Abstract:Despite its very potent vasodilating action in vivo, acetylcholine (ACh) does not always produce relaxation of isolated preparations of blood vessels in vitro. For example, in the helical strip of the rabbit descending thoracic aorta, the only reported response to ACh has been graded contractions, occurring at concentrations above 0.1 muM and mediated by muscarinic receptors. Recently, we observed that in a ring preparation from the rabbit thoracic aorta, ACh produced marked relaxation at concentrations lower … Show more
“…The endothelium regulates the contractility of the underlying vascular smooth muscle cells by releasing a number of factors, the most important of which are the nitric oxide (NO) and endothelium derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). These two factors play a major role in the controlling of vascular homeostasis [46–49]. Endothelial NO-release is related to an activation of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and can be stimulated by various agonists.…”
Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha) is a widely used Chinese herb for treatment of gastrointestinal ailments and heart problems and consumed as food. In North America, the role of treatment for heart problems dates back to 1800. Currently, evidence is accumulating from various in vivo and in vitro studies that hawthorn extracts exert a wide range of cardiovascular pharmacological properties, including antioxidant activity, positive inotropic effect, anti-inflammatory effect, anticardiac remodeling effect, antiplatelet aggregation effect, vasodilating effect, endothelial protective effect, reduction of smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation, protective effect against ischemia/reperfusion injury, antiarrhythmic effect, lipid-lowering effect and decrease of arterial blood pressure effect. On the other hand, reviews of placebo-controlled trials have reported both subjective and objective improvement in patients with mild forms of heart failure (NYHA I–III), hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. This paper discussed the underlying pharmacology mechanisms in potential cardioprotective effects and elucidated the clinical applications of Crataegus and its various extracts.
“…The endothelium regulates the contractility of the underlying vascular smooth muscle cells by releasing a number of factors, the most important of which are the nitric oxide (NO) and endothelium derived hyperpolarizing factor (EDHF). These two factors play a major role in the controlling of vascular homeostasis [46–49]. Endothelial NO-release is related to an activation of the endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and can be stimulated by various agonists.…”
Hawthorn (Crataegus oxyacantha) is a widely used Chinese herb for treatment of gastrointestinal ailments and heart problems and consumed as food. In North America, the role of treatment for heart problems dates back to 1800. Currently, evidence is accumulating from various in vivo and in vitro studies that hawthorn extracts exert a wide range of cardiovascular pharmacological properties, including antioxidant activity, positive inotropic effect, anti-inflammatory effect, anticardiac remodeling effect, antiplatelet aggregation effect, vasodilating effect, endothelial protective effect, reduction of smooth muscle cell migration and proliferation, protective effect against ischemia/reperfusion injury, antiarrhythmic effect, lipid-lowering effect and decrease of arterial blood pressure effect. On the other hand, reviews of placebo-controlled trials have reported both subjective and objective improvement in patients with mild forms of heart failure (NYHA I–III), hypertension, and hyperlipidemia. This paper discussed the underlying pharmacology mechanisms in potential cardioprotective effects and elucidated the clinical applications of Crataegus and its various extracts.
“…It would take another century until 1998 that a Nobel prize was awarded for the discovery of NO's role in endothelial function. Robert F. Furchgott and colleagues [8] had observed that acetylcholine dilated blood vessels only if the endothelium was intact. He and Louis J. Ignarro identified the endothelium-derived relaxation factor as identical to .…”
The endothelium has increasingly been recognized as a smart barrier and a key regulator of blood flow in microand macrovascular beds. Endothelial dysfunction marks a stage of atherosclerosis and is an important prognostic marker for cardiovascular disease. Yet, some people who tend to be slim and physically active and with rather low blood pressure show a propensity to respond to certain stimuli such as emotional stress with endothelial-mediated vascular dysregulation (Flammer syndrome). This leads to characteristic vascular symptoms such as cold hands but also a risk for vascularmediated diseases such as normal-tension glaucoma. It is the aim of this review to delineate the differences between Flammer syndrome and its Bcounterpart^endothelial dysfunction in the context of cardiovascular diseases.
“…It has been known that Ach induces vasodila tion by releasing endothelium-derived relaxing factor (EDFR), since the concept was introduced by Furch gott. 24 Gryglewski et al25 demonstrated that EDRF is protected from breakdown by superoxide dismutase and superoxide radicals contribute significantly to the instability of EDRF. Recently Nakazono et aP6 indic ated that superoxide radicals in and around vascular endothelial cells play critical roles in the pathogenesis of hypertension in the spontaneously hypertensive rat.…”
To investigate a possible role of supreoxide dismutase (SOD) in the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury (SCI), the change in the circulatory status in an experimental SCI model of rats was examined. The blood pressure (BP) of the SCI group decreased markedly by compression or head-up-tilt (60°). The extent of the BP decrease was diminished by the administration of a long acting SOD (SM-SOD) prior to injury. Compression, tilting and the administration of SM-SOD increased the sensitivity of resistant arteries to acetylcho line. SM-SOD treated rats had a significantly lower mortality than was found in untreated rats. These findings indicate that superoxide radicals may contribute to the pathogenesis of spinal cord injury and orthostatic hypotension caused by SCI.
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