Effects of bioactive ceramics on the pathogenesis of rat vascular smooth muscle cells treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate.

Vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) play a pivotal role in vascular injury through proliferation and migration. Pro-inflammatory cytokines and cyclooxygenase (COX)-2 and nitric oxide synthase (NOS) are highly associated with the pathogenesis of VSMCs. We investigated the effect of bioactive ceramics on the expression of inflammatory cytokines, COX-2, and inducible NOS (iNOS) induced by phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA) in rat VSMCs.

Silica-ceramic suppresses the expression of proinflammatory cytokines induced by lipopolysaccharide in macrophages.

Bioactive materials have previously been used to coat implants. In a new development for bioactive materials, a silica-ceramic mixture was found to alleviate pain (Lee, Poster presented at the Ninth World Congress of Gynecological Endocrinology, Hongkong, 2001. Poster session (p47)).