disease of the pulmonary vasculature. Consequently, an investigation of the intricate interplay between multiple organs such as brain, vasculature, and lung in PH could lead to the identification of new targets for its therapy.

Differently shaped spines increase in the posterodorsal medial amygdala of oxytocin knockout female mice.

The posterodorsal medial amygdala (MePD) is a sexually dimorphic area in the social behavior neural network, with high concentration of oxytocin (OT) receptors. Wild type (WT) and OT knockout (OTKO) females were studied in proestrus, and Golgi-impregnated spines in the MePD were classified. Results show that the OTKO group has increased density of thin, mushroom, and stubby/wide spines when compared to the WT (p<0.

Efficacy of a low dose of estrogen on antioxidant defenses and heart rate variability.

This study tested whether a low dose (40% less than the pharmacological dose of 17-β estradiol) would be as effective as the pharmacological dose to improve cardiovascular parameters and decrease cardiac oxidative stress. Female Wistar rats (n = 9/group) were divided in three groups: (1) ovariectomized (Ovx), (2) ovariectomized animals treated for 21 days with low dose (LE; 0.2 mg), and (3) high dose (HE; 0.

An orally active angiotensin-(1-7) inclusion compound and exercise training produce similar cardiovascular effects in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

Low angiotensin-(1-7) (Ang-(1-7)) concentration is observed in some cardiovascular diseases and exercise training seems to restore its concentration in the heart. Recently, a novel formulation of an orally active Ang-(1-7) included in hydroxy-propyl-beta-cyclodextrin (HPB-CD) was developed and chronically administered in experimental models of cardiovascular diseases. The present study examined whether chronic administration of HPB-CD/Ang-(1-7) produces beneficial cardiovascular effects in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR), as well as to compare the results obtained with those produced by exercise training.

Low-dose estrogen is as effective as high-dose treatment in rats with postmenopausal hypertension.

: This study was conducted to test the hypothesis that 17β-estradiol therapy improves redox balance by decreasing reactive oxygen species production and increasing nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability, favoring Akt pathway activation and resulting in a better autonomic vascular control. Ovariectomized female Wistar rats were divided into 4 groups: (1) vehicle (VL) and animals treated with a pellet of 17β-estradiol for 21 days; (2) low dose (LE; 0.05 mg); (3) medium dose (ME; 0.

Sexual behavior and dendritic spine density of posterodorsal medial amygdala neurons in oxytocin knockout female mice.

Central oxytocin (OT) and arginine-vasopressin (AVP) have been shown to play an important role in sexual behavior and neuroendocrine secretion in rodents. The results of exogenous OT administration on sexual behaviors in male and female mice are controversial. This study aimed to analyze the role of OT in sexual behavior, the number of oocytes and the density of dendritic spines in the posterodorsal medial amygdala (MePD) of female mice with selective deletion of the OT gene (OTKO).

Resveratrol and grape juice differentially ameliorate cardiovascular autonomic modulation in L-NAME-treated rats.

Polyphenols consumption detected in red wine and grape juice may prevent or help in the treatment of hypertension. However, cardiovascular autonomic effects of polyphenols were poorly studied. Therefore, we evaluated the effects of resveratrol and grape juice treatments in hemodynamics, baroreflex sensitivity, heart rate (HR) and blood pressure (BP) variability and cardiac redox parameters.

Diminazene aceturate improves autonomic modulation in pulmonary hypertension.

We have previously demonstrated that diminazene aceturate (DIZE), a putative angiotensin 1-7 converting enzyme activator, protects rats from monocrotaline (MCT)-induced pulmonary hypertension (PH). The present study was conducted to determine if the beneficial effects of DIZE are associated with improvements in autonomic nervous system (ANS) modulation. PH was induced in male rats by a single subcutaneous injection of MCT (50 mg/kg).

Higher mean blood pressure is associated with autonomic imbalance but not with endothelial dysfunction in young soccer players.

Background: Blood pressure (BP) should be kept within a narrow range to allow adequate tissue perfusion. In particular, heart-rate variability (HRV) can be used to assess autonomic cardiovascular modulation, and flow-mediated dilation (FMD) can provide valuable information about the ability of the cardiovascular system to adapt to different pressures. Our objective in the study described here was to investigate the effect of a difference of 10mm Hg in mean arterial pressure (MAP) on endothelial function and autonomic balance in young and normotensive soccer players.

Oxytocin modulates social interaction but is not essential for sexual behavior in male mice.

Recently, several studies have shown different conclusions regarding the effect of oxytocin (OT) on the social behaviors of male mice. Most of these studies used exogenous OT, but currently, investigations of the neural bases of social behavior are increasingly employing gene inactivation. This study aimed to analyze the role of OT in the modulation of social behaviors (i.

Diminazene attenuates pulmonary hypertension and improves angiogenic progenitor cell functions in experimental models.

Rationale: Studies have demonstrated that angiotensin-converting enzyme 2 (ACE2) plays a protective role against lung diseases, including pulmonary hypertension (PH). Recently, an antitrypanosomal drug, diminazene aceturate (DIZE), was shown to exert an "off-target" effect of enhancing the enzymatic activity of ACE2 in vitro.

Objectives: To evaluate the pharmacological actions of DIZE in experimental models of PH.

Renal oxygen content is increased in healthy subjects after angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibition.

Objective: The association between renal hypoxia and the development of renal injury is well established. However, no adequate method currently exists to non-invasively measure functional changes in renal oxygenation in normal and injured patients.

Method: R2* quantification was performed using renal blood oxygen level-dependent properties.