At the heart of tissue: endothelin system and end-organ damage

2010 ◽  
Vol 119 (11) ◽  
pp. 453-463 ◽  
Author(s):  
Marc Iglarz ◽  
Martine Clozel

ET (endothelin)-1 was first described as a potent vasoconstrictor. Since then, many other deleterious properties mediated via its two receptors, ETA and ETB, have been described, such as inflammation, fibrosis and hyperplasia. These effects, combined with a wide tissue distribution of the ET system, its up-regulation in pathological situations and a local autocrine/paracrine activity due to a high tissue receptor binding, make the tissue ET system a key local player in end-organ damage. Furthermore, ET-1 interacts in tissues with other systems such as the RAAS (renin–angiotensin–aldosterone system) to exert its effects. In numerous genetically modified animal models, non-specific or organ-targeted ET-1 overexpression causes intense organ damage, especially hypertrophy and fibrosis, in the absence of haemodynamic changes, confirming a local activity of the ET system. ET receptor antagonists have been shown to prevent and sometimes reverse these tissue alterations in an organ-specific manner, leading to long-term benefits and an improvement in survival in different animal models. Potential for such benefits going beyond a pure haemodynamic effect have also been suggested by clinical trial results in which ET receptor antagonism decreased the occurrence of new digital ulcers in patients with systemic sclerosis and delayed the time to clinical worsening in patients with PAH (pulmonary arterial hypertension). The tissue ET system allows therapeutic interventions to provide organ selectivity and beneficial effects in diseases associated with tissue inflammation, hypertrophy or fibrosis.

2017 ◽  
Vol 1 (3) ◽  
pp. 10-16
Author(s):  
Prakashkumar Kyada ◽  
Kunal Jadhav ◽  
T. K. Biswas ◽  
Varshil Mehta ◽  
Sojib Bin Zaman

Objective: Hypertension is one of the common risk factors for cardiovascular and cerebrovascular diseases/disorders A developing country like India faces the double burden of communicable and non-communicable diseases; of the which, hypertension is the most important treatable cause of mortality and morbidity with loss of functional capacity and decline in the quality of life. Aim: To study the prevalence of end organ damage in the hypertensive geriatric age group. Method: The present study was a cross sectional study, conducted in 150 elderly patients admitted in MGM Hospital, Navi Mumbai, India with the diagnosis of stage I or II hypertension from 2011 to 2013. Results: Data analysis of the present study showed that 68% of elderly population aged between 60 to 69 years were suffering from hypertension. Compared to males, females had a higher rate of target organ damage. This study found that out of all patients with total end organ damage, 54.6 % had CVS complications, 15.7 % had hypertensive retinopathy, 25.9 % and 18.51 had raised creatinine and proteinuria respectively. 19.4 % had cerebrovascular accident (CVA) complications. Among Cardiovascular related complications Coronary artery disease (CAD) was found in 21 patients, out of them 7 had Congestive cardiac Failure (CCF). Left Ventricular Hypertrophy (LVH) was the most common complication and seen in 38 patients. 13.8 % patients had Regional Wall Motion Abnormality (RWMA) Conclusion: The present study concluded that Isolated Systolic Hypertension (ISH) is the commonest type of hypertension in geriatric age group. This study concluded that the most common risk factors of HTN in the elderly are sedentary life style, dyslipidemia and extra salt intake while the most common end organ damage was observed to be Left Ventricular Hypertrophy followed by renal dysfunction. Keywords:  Hypertension,  Isolated Systolic Hypertension, Dyslipidemia.


Blood ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 133 (15) ◽  
pp. 1644-1651 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ferras Alwan ◽  
Chiara Vendramin ◽  
Ri Liesner ◽  
Amanda Clark ◽  
William Lester ◽  
...  

Abstract Congenital thrombotic thrombocytopenic purpura (cTTP) is an ultra-rare thrombomicroangiopathy caused by an inherited deficiency of a disintegrin and metalloproteinase with a thrombospondin type 1 motif, member 13 (ADAMTS13). There are limited data on genotype-phenotype correlation; there is no consensus on treatment. We reviewed the largest cohort of cTTP cases, diagnosed in the United Kingdom, over the past 15 years. Seventy-three cases of cTTP were diagnosed, confirmed by genetic analysis. Ninety-three percent were alive at the time of review. Thirty-six percent had homozygous mutations; 64% had compound heterozygous mutations. Two presentation peaks were seen: childhood (median diagnosis age, 3.5 years) and adulthood, typically related to pregnancy (median diagnosis age, 31 years). Genetic mutations differed by age of onset with prespacer mutations more likely to be associated with childhood onset (P = .0011). Sixty-nine percent of adult presentations were associated with pregnancy. Fresh-frozen plasma (FFP) and intermediate purity factor VIII concentrate were used as treatment. Eighty-eight percent of patients with normal blood counts, but with headaches, lethargy, or abdominal pain, reported symptom resolution with prophylactic therapy. The most common currently used regimen of 3-weekly FFP proved insufficient for 70% of patients and weekly or fortnightly infusions were required. Stroke incidence was significantly reduced in patients receiving prophylactic therapy (2% vs 17%; P = .04). Long-term, there is a risk of end-organ damage, seen in 75% of patients with late diagnosis of cTTP. In conclusion, prespacer mutations are associated with earlier development of cTTP symptoms. Prophylactic ADAMTS13 replacement decreases the risk of end-organ damage such as ischemic stroke and resolved previously unrecognized symptoms in patients with nonovert disease.


2021 ◽  
Vol 9 (3) ◽  
pp. 53
Author(s):  
Giuseppe Tardiolo ◽  
Pina Brianti ◽  
Daniela Sapienza ◽  
Pia dell’Utri ◽  
Viviane Di Dio ◽  
...  

The Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2) is a new pathogen agent causing the coronavirus infectious disease (COVID-19). This novel virus originated the most challenging pandemic in this century, causing economic and social upheaval internationally. The extreme infectiousness and high mortality rates incentivized the development of vaccines to control this pandemic to prevent further morbidity and mortality. This international scenario led academic scientists, industries, and governments to work and collaborate strongly to make a portfolio of vaccines available at an unprecedented pace. Indeed, the robust collaboration between public systems and private companies led to resolutive actions for accelerating therapeutic interventions and vaccines mechanism. These strategies contributed to rapidly identifying safe and effective vaccines as quickly and efficiently as possible. Preclinical research employed animal models to develop vaccines that induce protective and long-lived immune responses. A spectrum of vaccines is worldwide under investigation in various preclinical and clinical studies to develop both individual protection and safe development of population-level herd immunity. Companies employed and developed different technological approaches for vaccines production, including inactivated vaccines, live-attenuated, non-replicating viral vector vaccines, as well as acid nucleic-based vaccines. In this view, the present narrative review provides an overview of current vaccination strategies, taking into account both preclinical studies and clinical trials in humans. Furthermore, to better understand immunization, animal models on SARS-CoV-2 pathogenesis are also briefly discussed.


2012 ◽  
Vol 302 (3) ◽  
pp. R321-R330 ◽  
Author(s):  
Ahmed A. Elmarakby

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of mortality worldwide, and it is well known that end-stage renal disease (ESRD) is a profound consequence of the progression of CVD. Present treatments only slow CVD progression to ESRD, and it is imperative that new therapeutic strategies are developed to prevent the incidence of ESRD. Because epoxyeicosatrienoic acids (EETs) have been shown to elicit reno-protective effects in hypertensive animal models, the current review will focus on addressing the reno-protective mechanisms of EETs in CVD. The cytochrome P-450 epoxygenase catalyzes the oxidation of arachidonic acid to EETs. EETs have been identified as endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factors (EDHFs) with vasodilatory, anti-inflammatory, antihypertensive, and antiplatelet aggregation properties. EETs also have profound effects on vascular migration and proliferation and promote angiogenesis. The progression of CVD has been linked to decreased EETs levels, leading to the concept that EETs should be therapeutically targeted to prevent end-organ damage associated with CVD. However, EETs are quickly degraded by the enzyme soluble epoxide hydrolase (sEH) to their less active diols, dihydroxyeicosatrienoic acids (DHETs). As such, one way to increase EETs level is to inhibit their degradation to DHETs by using sEH inhibitors. Inhibition of sEH has been shown to effectively reduce blood pressure and organ damage in experimental models of CVD. Another approach to target EETs is to develop EET analogs with improved solubility and resistance to auto-oxidation and metabolism by sEH. For example, stable ether EET analogs dilate afferent arterioles and lower blood pressure in hypertensive rodent animal models. EET agonists also improve insulin signaling and vascular function in animal models of metabolic syndrome.


Gerontology ◽  
2016 ◽  
Vol 63 (2) ◽  
pp. 103-117 ◽  
Author(s):  
Cia-Hin Lau ◽  
Yousin Suh

The recent advent of genome and epigenome editing technologies has provided a new paradigm in which the landscape of the human genome and epigenome can be precisely manipulated in their native context. Genome and epigenome editing technologies can be applied to many aspects of aging research and offer the potential to develop novel therapeutics against age-related diseases. Here, we discuss the latest technological advances in the CRISPR-based genome and epigenome editing toolbox, and provide insight into how these synthetic biology tools could facilitate aging research by establishing in vitro cell and in vivo animal models to dissect genetic and epigenetic mechanisms underlying aging and age-related diseases. We discuss recent developments in the field with the aims to precisely modulate gene expression and dynamic epigenetic landscapes in a spatial and temporal manner in cellular and animal models, by complementing the CRISPR-based editing capability with conditional genetic manipulation tools including chemically inducible expression systems, optogenetics, logic gate genetic circuits, tissue-specific promoters, and the serotype-specific adeno-associated virus. We also discuss how the combined use of genome and epigenome editing tools permits investigators to uncover novel molecular pathways involved in the pathophysiology and etiology conferred by risk variants associated with aging and aging-related disease. A better understanding of the genetic and epigenetic regulatory mechanisms underlying human aging and age-related disease will significantly contribute to the developments of new therapeutic interventions for extending health span and life span, ultimately improving the quality of life in the elderly populations.


2017 ◽  
Vol 28 (1) ◽  
pp. 31-43 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lan Huang ◽  
Fengyan Zhao ◽  
Yi Qu ◽  
Li Zhang ◽  
Yan Wang ◽  
...  

AbstractHypoxic-ischemic encephalopathy (HIE), a serious disease leading to neonatal death, is becoming a key area of pediatric neurological research. Despite remarkable advances in the understanding of HIE, the explicit pathogenesis of HIE is unclear, and well-established treatments are absent. Animal models are usually considered as the first step in the exploration of the underlying disease and in evaluating promising therapeutic interventions. Various animal models of HIE have been developed with distinct characteristics, and it is important to choose an appropriate animal model according to the experimental objectives. Generally, small animal models may be more suitable for exploring the mechanisms of HIE, whereas large animal models are better for translational studies. This review focuses on the features of commonly used HIE animal models with respect to their modeling strategies, merits, and shortcomings, and associated neuropathological changes, providing a comprehensive reference for improving existing animal models and developing new animal models.


2011 ◽  
Vol 29 ◽  
pp. e346
Author(s):  
T. Weber ◽  
S. Wassertheurer ◽  
M. Rammer ◽  
B. Hametner ◽  
J. Kropf ◽  
...  

2008 ◽  
Vol 101 (5) ◽  
pp. 633-658 ◽  
Author(s):  
Amy R. Lomax ◽  
Philip C. Calder

β2-1 Fructans are carbohydrate molecules with prebiotic properties. Through resistance to digestion in the upper gastrointestinal tract, they reach the colon intact, where they selectively stimulate the growth and/or activity of beneficial members of the gut microbiota. Through this modification of the intestinal microbiota, and by additional mechanisms, β2-1 fructans may have beneficial effects upon immune function, ability to combat infection, and inflammatory processes and conditions. In this paper, we have collated, summarised and evaluated studies investigating these areas. Twenty-one studies in laboratory animals suggest that some aspects of innate and adaptive immunity of the gut and the systemic immune systems are modified by β2-1 fructans. In man, two studies in children and nine studies in adults indicate that the adaptive immune system may be modified by β2-1 fructans. Thirteen studies in animal models of intestinal infections conclude a beneficial effect of β2-1 fructans. Ten trials involving infants and children have mostly reported benefits on infectious outcomes; in fifteen adult trials, little effect was generally seen, although in specific situations, certain β2-1 fructans may be beneficial. Ten studies in animal models show benefit of β2-1 fructans with regard to intestinal inflammation. Human studies report some benefits regarding inflammatory bowel disease (four positive studies) and atopic dermatitis (one positive study), but findings in irritable bowel syndrome are inconsistent. Therefore, overall the results indicate that β2-1 fructans are able to modulate some aspects of immune function, to improve the host's ability to respond successfully to certain intestinal infections, and to modify some inflammatory conditions.


Sign in / Sign up

Export Citation Format

Share Document