Gaseous hydrogen sulfide protects against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury in mice partially independent from hypometabolism.

Background: Ischemia-reperfusion injury (IRI) is a major cause of cardiac damage following various pathological processes. Gaseous hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is protective during IRI by inducing a hypometabolic state in mice which is associated with anti-apoptotic, anti-inflammatory and antioxidant properties. We investigated whether gaseous H2S administration is protective in cardiac IRI and whether non-hypometabolic concentrations of H2S have similar protective properties.

Renal effects of long-term darbepoetin alpha treatment in hypertensive TGR(mRen2)27 rats.

Introduction: Erytropoietin (EPO) has cytoprotective and angiogenic properties and has a beneficial effect in ischaemic conditions. Since the development of renal interstitial abnormalities are often associated with ischaemia, we studied the effects of the long-acting EPO analogue darbepoetin alpha (DA) on kidney damage in TGR(mRen2)27 (Ren2) rats.

Materials And Methods: Ren2 rats were randomised to DA or vehicle (VEH) or to DA + angiotensin converting enzyme inhibitor (ACEi) or VEH + ACEi.

Heart failure-associated anemia: bone marrow dysfunction and response to erythropoietin.

Heart failure (HF)-associated anemia is common and has a poor outcome. Because bone marrow (BM) dysfunction may contribute to HF-associated anemia, we first investigated mechanisms of BM dysfunction in an established model of HF, the transgenic REN2 rat, which is characterized by severe hypertrophy and ventricular dilatation and SD rats as controls. Secondly, we investigated whether stimulation of hematopoiesis with erythropoietin (EPO) could restore anemia and BM dysfunction.

Erythropoiesis stimulation in acute ischemic syndromes.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a hematopoietic hormone with extensive nonhematopoietic properties. The discovery of an EPO receptor outside the hematopoietic system has fuelled research into the beneficial effects of EPO for various conditions, predominantly in cardiovascular disease. Experimental evidence has revealed the cytoprotective properties of EPO, and it seems that the EPO-EPO receptor system provides a powerful backbone against acute myocardial ischemia, gaining from the different properties of EPO.

Vascular endothelial growth factor is crucial for erythropoietin-induced improvement of cardiac function in heart failure.

Aims: We intended to delineate the mechanisms of erythropoietin (EPO)-induced cardiac vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) production and to establish if VEGF is crucial for EPO-induced improvement of cardiac performance.

Methods And Results: The effects of EPO on VEGF expression were studied in cultured cardiac cells and EPO-treated hearts. The role of VEGF in EPO-induced neovascularization was studied with two distinct VEGF-neutralizing antibodies or irrelevant control IgG in an aortic sprouting assay and in rats with heart failure (HF) after myocardial infarction (MI) treated with EPO.

Estradiol-induced, endothelial progenitor cell-mediated neovascularization in male mice with hind-limb ischemia.

We investigated whether administration of estradiol to male mice augments mobilization of bone marrow-derived endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) and incorporation into foci of neovascularization after hind-limb ischemia, thereby contributing to blood flow restoration. Mice were randomized and implanted with placebo pellets or pellets containing low-dose estradiol (0.39 mg) or high-dose estradiol (1.

Erythropoietin in cardiac disease: new features of an old drug.

Erythropoietin is a haematopoietic hormone with extensive non-haematopoietic effects. The discovery of an erythropoietin receptor outside the haematopoietic system has fuelled the research into the beneficial effects of erythropoietin for various conditions, predominantly in cardiovascular disease. Experimental evidence has revealed the cytoprotective and angiogenic properties of erythropoietin and it seems that the erythropoietin-erythropoietin receptor system provides a powerful backbone against acute and chronic myocardial ischemia, each gaining from the different properties of erythropoietin.

Left main coronary angioplasty in surgical and nonsurgical candidates: putative role for a preconditioned expert culture on clinical outcome.

The impact of patient- and operator-related clinical variables of success and evaluation of subsequent midterm effects of percutaneous treatment of left main coronary stenosis were assessed at a tertiary-referral high-volume angioplasty center in a retrospective observational study. A total of 118 consecutive surgical and nonsurgical patients with protected and unprotected left main (LM) lesions were treated by operators within a preconditioned expert culture. There were 57 protected and 61 unprotected patients, including 13 patients with an acute myocardial infarction (AMI).

Therapeutic potential of erythropoietin in cardiovascular disease: erythropoiesis and beyond.

Erythropoietin (EPO) is a glycoprotein hormone implicated in the regulation of red blood cell production. Anemia is common in chronic heart failure (CHF) patients and associated with an inappropriately low EPO-production, suggesting a role for its recombinant human form (rhEPO) in treatment. Although safety concerns have been raised regarding treatment with rhEPO in patients with chronic kidney disease, treatment with rhEPO in patients with CHF has so far been safe and well tolerated.