Journal of Vascular Research

BACKGROUND: Indoxyl sulfate (IS) is a protein-bound uremic toxin with vascular toxicity. The primary cause of death in uremic patients on maintenance hemodialysis is vascular disease, and it had been reported that vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) trans-differentiation (VT) plays a vital role in the context of vascular diseases, but the underlying mechanisms remain obscure. Thrombospondin-1 (TSP-1) participates in vascular calcification by keeping the balance of extracellular matrix, but its role in IS-induced VT is unclear...

OBJECTIVE: The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of the RhoA/ROCK inhibitor Fasudil on retinal neovascularization (NV) in vivo and angiogenesis in vitro. METHODS: C57BL/6 was used to establish an OIR model. First, RhoA/ROCK expression was first examined and compared between OIR and healthy controls. Then, we evaluated the effect of Fasudil on pathological retinal NV. Whole-mount retinal staining was performed. The percentage of NV area, the number of neovascular tufts (NVT), and branch points (BP) were quantified...

INTRODUCTION: Culturing cerebrovascular smooth muscle cells (CVSMCs) in vitro can provide a model for studying many cerebrovascular diseases. This study describes a convenient and efficient method to obtain mouse CVSMCs by enzyme digestion. METHODS: Mouse circle of Willis was isolated, digested, and cultured with platelet-derived growth factor-BB (PDGF-BB) to promote CVSMC growth, and CVSMCs were identified by morphology, immunofluorescence analysis, and flow cytometry...

INTRODUCTION: The aim of this study was to discuss the safety of rapid administration of 4°C hypothermic normal saline into the occluded vessels using an intra-arterial catheter to induce mild hypothermia following endovascular thrombectomy in patients with acute large vessel occlusion cerebral infarction. METHODS: We selected 78 patients with acute large vessel occlusion cerebral infarction who underwent endovascular thrombectomy in the Department of Neurology of our hospital from January 2020 to July 2022 and achieved TICI 2b recanalization...

INTRODUCTION: This study attempted to observe the role of fibronectin type III domain-containing protein 5 (FNDC5) in atherosclerosis development and the underlying mechanism. METHODS: After being fed a high-fat diet (HFD), ApoE-/- mice were injected with saline, control adenovirus (Ad-vector), or FNDC5 overexpressing adenovirus (Ad-FNDC5). ApoE-/- mice fed with a chow diet were considered the control. After 12 weeks of treatment, the levels of serum high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), triglyceride (TG), and irisin were detected by commercial kits...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Polycystic kidney disease (PKD) is one of the most common hereditary kidney diseases, which is characterized by progressive cyst growth and secondary hypertension. In addition to cystogenesis and renal abnormalities, patients with PKD can develop vascular abnormalities and cardiovascular complications. Progressive cyst growth substantially alters renal structure and culminates into end-stage renal disease. There remains no cure beyond renal transplantation, and treatment options remain largely limited to chronic renal replacement therapy...

BACKGROUND: Atherosclerotic plaque locations in the carotid bulb increasingly have been found to be associated with patterns of ischemic lesions and plaque progression. However, the occurrence of carotid bulb plaque is a complex process. We aimed to investigate plaque characteristics and geometric and hemodynamic parameters among patients with body and apical plaques of the carotid bulb and to identify the mechanism of bulb plaque formation and location. METHODS: Consecutive patients with single carotid bulb stenosis (50-99%) were enrolled retrospectively...

INTRODUCTION: Peripheral arterial disease (PAD) occurs from atherosclerotic obstruction of arteries in the lower extremities. Restoration of perfusion requires angiogenesis and arteriogenesis through migration and differentiation of endothelial progenitor cells (EPCs) and macrophages at the site of injury. The time of recruitment has not been fully investigated. In this study, we investigated the infiltration of these cells in murine hind limb ischemia (HLI) model of PAD. METHODS: EPCs and M1-like and M2-like macrophages from ischemic skeletal muscles were quantified by flow cytometry at day-0, 1, 3, 7, and 14 post-HLI...

Vascular system is a complex network in which different cell types and vascular segments must work in concert to regulate blood flow distribution and arterial blood pressure. Although paracrine/autocrine signaling is involved in the regulation of vasomotor tone, direct intercellular communication via gap junctions plays a central role in the control and coordination of vascular function in the microvascular network. Gap junctions are made up by connexin (Cx) proteins, and among the four Cxs expressed in the cardiovascular system (Cx37, Cx40, Cx43, and Cx45), Cx40 has emerged as a critical signaling pathway in the vessel wall...

N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors were found to be dysfunctional in hypertensive rats. Methyl palmitate (MP) has been shown to diminish the nicotine-induced increase in blood flow in the brainstem. The aim of this study was to determine how MP modulated NMDA-induced increased regional cerebral blood flow (rCBF) in normotensive (WKY), spontaneously hypertensive (SHR), and renovascular hypertensive (RHR) rats. The increase in rCBF after the topical application of experimental drugs was measured using laser Doppler flowmetry...

Endovascular revascularization is the preferred treatment for peripheral arterial disease. Restenosis often occurs as a response to procedure-induced arterial damage. Reducing vascular injury during endovascular revascularization may improve its success rate. This study developed and validated an ex vivo flow model using porcine iliac arteries, obtained from a local abattoir. Twenty arteries (of 10 pigs) were equally allocated to two groups: a mock-treated control group and an endovascular intervention group...

Research involving human subjects in ambulatory settings is a critical link in the chain comprising translational research, spanning preclinical research to human subject and patient cohort studies. There are presently a wide array of techniques and approaches available to investigators wishing to study blood flow, perfusion, and vascular structure and function in human subjects. In this multi-sectioned review, we discuss capillaroscopy, carotid intima-media thickness, flow-mediated dilation, laser Doppler flowmetry, near-infrared spectroscopy, peripheral arterial tonometry, pulse wave velocity, retinal fundus imaging, and vascular plethysmography...

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

No abstract text is available yet for this article.

Connexin 43 (Cx43) is essential to the function of the vasculature. Cx43 proteins form gap junctions that allow for the exchange of ions and molecules between vascular cells to facilitate cell-to-cell signaling and coordinate vasomotor activity. Cx43 also has intracellular signaling functions that influence vascular cell proliferation and migration. Cx43 is expressed in all vascular cell types, although its expression and function vary by vessel size and location. This includes expression in vascular smooth muscle cells (vSMC), endothelial cells (EC), and pericytes...

BACKGROUND: Of the 200 million patients worldwide affected by peripheral arterial disease (PAD), 4% will inevitably require major limb amputation. Previous systematic reviews presented a conflicting body of evidence in terms of vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) family member effects upon PAD natural progression. Despite that, modulation of intrinsic angiogenesis mechanisms targeting the VEGF family members still confers an attractive therapeutic target. The aim of the present study was to evaluate current evidence of VEGF modulation in the context of PAD...

Pannexins (PANX1, 2, 3) are channel-forming glycoproteins that are expressed throughout the cardiovascular and musculoskeletal system. The canonical function of these proteins is to release nucleotides that act as purinergic signalling at the cell membrane or Ca2+ channels at the endoplasmic reticulum membrane. These two forms of signalling are essential for autocrine and paracrine signalling in health, and alterations in this signalling have been implicated in the pathogenesis of many diseases. Many musculoskeletal and cardiovascular diseases are largely the result of a lack of physical activity which causes altered gene expression...

INTRODUCTION: Beta-aminopropionitrile (BAPN) administration is a chemically induced model for preclinical aortic pathologies research. Angiotensin II (AngII) has been widely used to promotes aortic dissections in mice. Here, we provide insight on a modified aortic dissection model in rats. The effect of smooth muscle cell (SMC) relaxation with vasodilators is studied in this model. METHODS: Forty Sprague-Dawley rats were divided in 4 groups: control, isosorbide dinitrate (ISDN, 30 mg/kg/day) in the drinking water, BAPN (0...

Lymphatic and blood microvascular networks play critical roles in the clearance of excess fluid from local tissue spaces. Given the importance of these dynamics in inflammation, tumor metastasis, and lymphedema, understanding the coordinated function and remodeling between lymphatic and blood vessels in adult tissues is necessary. Knowledge gaps exist because the functions of these two systems are typically considered separately. The objective of this review was to highlight the coordinated functional relationships between blood and lymphatic vessels in adult microvascular networks...