Cardiac oxytocin receptor blockade stimulates adverse cardiac remodeling in ovariectomized spontaneously hypertensive rats.

An increasing amount of evidence demonstrates the beneficial role of oxytocin (OT) in the cardiovascular system. Similar actions are attributed to genistein, an isoflavonic phytoestrogen. The treatment with genistein activates the OT system in the aorta of ovariectomized (OVX) Sprague-Dawley (SD) rats.

Anti-inflammatory effect of oxytocin in rat myocardial infarction.

While an increasing amount of evidence demonstrates the homeostatic functions of the cardiac oxytocin (OT) system, less is known about the role of this hormone in the injured heart. The current study examined the effect of OT infusion on cell apoptosis, expression of proliferating cell nuclear antigen (PCNA) and inflammation in the acute and subacute phases of myocardial infarction (MI). Prior MI male Sprague-Dawley rats were infused subcutaneously with OT 25 or 125 ng/(kg h) for 3 or 7 days.

Effects of inhaled nitric oxide on inflammation and apoptosis after cardiopulmonary bypass.

Background: Cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), a procedure often used during cardiac surgery, is associated with an inflammatory process that leads to lung injury. We hypothesized that inhaled nitric oxide (INO), which has anti-inflammatory properties, possesses the ability to modulate lung cell apoptosis and prevent CPB-induced inflammation.

Methods: Twenty male pigs were randomly classified into four groups: sham, sham plus INO, CPB, and CPB plus INO.

Nitric oxide, cell signaling and cell death.

Nitric oxide (NO) is an important bioregulatory molecule in the nervous, immune and cardiovascular systems. NO participates in the regulation of the daily activities of cells as well as in cytotoxic events. It possesses a controversial effect on cell viability by acting both as a protection against apoptogenic stimuli, or by inducing apoptosis when produced at elevated concentrations.