Publications by authors named "V Boccioletti"

Background: This study was conducted to evaluate (i) the effect of nebivolol, a selective beta1-adrenergic receptor antagonist, on plasma concentration of asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and on flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in essential hypertensive patients; (ii) the effect of serum derived from the treated hypertensive patients on ADMA and on dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase 2 (DDAH2), the enzyme that selectively degrades ADMA, in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs).

Methods: Forty healthy subjects and 40 matched essential hypertensive patients treated with atenolol and nebivolol according to a double-blind, randomized design participated in the study. Evaluation of brachial artery (BA) reactivity was performed by a longitudinal B-mode scan of the right BA.

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The endothelium plays a key role in the development of atherogenesis and its inflammatory and proliferative status influences the progression of atherosclerosis. The aim of this study is to compare the effects of two beta blockers such as nebivolol and atenolol on gene expression in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) following an oxidant stimulus. HUVECs were incubated with nebivolol or atenolol (10 micromol/L) for 24 hours and oxidative stress was induced by the addition of oxidized (ox)-LDL.

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Asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) has been reported to affect the synthesis of nitric oxide (NO) in endothelial cells by inhibiting endothelial NO synthase (eNOS) activity and to cause endothelial dysfunction in humans. This study was conducted in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) to evaluate the effect of nebivolol, a selective beta1-adrenergic receptor antagonist, on ADMA concentration and on dimethylarginine dimethylaminohydrolase (DDAH2), the enzyme that regulates ADMA catabolism. Nebivolol dose-dependently decreased ADMA/symmetric dimethylarginine (SDMA) ratio (p from <0.

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Article Synopsis
  • The study aimed to investigate the role of oxidized low-density lipoprotein (oxLDL) in increasing the production of cytokines through heightened expression of CD14 and toll-like receptor-4 (TLR-4) on monocytes in unstable angina (UA) patients.
  • It measured levels of CD14, TLR-4, and various cytokines in blood samples from UA patients, stable angina (SA) patients, and healthy controls, finding higher levels in the UA group.
  • The results suggest that oxLDL might be a key factor in driving inflammation in UA patients by promoting the expression of CD14 and TLR-4, which leads to increased cytokine production.
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Background: Oxidative inactivation of nitric oxide (NO) is regarded as an important cause of reduced endothelium-dependent vasodilation in essential hypertension. Because zofenopril, an angiotensin-converting enzyme (ACE) inhibitor with a sulfhydryl (SH) group, has demonstrated antioxidant properties and to reduce adhesion molecule expression in vitro, in this study we evaluated the effect of this drug in comparison with the carboxylic ACE inhibitor ramipril and the beta-adrenoreceptor blocker atenolol on (1) circulating adhesion molecules and some oxidative stress parameters and (2) endothelium-dependent vasodilation in essential mildly hypertensive patients.

Methods: A total of 45 healthy subjects and 45 matched hypertensive patients participated in the study.

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