The interplay between miR-155 expression, +1166C polymorphism, and AT1R protein expression may have a role in the regulation of blood pressure.

Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) of bone marrow origin appear to be an attractive candidate for cell-based therapies. However, the major barrier to the effective implementation of MSC-based therapies is the lack of specific homing of exogenously infused cells and overall the inability to drive them to the diseased or damaged tissue. In order to circumvent these limitations, we developed a preconditioning strategy to optimize MSC migration efficiency and potentiate their beneficial effect at the site of injury. Initially, we screened different molecules by using an in vitro injury-migration setting, and subsequently, we evaluated the effectiveness of the different strategies in mice with acute kidney injury (AKI). Our results showed that preconditioning of MSCs with IGF-1 before infusion improved cell migration capacity and restored normal renal function after AKI. The present study demonstrates that promoting migration of MSCs could increase their therapeutic potential and indicates a new therapeutic paradigm for organ repair.

Human amniotic fluid stem (hAFS) cells, a novel class of broadly multipotent stem cells that share characteristics of both embryonic and adult stem cells, have been regarded as promising candidate for cell therapy. Taking advantage by the well-established murine model of acute kidney injury (AKI), we studied the proregenerative effect of hAFS cells in immunodeficient mice injected with the nephrotoxic drug cisplatin. Infusion of hAFS cells in cisplatin mice improved renal function and limited tubular damage, although not to control level, and prolonged animal survival. Human AFS cells engrafted injured kidney predominantly in peritubular region without acquiring tubular epithelial markers. Human AFS cells exerted antiapoptotic effect, activated Akt, and stimulated proliferation of tubular cells possibly via local release of factors, including interleukin-6, vascular endothelial growth factor, and stromal cell-derived factor-1, which we documented in vitro to be produced by hAFS cells. The therapeutic potential of hAFS cells was enhanced by cell pretreatment with glial cell line-derived neurotrophic factor (GDNF), which markedly ameliorated renal function and tubular injury by increasing stem cell homing to the tubulointerstitial compartment. By in vitro studies, GDNF increased hAFS cell production of growth factors, motility, and expression of receptors involved in cell homing and survival. These findings indicate that hAFS cells can promote functional recovery and contribute to renal regeneration in AKI mice via local production of mitogenic and prosurvival factors. The effects of hAFS cells can be remarkably enhanced by GDNF preconditioning.

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The antipyretic effect of dipyrone differs from that of indomethacin in that it does not depend on AVP release or inhibition of PG synthesis.

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1 The in¯uence of endothelin receptor antagonists on febrile responses to E. coli lipopolysaccharide (LPS), interleukin-1b (IL-1b), tumour necrosis factor-a (TNF-a) and endothelin-1 (ET-1) was assessed in conscious rats. 2 Intravenous (i.v.) LPS (5.0 mg kg 71 ) markedly increased rectal temperature to a peak of 1.308C over baseline at 2. 4 Central injection of endothelin-1 (0.1 to 3 fmol, i.c.v.) caused slowly-developing and long-lasting increases in rectal temperature (starting 2 h after administration and peaking at 4 ± 6 h between 0.90 and 1.158C) which were not clearly dose-dependent. The response to endothelin-1 (1 fmol, i.c.v.) was prevented by BQ-788, but not by BQ-123 (each at 3 pmol, i.c.v.). Intraperitoneal pretreatment with the cyclo-oxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (2 mg kg 71 ), which partially reduced LPS-induced fever, did not modify the hyperthermic response to endothelin-1 (3 fmol, i.c.v.). 5 Therefore, central endothelin(s) participates importantly in the development of LPS-induced fever, via activation of a prostanoid-independent endothelin ET B receptor-mediated mechanism possibly not situated downstream from IL-1b or TNF-a in the fever cascade.

It was previously shown that sustained fever can be induced in rats by central injection of endothelin-1 (ET-1). This peptide appears to participate in the mechanism(s) of LPS-induced fever, which is reduced by pretreatments with ET B receptor antagonists. In this study, we compared the effects of a nonselective cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitor, indomethacin, with those of two selective COX-2 inhibitors, celecoxib and lumiracoxib, on ET-1-induced fever in rats. Fever induced in conscious animals by ET-1 (1 pmol icv) or LPS (5 g/kg iv) was prevented by pretreatments with celecoxib (5 and 10 mg/kg) or lumiracoxib (5 mg/kg) given by oral gavage 1 h before stimuli. Lower doses of celecoxib had partial (2.5 mg/kg) or no effect (1 mg/kg). Indomethacin (2 mg/kg ip) partially inhibited fever induced by LPS but had no effect on ET-1-induced fever. The levels of PGE2 and PGF2␣ in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) of pentobarbital sodium-anesthetized rats were significantly increased 3 h after the injection of LPS or ET-1. The latter increase was abolished by celecoxib at all tested doses and by indomethacin. In conclusion, selective COX-2 inhibitors were able to prevent ET-1-induced fever, indicating a role for COX-2 in this phenomenon. However, the fact that reduced CSF PG levels obtained with indomethacin and a low dose of celecoxib are not accompanied by changes in fever induced by ET-1, along with the lack of inhibitory effects of indomethacin on ET-1 fever, suggests that the latter might also involve COX-2-independent mechanisms.cyclooxygenase-2 inhibitors; indomethacin; prostaglandins; cerebrospinal fluid; lipopolysaccharide IT IS NOW WELL ESTABLISHED that the PGs represent the final mediators of fever induced by exogenous and endogenous pyrogens through an action on PG receptor-expressing neurons in the preoptic area (POA) of the anterior hypothalamus (33). In fact, PGE 2 induces fever when injected centrally (13,33,38), and its levels in the cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and in the POA rise in parallel with the generation of fever caused by several stimuli (9,12,16,19,23,27,35,42). Moreover, the inhibition of PG synthesis by cyclooxygenase (COX) inhibitors attenuates fever in humans and experimental animals, whereas these drugs do not affect fever induced by the administration of PGs (4,7,12,13,37,39). PGF 2␣ also induces fever when injected centrally (13, 34), and its levels are increased in rat CSF in response to LPS (10).We have previously observed that endothelin-1 (ET-1), a member of the ET family of peptides (29), acts as a mediator of LPS-induced fever (15). In fact, intracerebroventricular (icv) pretreatment with the selective ET B receptor antagonist BQ-788 blunted fever induced by intravenous LPS or intracerebroventricular ET-1 (15). The rise in core temperature induced by intracerebroventricular ET-1 was accompanied by such thermoeffector response as cutaneous vasoconstriction, measured as a decrease in tail skin temperature (Fabricio, unpublished observation). The simultaneous occurrence of increased core temper...