Characterization of endothelin-1 and nitric oxide generating systems in corpus luteum-derived endothelial cells

Endothelium-derived endothelin-1 (ET-1) and nitric oxide (NO) are pivotal regulators of corpus luteum (CL) function. To have a better insight into their synthesis and action, members of the ET system (ET-1, ET converting enzyme (ECE-1) isoforms a-d, ETA and ETB receptors) along with NO synthase (NOS) isoforms--endothelial (e)NOS and inducible (i)NOS--were quantified in CL-derived endothelial cells (CLEC). The expression of these genes in microvascular CLEC, obtained by lectin-coated magnetic beads, was compared with cells removed from the luteal microenvironment and maintained in culture for different durations, and with endothelial cells (EC) derived from a large blood vessel (i.e. bovine aortic endothelial cells, BAEC). The profile of gene expression in the different EC types was determined by quantitative real-time PCR. Freshly isolated EC from mid-cycle CL exhibited high ET-1 receptor expression (both ETA and ETB), low ET-1 synthesizing ability (both prepro (pp) ET-1 and ECE-1), but elevated iNOS - the high throughput NOS isoform. The distinct phenotype of CLEC was lost soon after an overnight culture. ETA and ETB receptor levels declined, ppET-1 levels increased while iNOS was reduced. These changes were extenuated during long-term culture of CLEC. The general pattern of gene expression in BAEC and long-term cultured CLEC was similar yet some differences, reminiscent of freshly isolated CLEC, remained: ECE-1c, ETB receptor and NOS isoforms were expressed differently in BAEC as compared with lines of CLEC. This study suggests that the luteal microenvironment is necessary to sustain the selective phenotype of its resident endothelial cells. The inverse relationship between ppET-1 and iNOS observed in freshly isolated CLEC and in cultured cells is physiologically significant and suggests that ET-1 and NO may modulate the production of each other.     

锶矿泉水对人血管内皮细胞的增殖和功能的影响

目的 观察不同浓度的锶矿泉水对人脐静脉血管内皮细胞(HUVEC)增殖及分泌的影响,研究其对血管内皮细胞功能的作用.方法 HUVEC细胞分为2、4、6、8 mg/L锶矿泉水(SMW)组和双蒸水(DDW)组,以4×104个/ml的浓度接种于培养板中,18h后,换成条件培养基培养至96 h.分别于24、48、72和96 h时,以细胞计数试剂盒-8(CCK-8)法观察细胞的增殖情况.培养72 h的细胞分别用苏木素染色后,观察细胞生长状态,以及用BCA蛋白化验试剂盒测蛋白含量,酶联免疫吸附试验(ELISA)检测培养基中血管内皮生长因子(VEGF)、一氧化氮(NO)和内皮素(ET)的含量.结果 培养72 h后,2和4 mg/L SMW组细胞增殖速度快于DDW组(P＜0.05);8 mg/LSMW抑制HUVEC增殖(P＜0.05);培养至72 h时,各浓度的SMW组细胞分泌VEGF的量较DDW组均降低(P＜0.05),其组间差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05);2和4 mg/L SMW组分泌ET和NO减少(P＜0.05),而6和8 mg/LSMW组分泌增多(P＜0.05),但同一浓度下,ET和NO分泌变化呈正相关.4 mg/L SMW组NO/ET值增大(P＜0.05),其余各组间差异无统计学意义(P＞0.05).结论 一定浓度的锶矿泉水可促进血管内皮细胞增殖,影响内皮细胞ET和NO分泌,降低血管紧张性.VEGF并不直接参与锶矿泉水促进血管内皮细胞的增殖.     

rhAPC reduces the endothelial cell permeability via a decrease of contractile tensions induced by endothelial cells

All cells generate contractile tension. This strain is crucial for mechanically controlling the cell shape, function and survival. In this study, the CellDrum technology quantifying cell's (the cellular) mechanical tension on a pico-scale was used to investigate the effect of lipopolysaccharide (LPS) on human aortic endothelial cell (HAoEC) tension. The LPS effect during gram-negative sepsis on endothelial cells is cell contraction causing endothelium permeability increase. The aim was to finding out whether recombinant activated protein C (rhAPC) would reverse the endothelial cell response in an in-vitro sepsis model. In this study, the established in-vitro sepsis model was confirmed by interleukin 6 (IL-6) levels at the proteomic and genomic levels by ELISA, real time-PCR and reactive oxygen species (ROS) activation by florescence staining. The thrombin cellular contraction effect on endothelial cells was used as a positive control when the CellDrum technology was applied. Additionally, the Ras homolog gene family, member A (RhoA) mRNA expression level was checked by real time-PCR to support contractile tension results. According to contractile tension results, the mechanical predominance of actin stress fibers was a reason of the increased endothelial contractile tension leading to enhanced endothelium contractility and thus permeability enhancement. The originality of this data supports firstly the basic measurement principles of the CellDrum technology and secondly that rhAPC has a beneficial effect on sepsis influenced cellular tension. The technology presented here is promising for future high-throughput cellular tension analysis that will help identify pathological contractile tension responses of cells and prove further cell in-vitro models.     

Antioxidant and nitric oxide production inhibitory activities of galacturonyl hydroxamic acid

The self-prepared pectin hydroxamic acid has been reported to have antioxidant activities [Yang, S. S., Cheng, K. D., Lin, Y. S., Liu, Y. W., & Hou, W. C. (2004). Pectin hydroxamic acids exhibit antioxidant activities in vitro. Journal of Agricultural and Food Chemistry, 52, 4270–4273]. In this study, the galacturonic acid (GalA), the monomer unit of the pectin polymer, was esterified with acidic methanol (1 N HCl) at 4 °C with gentle stirring for 5 days to get galacturonic acid methyl ester which was further reacted with alkaline hydroxylamine to get galacturonyl hydroxamic acid (GalA–NHOH). The GalA–NHOH was used to test the antioxidant and antiradical activities in the comparison with GalA. The scavenging activities of GalA–NHOH against DPPH radicals (half-inhibition concentration, IC₅₀, was 82 μM), hydroxyl radicals detected by electron spin resonance (IC₅₀ was 0.227 nM in the comparison with Trolox of 0.433 μM), superoxide radicals (IC₅₀ was 830 μM) were determined. The protection activities of GalA–NHOH against hydroxyl radicals-mediated calf thymus DNA damages, linoleic acid peroxidation and peroxynitrite-mediated dihydrorhodamine 123 oxidations were also investigated. It was found that the GalA–NHOH exhibited dose-dependently antioxidant activity and few or none was found in GalA. The GalA–NHOH was used to evaluate the suppressed activity of nitric oxide (NO) productions of RAW264.7 cells in the presence of lipopolysaccharide (LPS, 100 ng/ml) as inducers. It was found that GalA–NHOH (0.02–0.1 mg/ml) could dose-dependently suppress the NO productions (expressed as nitrite concentrations) in RAW264.7 cells without significant cytotoxicity.     

Tannin 1-alpha-O-galloylpunicalagin induces the calcium-dependent activation of endothelial nitric-oxide synthase via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway in endothelial cells

Many polyphenols have been found to increase endothelial nitric oxide (NO) production. In our present study, we investigated the effects of 1-alpha-O-galloylpunicalagin upon endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) activity in endothelial cells (ECs). Both 1-alpha-O-galloylpunicalagin and punicalagin induced NO production in a dose-dependent manner in ECs. Despite having similar chemical structures, punicalagin induced lower levels of NO production than 1-alpha-O-galloylpunicalagin. After 1-alpha-O-galloylpunicalagin addition, a rise in the intracellular Ca(2+) concentration preceded NO production. The Ca(2+) ionophore A23187 stimulated eNOS phosphorylation and augmented NO production. Pretreatment with Ca(2+) chelators inhibited 1-alpha-O-galloylpunicalagin-induced eNOS phosphorylation and NO production. Treatment with 1-alpha-O-galloylpunicalagin did not alter the eNOS protein levels but, unlike punicalagin, induced a sustained activation of eNOS Ser(1179) phosphorylation. 1-alpha-O-galloylpunicalagin was also found to activate ERK1/2, JNK and Akt in ECs. Moreover, simultaneous treatment of these cells with specific phosphatidylinositol-3-kinase inhibitors significantly inhibited the observed increases in eNOS activity and phosphorylation levels. In contrast, the inhibition of (ERK)1/2, JNK and p38 had no influence on eNOS Ser(1179) phosphorylation. Our present results thus indicate that the 1-alpha-O-galloylpunicalagin-induced calcium-dependent activation of eNOS is primarily mediated via a phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt-dependent increase in eNOS activity, and occurs independently of the eNOS protein content.     

反油酸和反异油酸对人脐静脉内皮细胞炎症反应的影响

比较反油酸（9t18∶1）和反异油酸（11t18∶1）对内皮细胞炎症反应的影响。用不同浓度的反油酸（9t18∶1）和反异油酸（11t18∶1）作用人脐静脉内皮细胞（HUVEC）,观察其对细胞存活率、细胞形态学、氧化酶活（SOD、MDA）、LDH渗出率、一氧化氮量和NOS活力的影响。结果表明9t18∶1和11t18∶1均能降低细胞存活率,在100μmol/L时,9t18∶1对内皮细胞存活率的抑制作用显著强于11t18∶1;两种反式脂肪酸均导致内皮细胞形态发生变化,细胞由正常的梭形变为圆形,而且边缘呈粗糙状态;9t18∶1和11t18∶1均能够造成内皮细胞LDH渗出率和胞内MDA含量的显著升高,但11t18∶1组明显低于同浓度9t18∶1组;两种反式脂肪酸均能够降低HUVEC细胞NO分泌量和NOS、SOD活力,且11t18∶1的降低作用低于同浓度9t18∶1组。此外,9t18∶1和11t18∶1均可提高ICAM、VCAM、IL-6 mRNA表达量,且前者显著高于后者。总的来说,这两种反式脂肪酸对内皮细胞都有一定致炎症作用,但9t18∶1强于11t18∶1。      

Daily intake of thiamine correlates with the circulating level of endothelial progenitor cells and the endothelial function in patients with type II diabetes

Our objective was to determine the relationships between levels of different dietary nutrients intake with circulating endothelial progenitor cells (EPC) and vascular endothelial function in type II diabetic patients. We studied the daily dietary nutrients intake, the numbers of circulating CD34(+)/KDR(+) EPC and CD133(+)/KDR(+) EPC and brachial artery flow-mediated dilation (FMD) in 88 diabetic patients without prior cardiovascular diseases and 91 sex- and age-matched controls. Compared with controls, diabetic patients had lower CD133(+)/KDR(+) EPC count (48.3 +/- 5.2 vs. 84.6 +/- 7.6/microL, p < 0.001), CD34(+)/KDR(+) EPC count (311 +/- 41 vs. 412 +/- 36/microL, p = 0.045), and FMD (2.54 +/- 0.37% vs. 5.46 +/- 0.47%, p < 0.001). After adjusted for age, sex, smoking history, body weight, hemoglobin A1c level, total calorie intake, other dietary vitamin intake, use of antihypertensives, and lipid lowering agents, a higher intake of thiamine was significantly associated with a higher level of circulating CD34(+)/KDR(+) EPC (beta = 0.49, p = 0.028) and CD133(+)/KDR(+) EPC (beta = 0.45, p = 0.037) in diabetic patients, but not in controls. Furthermore, an increased intake of thiamine from 1st to 4th quartile in diabetic patients independently predicted an absolute increase in FMD by 1.29% (p = 0.026, relative increase = 63.5%). This study demonstrated that daily thiamine intake was positively correlated with the circulating number of EPCs and FMD in patients with type II diabetes, independent of other dietary nutrients intake.     

Metabolism and actions of conjugated linoleic acids on atherosclerosis‐related events in vascular endothelial cells and smooth muscle cells

Conjugated linoleic acids (CLAs) are biologically highly active lipid compounds that have attracted great scientific interest due to their ability to cause either inhibition of atherosclerotic plaque development or even regression of pre‐established atherosclerotic plaques in mice, hamsters and rabbits. The underlying mechanisms of action, however, are only poorly understood. Since cell culture experiments are appropriate to gain insight into the mechanisms of action of a compound, the present review summarizes data from cell culture studies about the metabolism and the actions of CLAs on atherosclerosis‐related events in endothelial cells (ECs) and smooth muscle cells (SMCs), which are important cells contributing to atherosclerotic lesion development. Based on these studies, it can be concluded that CLAs exert several beneficial actions including inhibition of inflammatory and vasoactive mediator release from ECs and SMCs, which may help explain the anti‐atherogenic effect of CLAs observed in vivo. The observation that significant levels of CLA metabolites, which have been reported to have significant biological activities, are well detectable in ECs and SMCs indicates that the anti‐atherogenic effects observed with CLAs are presumably mediated not only by CLAs themselves but also by their metabolites.     

Heme, heme oxygenase and ferritin in vascular endothelial cell injury

Iron-derived reactive oxygen species are implicated in the pathogenesis of numerous vascular disorders including atherosclerosis, microangiopathic hemolytic anemia, vasculitis, and reperfusion injury. One abundant source of redox active iron is heme, which is inherently dangerous when released from intracellular heme proteins. The present review concerns the involvement of heme in vascular endothelial cell damage and the strategies used by endothelium to minimize such damage. Exposure of endothelium to heme greatly potentiates cell killing mediated by polymorphonuclear leukocytes and other sources of reactive oxygen. Free heme also promotes the conversion of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) into cytotoxic oxidized products. Only because of its abundance, hemoglobin probably represents the most important potential source of heme within the vascular endothelium; hemoglobin in plasma, when oxidized, transfers heme to endothelium and LDL, thereby enhancing cellular susceptibility to oxidant-mediated injury. As a defense against such toxicity, upon exposure to heme or hemoglobin, endothelial cells up-regulate heme oxygenase-1 and ferritin. Heme oxygenase-1 is a heme-degrading enzyme that opens the porphyrin ring, producing biliverdin, carbon monoxide, and the most dangerous product - free redox active iron. The latter can be effectively controlled by ferritin via sequestration and ferroxidase activity. Ferritin serves as a protective gene by virtue of antioxidant, antiapoptotic, and antiproliferative actions. These homeostatic adjustments have been shown effective in the protection of endothelium against the damaging effects of exogenous heme and oxidants. The central importance of this protective system was recently highlighted by a child diagnosed with heme oxygenase-1 deficiency, who exhibited extensive endothelial damage.     

Sesamin attenuates intercellular cell adhesion molecule‐1 expression in vitro in TNF‐α‐treated human aortic endothelial cells and in vivo in apolipoprotein‐E‐deficient mice

Sesame lignans have antioxidative and anti‐inflammatory properties. We focused on the effects of the lignans sesamin and sesamol on the expression of endothelial‐leukocyte adhesion molecules in tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF‐α)‐treated human aortic endothelial cells (HAECs). When HAECs were pretreated with sesamin (10 or 100 μM), the TNF‐α‐induced expression of intercellular cell adhesion molecule‐1 (ICAM‐1) was significantly reduced (35 or 70% decrease, respectively) by Western blotting. Sesamol was less effective at inhibiting ICAM‐1 expression (30% decrease at 100 μM). Sesamin and sesamol reduced the marked TNF‐α‐induced increase in human antigen R (HuR) translocation and the interaction between HuR and the 3'UTR of ICAM‐1 mRNA. Both significantly reduced the binding of monocytes to TNF‐α‐stimulated HAECs. Sesamin significantly attenuated TNF‐α‐induced ICAM‐1 expression and cell adhesion by downregulation of extracellular signal‐regulated kinase 1/2 and p38. Furthermore, in vivo, sesamin attenuated intimal thickening and ICAM‐1 expression seen in aortas of apolipoprotein‐E‐deficient mice. Taken together, these data suggest that sesamin inhibits TNF‐α‐induced extracellular signal‐regulated kinase/p38 phosphorylation, nuclear translocation of NF‐κB p65, cytoplasmic translocalization of HuR and thereby suppresses ICAM‐1 expression, resulting in reduced adhesion of leukocytes. These results also suggest that sesamin may prevent the development of atherosclerosis and inflammatory responses.     

Flaxseed protein-derived peptide fractions: Antioxidant properties and inhibition of lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide production in murine macrophages

A protein isolate was produced from cellulase-treated defatted flaxseed meal followed by hydrolysis with seven proteases and evaluation of the hydrolysates for antioxidant and anti-inflammatory properties. The flaxseed protein hydrolysates (FPH) were processed by ultrafiltration and ion-exchange chromatography to isolate low molecular weight (LMW) and cationic peptide fractions, respectively. The peptides showed antioxidant properties in scavenging 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl radical, superoxide anion radical, electron-spin resonance-detected hydroxyl radical and nitric oxide. In addition, all peptide fractions inhibited semicarbazide-sensitive amine oxidase activity. Antioxidant activities of these peptides were dependent on the specificity of proteases and size of the resulting peptides. The LMW fractions from pepsin, ficin and papain FPH also inhibited lipopolysaccharide-induced nitric oxide productions in RAW 264.7 macrophages without apparent cytotoxicity; thus, these peptides may act as anti-inflammatory agents. Thus, flaxseed protein hydrolysates may serve as potential ingredients for the formulation of therapeutic products.     

A Maillard reaction product enhances eNOS activity in human endothelial cells

Nitric oxide (NO) produced by the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is an important signaling molecule in the cardiovascular system. Although dietary factors can modulate eNOS activity, putative effects of processed food are barely investigated. We aimed to examine whether the model Maillard reaction product 3‐hydroxy‐2‐methyl‐1‐propyl‐4(1H)‐pyridone (HMPP), formed from maltol or starch and propylamine, affects the eNOS system. Incubation of EA.hy926 endothelial cells with 30–300 μM HMPP for 18 h enhanced endothelial NO release measured with the fluorescent probe diaminofluorescein‐2 and eNOS activity determined by the [14C]L‐arginine‐[14C]L‐citrulline conversion assay. HMPP increased NO production also in two different types of primary human endothelial cells. Protein levels of eNOS and inducible NO synthase remained unaltered by HMPP. HMPP inhibited eNOS activity within the first 2–4 h, whereas it potently increased eNOS activity after 12–24 h. Levels of eNOS phosphorylation, expression of heat‐shock protein 90, caveolin‐1 and various antioxidant enzymes were not affected. Intracellular reactive oxygen species remained unchanged by HMPP. This is the first study to demonstrate positive effects of a Maillard reaction product on eNOS activity and endothelial NO production, which is considered favourable for cardiovascular protection.     

Heme oxygenase induction by cyanidin-3-O-beta-glucoside in cultured human endothelial cells

The aim of the present research was to investigate the effect of cyanidin-3-O-beta-glucoside (C3G) on heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1), endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS), inducible NOS (iNOS) and dimethylarginine dimethylamino hydrolase-2 (DDAH-2) expression in cultured endothelial cells. Different concentrations (0.00625-250 microM) of C3G were tested in order to investigate possible beneficial and harmful effects of C3G. Our data demonstrated that C3G increased the induction of eNOS and HO-1 in a dose-dependent manner. Higher concentration (62.5-250 microM) also resulted in increase of isoprostane, cGMP and PGE2 levels and in induction of iNOS with consequent oxidative stress. In conclusion, our data evidence that C3G may exert various protective effects against endothelial dysfunction, whereas potentially harmful effects of C3G appear to be limited to concentrations very difficult to be reached in physiological conditions unless there is abundant oral supplementation.