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CCN2/connective tissue growth factor (CTGF), a CCN family matricellular protein repressed in healthy hearts after birth, is induced in heart failure of various etiologies. Multiple cellular and biological functions have been assigned to CCN2/CTGF depending on cellular context. However, the functions and mechanisms of action of CCN2/CTGF in the heart as well as its roles in cardiac physiology and pathophysiology remain unknown. Transgenic mice with cardiac-restricted overexpression of CTGF (Tg-CTGF) were generated and compared with nontransgenic littermate control (NLC) mice. Tg-CTGF mice displayed slightly lower cardiac mass and inconspicuous increase of myocardial collagen compared with NLC mice but no evidence of contractile dysfunction. Analysis of the myocardial transcriptome by DNA microarray revealed activation of several distinct gene programs in Tg-CTGF hearts involved in cardioprotection and growth inhibition. Indeed, Tg-CTGF mice subjected to ischemia-reperfusion injury by in situ transient occlusion of the left anterior descending coronary artery in vivo displayed reduced vulnerability with markedly diminished infarct size. These findings were recapitulated in isolated hearts perfused with recombinant human (h)CTGF before the ischemia-reperfusion procedure. Consistently, Tg-CTGF hearts, as well as isolated adult cardiac myocytes exposed to recombinant hCTGF, displayed enhanced phosphorylation and activity of the Akt/p70S6 kinase/GSK-3β salvage kinase pathway and induction of several genes with reported cardioprotective functions. Inhibition of Akt activities also prevented the cardioprotective phenotype of hearts from Tg-CTGF mice. This report provides novel evidence that CTGF confers cardioprotection by salvage phosphokinase signaling leading to inhibition of GSK-3β activities, activation of phospho-SMAD2, and reprogramming of gene expression.

Lund J, Hafstad AD, Boardman NT, Rossvoll L, Rolim NP, Ahmed MS, Florholmen G, Attramadal H, Wisløff U, Larsen TS, Aasum E. Exercise training promotes cardioprotection through oxygen-sparing action in high fat-fed mice. Am J Physiol Heart Circ Physiol 308: H823-H829, 2015. First published January 30, 2015; doi:10.1152/ajpheart.00734.2014.-Although exercise training has been demonstrated to have beneficial cardiovascular effects in diabetes, the effect of exercise training on hearts from obese/diabetic models is unclear. In the present study, mice were fed a high-fat diet, which led to obesity, reduced aerobic capacity, development of mild diastolic dysfunction, and impaired glucose tolerance. Following 8 wk on high-fat diet, mice were assigned to 5 weekly high-intensity interval training (HIT) sessions (10 ϫ 4 min at 85-90% of maximum oxygen uptake) or remained sedentary for the next 10 constitutive weeks. HIT increased maximum oxygen uptake by 13%, reduced body weight by 16%, and improved systemic glucose homeostasis. Exercise training was found to normalize diastolic function, attenuate diet-induced changes in myocardial substrate utilization, and dampen cardiac reactive oxygen species content and fibrosis. These changes were accompanied by normalization of obesity-related impairment of mechanical efficiency due to a decrease in work-independent myocardial oxygen consumption. Finally, we found HIT to reduce infarct size by 47% in ex vivo hearts subjected to ischemia-reperfusion. This study therefore demonstrated for the first time that exercise training mediates cardioprotection following ischemia in diet-induced obese mice and that this was associated with oxygen-sparing effects. These findings highlight the importance of optimal myocardial energetics during ischemic stress. cardiac efficiency; myocardial oxygen consumption; mechanoenergetics; high-intensity exercise; diet-induced obesity THERE HAS BEEN a dramatic transition from physical activity to sedentary lifestyle during the last century. This has resulted in an epidemic increase in the prevalence of metabolic syndrome, obesity, and diabetes, all of which increase the risk of developing cardiovascular and metabolic disorders (15, 42). Cardiovascular diseases are the major causes of morbidity and mortality in type 2 diabetic patients (25) who are at higher risk of developing heart failure, angina, acute myocardial infarction, and dying from an acute myocardial infarction (2).Diabetes-related cardiac complications are due to increased coronary artery disease as well as the development of a specific diabetic cardiomyopathy characterized by ventricular dysfunction in the absence of coronary artery disease or hypertension (24). Although the pathogenesis of diabetes/obesity-related cardiomyopathy is multifactorial and complex, decreased cardiac efficiency seems to play an essential role and is an early hallmark of the diabetic heart (5, 9, 22, 36).Physical training is a well-documented measure to reduce the development of obesity/diabetes, as well as an effec...

Hypertension is a disease, which if left untreated affects all important organs of human body. It is known as silent killer as without showing significant symptoms, it may quietly lead to stroke, brain hemorrhage, cardiac disorders, renal failure and vision loss. Hypertension has affected 10-15% of global population and killed a large number of human race in every region of world. Drugs used for its treatment on one hand are very expensive and beyond the reach of a common man while on the other hand, side effects associated with these drugs restricted the people to use them. Hence development of a cost effective antihypertensive drug with minimum or no side effects from commonly available indigenous medicinal plants is highly required. Keeping this in view as well as blood pressure reducing property of Bombax ceiba present work describes the hypotensive evolution of its stem bark alongwith toxicology and histopathology of active fraction.Bombax ceiba (syn. Bombax malabaricum DC) commonly known as silk cotton tree is an important medicinal plant. 1,2)Earlier investigations led to the identification of a sesquiterpene lactone, a potent growth inhibitor in fungi 3) and a flavonol glycoside possessing significant hypotensive and hypoglycaemic activities.4) Both of these compounds were isolated from roots and leaves of B. ceiba respectively. This is the first report of hypotensive evaluation of it's stem bark which has resulted in the isolation of a novel benzopyran dimer, shamimicin, lupeol 5) and fractions possessing hypotensive activity. In addition to this, methanolic extracts of different parts of plant, including flowers, pulp, stem and stem bark have also been studied for their effect on mean arterial blood pressure (MABP) of rats. MATERIALS AND METHODSInstrumentation Ultraviolet spectra were recorded in MeOH on Hitachi-U-3200 and infrared spectra were measured in CHCl 3 on JASCO-A-302 spectrophotometers. The electron impact (EI) mass spectra were recorded on a Finnigan MAT-112 instrument. Field desorption (FD-MS), fast atom bombardment (FAB-MS positive and negative) and exact mass measurements were carried out on a Finnigan MAT-312 instrument. High-resolution mass spectra were recorded on a JMS HX-110 spectrometer. The 1 H-and 13 C-NMR spectra were run in CDCl 3 on a Bruker Aspect AM-500 spectrometer operating at 500 MHz for A novel constituent, shamimicin, 1ٟ,1ٟ؆؆-bis-2-(3,4-dihydroxyphenyl)-3,4-dihydro-3,7-dihydroxy-5-O-xylopyranosyloxy-2H-1-benzopyran alongwith lupeol, which possesses potent hypotensive activity has been isolated from Bombax ceiba stem bark. BCBMM-one of the most active hypotensive fractions has revealed its adverse effects on heart, liver and kidneys of mice at the dose of 1000 mg/kg/d.

AimsMyocardial CCN2/CTGF is induced in heart failure of various etiologies. However, its role in the pathophysiology of left ventricular (LV) remodeling after myocardial infarction (MI) remains unresolved. The current study explores the role of CTGF in infarct healing and LV remodeling in an animal model and in patients admitted for acute ST-elevation MI.Methods and ResultsTransgenic mice with cardiac-restricted overexpression of CTGF (Tg-CTGF) and non-transgenic littermate controls (NLC) were subjected to permanent ligation of the left anterior descending coronary artery. Despite similar infarct size (area of infarction relative to area at risk) 24 hours after ligation of the coronary artery in Tg-CTGF and NLC mice, Tg-CTGF mice disclosed smaller area of scar tissue, smaller increase of cardiac hypertrophy, and less LV dilatation and deterioration of LV function 4 weeks after MI. Tg-CTGF mice also revealed substantially reduced mortality after MI. Remote/peri-infarct tissue of Tg-CTGF mice contained reduced numbers of leucocytes, macrophages, and cells undergoing apoptosis as compared with NLC mice. In a cohort of patients with acute ST-elevation MI (n = 42) admitted to hospital for percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) serum-CTGF levels (s-CTGF) were monitored and related to infarct size and LV function assessed by cardiac MRI. Increase in s-CTGF levels after MI was associated with reduced infarct size and improved LV ejection fraction one year after MI, as well as attenuated levels of CRP and GDF-15.ConclusionIncreased myocardial CTGF activities after MI are associated with attenuation of LV remodeling and improved LV function mediated by attenuation of inflammatory responses and inhibition of apoptosis.

This study demonstrates increased nerve fibre and microvascular pathology in relation to enhanced expression of VEGF and its receptors in a non-compressed nerve in diabetic compared with non-diabetic patients with CTS. It therefore provides a potential molecular and pathological basis for the predisposition of diabetic patients to the development of CTS.

G protein-coupled receptor kinase-2 and -3 (GRK2 and GRK3) in cardiac myocytes catalyze phosphorylation and desensitization of different G protein-coupled receptors through specificity controlled by their carboxyl-terminal pleckstrin homology domain. Although GRK2 has been extensively investigated, the function of cardiac GRK3 remains unknown. Thus, in this study cardiac function of GRK3 was investigated in transgenic (Tg) mice with cardiac-restricted expression of a competitive inhibitor of GRK3, i.e. the carboxyl-terminal plasma membrane targeting domain of GRK3 (GRK3ct). Cardiac myocytes from Tg-GRK3ct mice displayed significantly enhanced agonist-stimulated ␣ 1 -adrenergic receptor-mediated activation of ERK1/2 versus cardiac myocytes from nontransgenic littermate control (NLC) mice consistent with inhibition of GRK3. Tg-GRK3ct mice did not display alterations of cardiac mass or left ventricular dimensions compared with NLC mice. Tail-cuff plethysmography of 3-and 9-month-old mice revealed elevated systolic blood pressure in Tg-GRK3ct mice versus control mice (3-month-old mice, 136.8 ؎ 3.6 versus 118.3 ؎ 4.7 mm Hg, p < 0.001), an observation confirmed by radiotelemetric recording of blood pressure of conscious, unrestrained mice. Simultaneous recording of left ventricular pressure and volume in vivo by miniaturized conductance micromanometry revealed increased systolic performance with significantly higher stroke volume and stroke work in Tg-GRK3ct mice than in NLC mice. This phenotype was corroborated in electrically paced ex vivo perfused working hearts. However, analysis of left ventricular function ex vivo as a function of increasing filling pressure disclosed significantly reduced (dP/dt) min and prolonged time constant of relaxation () in Tg-GRK3ct hearts at elevated supraphysiological filling pressure compared with control hearts. Thus, inhibition of GRK3 apparently reduces tolerance to elevation of preload. In conclusion, inhibition of cardiac GRK3 causes hypertension because of hyperkinetic myocardium and increased cardiac output relying at least partially on cardiac myocyte ␣ 1 -adrenergic receptor hyper-responsiveness. The reduced tolerance to elevation of preload may cause impaired ability to withstand pathophysiological mechanisms of heart failure.

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