Emerging and characterization of a novel fowl adenovirus 4 strain with open reading frame 19 (ORF19) in diseased chickens from China.

The highly virulent genotype fowl adenovirus 4 (FAdV-4), associated with severe hydropericardium hepatitis syndrome (HHS) in poultry from China, is characterized by a large deletion of 1966 bp (1966-del), including losses of ORF19 and ORF27. However, how this virus originated remains unclear. In this study, a novel FAdV-4 strain, HNU-XXY-2019, from diseased chickens, which has a genome size of 45669 bp and is approximately 1966 bp longer than the known FAdV-4 genome from China, was isolated and characterized.

Allopurinol attenuates oxidative injury in rat hearts suffered ischemia/reperfusion via suppressing the xanthine oxidase/vascular peroxidase 1 pathway.

Allopurinol, a xanthine oxidase (XO) inhibitor, is reported to alleviate myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (I/R) injury by reducing the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). As an XO-derived product, HO can act as a substrate of vascular peroxidase 1 (VPO1) to induce the generation of hypochlorous acid (HOCl), a potent oxidant. This study aims to explore whether the XO/VPO1 pathway is involved in the anti-oxidative effects of allopurinol on the myocardial I/R injury.

Higenamine attenuates cardiac fibroblast abstract and fibrosis via inhibition of TGF-β1/Smad signaling.

Rationale: Higenamine (HG), is one of the main active components in many widely used Chinese herbs, and a common ingredient of health products in Europe and North America. Several groups, including our own, have previously shown the beneficial effects of HG against cardiomyocyte death during acute ischemic damage. However, the effect of HG on chronic cardiac remodeling, such as cardiac fibrosis, remains unknown.

Fasudil ameliorates the ischemia/reperfusion oxidative injury in rat hearts through suppression of myosin regulatory light chain/NADPH oxidase 2 pathway.

Fasudil is a potent Rho-kinase (ROCK) inhibitor and can relax smooth muscle or cardiac muscle contraction through decreasing the phosphorylation level of myosin regulatory light chain (p-MLC or p-MLC2v), while p-MLC2v can function as a transcription factor to promote the NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) expression in rat hearts subjected to ischemia/reperfusion (I/R). This study aims to explore whether fasudil can protect the rat hearts against I/R oxidative injury through suppressing NOX2 expression via reduction of p-MLC2v level. The SD rat hearts were subjected to 1h-ischemia plus 3h-reperfusion, which showed myocardial injuries (myocardial fiber loss and disarray, increase of creatine kinase release and myocardial infarction/apoptosis), increase in ROCK activity and nuclear p-MLC level concomitant with up-regulation of NOX2 and HO production; these phenomena were attenuated by fasudil in a dose-dependent manner.

An update on vinpocetine: New discoveries and clinical implications.

Vinpocetine, a derivative of the alkaloid vincamine, has been clinically used in many countries for treatment of cerebrovascular disorders such as stroke and dementia for more than 30 years. Currently, vinpocetine is also available in the market as a dietary supplement to enhance cognition and memory. Due to its excellent safety profile, increasing efforts have been put into exploring the novel therapeutic effects and mechanism of actions of vinpocetine in various cell types and disease models.

Vinpocetine Attenuates Pathological Cardiac Remodeling by Inhibiting Cardiac Hypertrophy and Fibrosis.

Purpose: Pathological cardiac remodeling, characterized by cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis, is a pathological feature of many cardiac disorders that leads to heart failure and cardiac arrest. Vinpocetine, a derivative of the alkaloid vincamine, has been used for enhancing cerebral blood flow to treat cognitive impairment. However, its role in pathological cardiac remodeling remains unknown.

Higenamine protects ischemia/reperfusion induced cardiac injury and myocyte apoptosis through activation of β2-AR/PI3K/AKT signaling pathway.

Cardiomyocyte apoptosis contributes to ischemic cardiac injury and the development of heart failure. Higenamine is a key component of the Chinese herb aconite root that has been prescribed for treating symptoms of heart failure for thousands of years in the oriental Asian countries. It has been shown that higenamine has anti-apoptotic effects in a few cell types including cardiomyocytes.

Nuclear cardiac myosin light chain 2 modulates NADPH oxidase 2 expression in myocardium: a novel function beyond muscle contraction.

Recent studies demonstrated that NADPH oxidase 2 (NOX2) expression in myocardium after ischemia-reperfusion (IR) is significantly upregulated. However, the underlying mechanisms remain unknown. This study aims to determine if nuclear cardiac myosin light chain 2 (MYL2), a well-known regulatory subunit of myosin, functions as a transcription factor to promote NOX2 expression following myocardial IR in a phosphorylation-dependent manner.

A novel function of nuclear nonmuscle myosin regulatory light chain in promotion of xanthine oxidase transcription after myocardial ischemia/reperfusion.

Nuclear myosin regulates gene transcription and this novel function might be modulated through phosphorylation of the myosin regulatory light chain (p-MLC20). Nonmuscle MLC20 (nmMLC20) is also present in the nuclei of cardiomyocytes and a potential nmMLC20 binding sequence has been identified in the promoter of the xanthine oxidase (XO) gene. Thus, we investigated its function in the regulation of XO transcription after myocardial ischemia/reperfusion (IR).

Inhibition of vascular peroxidase alleviates cardiac dysfunction and apoptosis induced by ischemia-reperfusion.

Myeloperoxidase (MPO) is involved in myocardial ischemia-reperfusion (IR) injury and vascular peroxidase (VPO) is a newly identified isoform of MPO. This study was conducted to explore whether VPO is involved in IR-induced cardiac dysfunction and apoptosis. In a rat Langendorff model of myocardial IR, the cardiac function parameters (left ventricular pressure and the maximum derivatives of left ventricular pressure and coronary flow), creatine kinase (CK) activity, apoptosis, VPO1 activity were measured.

A novel pathway of NADPH oxidase/vascular peroxidase 1 in mediating oxidative injury following ischemia-reperfusion.

Vascular peroxidase 1 (VPO1) can utilize reactive oxygen species (ROS) generated from NADPH oxidase (NOX) to catalyze peroxidative reactions. This study was performed to identify a novel pathway of NOX/VPO1 in mediating the oxidative injury following myocardial ischemia reperfusion (IR). In a rat model of myocardial IR, the infarct size, serum creatine kinase (CK) activity, apoptosis, NOX activity, NOX2 and VPO1 expression were measured.

Alpha lipoic acid protects heart against myocardial ischemia-reperfusion injury through a mechanism involving aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 activation.

Recent studies demonstrate that alpha lipoic acid can prevent nitroglycerin tolerance by restoring aldehyde dehydrogenase 2 (ALDH2) activity and ALDH2-mediated detoxification of aldehydes is thought as an endogenous mechanism against ischemia-reperfusion injury. This study was performed to explore whether the cardioprotective effect of alpha lipoic acid was related to activation of ALDH2 and the underlying mechanisms. In a Langendorff model of ischemia-reperfusion in rats, cardiac function, activities of creatine kinase (CK) and ALDH2, contents of 4-hydroxy-2-nonenal (4-HNE) and malondialdehyde (MDA) were measured.

Beneficial effects of capsiate on ethanol-induced mucosal injury in rats are related to stimulation of calcitonin gene-related Peptide release.

Capsiate is a non-pungent analogue of capsaicin from CH-19 Sweet peppers. Capsaicin is reported to trigger calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) release through activation of transient receptor potential vanilloid subfamily member 1 (TRPV1) and produces beneficial effects on gastric mucosa. This study aimed to investigate whether capsiate is able to produce beneficial effects on gastric mucosa and whether the protective effects of capsipate occur through a mechanism involving the activation of TRPV1 and CGRP release.

Vanillyl nonanoate protects rat gastric mucosa from ethanol-induced injury through a mechanism involving calcitonin gene-related peptide.

Previous studies have demonstrated that capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves are involved in the protection of gastric mucosa against damage by various stimuli and calcitoin gene-related peptide (CGRP) is a potential mediator in this process. This study was performed to explore the effect of vanillyl nonanoate, a capsaicin analog, on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury and the possible underlying mechanisms. A rat model of gastric mucosal injury was induced by oral administration of acidified ethanol and gastric tissues were collected for analysis of gastric ulcer index, cellular apoptosis, the activities of caspase-3, catalase and superoxide dismutase (SOD), levels of CGRP, TNF-α and malondialdehyde (MDA).

Protective effect of phloroglucinol against myocardial ischaemia-reperfusion injury is related to inhibition of myeloperoxidase activity and inflammatory cell infiltration.

1. It has been shown that phloroglucinol has anti-inflammatory and anti-oxidant properties. Both inflammatory cell infiltration and myeloperoxidase (MPO) activation play an important role in myocardial reperfusion injury.

Reversal of isoprenaline-induced cardiac remodeling by rutaecarpine via stimulation of calcitonin gene-related peptide production.

Dysfunction of capsaicin-sensitive sensory nerves is involved in cardiac remodeling, and rutaecarpine has been shown to exert a beneficial effect on cardiac function through activating the sensory nerves. This study was conducted to explore the potential inhibitory effect of rutaecarpine on cardiac remodeling and the underlying mechanisms. A rat cardiac remodeling model was established by injection of isoprenaline (5 mg/kg per day, s.

Phloroglucinol protects gastric mucosa against ethanol-induced injury through regulating myeloperoxidase and catalase activities.

It has been shown that oxidative stress plays an important role in the pathogenesis of ethanol-induced acute gastric mucosal injury, and phloroglucinol, a smooth muscle relaxant, has been reported to possess anti-oxidative properties. In this study, we explored the effect of phloroglucinol on ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury and the possible underlying mechanisms. The rat model of gastric mucosal injury was induced by oral administration of acidified ethanol, and the gastric tissues were collected for analysis of gastric ulcer index (UI), cellular apoptosis, anti-O(2) ˙ or OH˙ formation activity, malondialdehyde (MDA) content, and the activities of myeloperoxidase (MPO), catalase and glutathione peroxidase.

The role of the DDAH-ADMA pathway in the protective effect of resveratrol analog BTM-0512 on gastric mucosal injury.

A recent study showed that resveratrol, a polyphenol found in many plant species, exerts dual effects on gastric mucosal injury. By using the model of ethanol-induced gastric mucosal injury in the present study, we explored the effect of trans-3,5,4'-trimethoxystilbene (BTM-0512), a novel analog of resveratrol, on gastric mucosal injury and the possible underlying mechanisms. Gastric mucosal injury in the rat was induced by oral administration of acidified ethanol.

Role of anandamide transporter in regulating calcitonin gene-related peptide production and blood pressure in hypertension.

Objectives: To explore the role of anandamide (AEA) transporter in regulating calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP) production and blood pressure.

Methods And Results: Plasma levels of AEA, CGRP, asymmetric dimethylarginine (ADMA) and nitric oxide in patients with essential hypertension, spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRs) and 2 kidney 1 clip hypertensive rats and the CGRP mRNA expression in dorsal root ganglion of rats were measured. Peripheral blood lymphocytes were isolated to examine the AEA transporter activity, the role of AEA transporter in regulating CGRP mRNA expression or the effect of exogenous ADMA on AEA transporter activity.

Calcitonin gene-related peptide-mediated antihypertensive and anti-platelet effects by rutaecarpine in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

We have previously reported that Chinese traditional medicine rutaecarpine (Rut) produced a sustained hypotensive effect in phenol-induced and two-kidney, one-clip hypertensive rats. The aims of this study are to determine whether Rut could exert antihypertensive and anti-platelet effects in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and the underlying mechanisms. In vivo, SHR were given Rut and the blood pressure was monitored.