纤维连接蛋白对动脉粥样硬化影响的研究进展

<正>动脉粥样硬化(atherosclerosis, AS)是动脉的慢性炎症性疾病,在血流紊乱、高血脂、高血压、高血糖、吸烟等各种危险因素慢性刺激下,出现内皮细胞的屏障功能受损,内皮通透性增加,进而导致血液循环中的脂质颗粒、巨噬细胞等沉积在血管内膜;而损伤的内皮细胞分泌生长因子、细胞黏附分子、单核细胞趋化因子等细胞因子诱导单核细胞、血管平滑肌细胞(vascular smooth muscle cell, VSMC)增生、黏附于血管内皮,     

氯沙坦对冠心病患者血清sICAM-1,sVCAM-1水平的影响

炎症贯穿于动脉粥样硬化发生发展的全过程 ,而单核细胞黏附于血管内皮细胞并迁入内皮摄取脂质转化为泡沫细胞 ,是动脉粥样硬化的早期事件。在这过程中 ,细胞黏附分子如血管内皮细胞黏附分子 -1(VCAM-1)及细胞间黏附分子 -1(ICAM-1)等起着重要的作用 ,并成为反映血管壁炎症的标志性分子 [1]。近期研究表明 ,肾素血管紧张素系统参与了动脉粥样硬化的发生和发展过程 ,其中血管紧张素 (Ang )在血管壁局部炎症损伤中的作用日益引起研究者的重视 ,其参与动脉粥样硬化的作用已为近期国内外体外实验所证实 ,但目前尚缺乏相应的临床研究。本研究…     

白细胞介素4与动脉粥样硬化

血管内皮损伤与功能紊乱是动脉粥样硬化等心血管疾病的启动和进展因素。已有大量的研究表明,内皮细胞的氧化及炎症在动脉粥样硬化起始和进展中发挥重要作用。越来越多的证据表明白细胞介素4能够经由氧化应激上调炎性介质,如细胞因子、趋化因子和血管内皮细胞黏附分子。同时白细胞介素4能通过多种信号通路加速细胞凋亡,促进细胞内皮更新,这能够导致血管内皮功能失调。这些研究将极大可能为预防和治疗血管炎症性疾病如动脉粥样硬化等提供靶点及方向。     

E-选择素介导的炎症反应与冠状动脉内支架术后再狭窄

再狭窄是限制冠状动脉内支架术远期成功的重要因素。它是一个由内皮损伤触发的多种因子参与的损伤修复过程,主要包括：机械损伤内皮处非阻塞性血栓形成、新生内膜增生及血管重构等反应。E-选择素仅表达于活化的内皮细胞表面,主要作用是在炎症发生时介导白细胞与血管内皮细胞的起始黏附,以及介导白细胞之间、白细胞与血小板之间的黏附形成血栓,从而对支架置入后损伤的内膜增生过程产生影响。E-选择素的研究对揭示再狭窄发生机制及寻找新的治疗途径均具有重要意义。     

硫化氢与血管内皮细胞的功能

血管内皮细胞参与血管内多种生理活动,内皮功能障碍将导致各种心血管疾病的发生.近几年来,研究发现新型气体信号分子硫化氢具有抗动脉粥样硬化等心血管疾病的效应:硫化氢促进内皮细胞增殖迁移诱导血管新生;抑制黏附分子分泌;通过打开平滑肌上ATP依赖性K+通道调节血管紧张度;抵抗氧化应激对内皮细胞的损伤等.随着其保护机制的不断发现与证实,硫化氢将有望逐渐应用于临床治疗,其.对内皮的保护作用仍需要做进一步的研究.     

内皮细胞损伤与修复的研究进展

内皮细胞是重要代谢和内分泌器官,在调节血管功能中起重要作用。多种心脑血管疾病(如动脉粥样硬化、高血压、糖尿病血管并发症等)的发生发展与内皮损伤密切相关。然而血管内皮细胞损伤的机制尚未完全明了。大量研究表明,内皮细胞损伤机制主要涉及炎症反应和氧化应激。内皮祖细胞在修复损伤内皮过程中发挥重要作用。多种化学药物和中药,通过减少诱发因素、抑制炎症反应与氧化应激反应、延缓内皮细胞衰老等途径发挥内皮保护作用。     

血管内皮钙黏蛋白参与动脉粥样硬化形成的机制

血管内皮钙黏蛋白(vascular endothelial cadherin,VE-cadherin)作为内皮连接的主要黏附分子,对血管稳态的维持起着非常重要的作用.它调控着血管内皮对白细胞、脂质等血浆内容物的渗透以及细胞的增殖和凋亡,并通过参与血管发生在动脉粥样硬化进程的多个环节中发挥着重要作用.文章就近年来VE-cadherin血在动脉粥样硬化发生和发展过程中的作用及其机制的研究进展做了综述.     

血管内皮细胞功能障碍与动脉粥样硬化关系的研究进展

血管内皮细胞损伤、内皮功能障碍是动脉粥样硬化的起始环节,其参与动脉粥样硬化的启动和进展过程。内皮功能障碍及形态学损伤引起白细胞-内皮细胞黏附、血管收缩、血小板聚集、氧化应激、平滑肌增殖及血栓形成。内皮细胞功能调节与多种相关因子之间的作用机制是复杂的,本文以内皮细胞功能障碍与动脉粥样硬化关系为切入点,综述血管内皮细胞功能与动脉粥样硬化发生发展的研究进展。     

丹参川芎嗪注射液对TNFα干预血管内皮细胞损伤ET-1和ICAM-1基因表达的影响

动脉粥样硬化(AS)是一种慢性炎症性疾病,各种危险因素引起细胞释放肿瘤坏死因子(TNF)和白细胞介素等细胞因子作用在内皮细胞上,内皮素(ET)的分泌增加导致内皮细胞功能受损,内皮细胞上的细胞间黏附因子(ICAM)-1表达增加,导致单核细胞黏附在血管内皮细胞上,进一步的促使AS发生和发展.活血化瘀中药具有抗血管内皮损伤、防治AS的作用[1].采用活血化瘀法干预AS的发生发展能够取得良好的效果[2].丹参川芎嗪注射液是根据中医活血化瘀的原理,以丹参和川芎为主的中草药经过现代科学技术方法加工制成,其主要成分为丹参素和川芎嗪.临床广泛应用于闭塞性脑血管疾病,如脑供血不足、脑血栓形成、脑栓塞及其他缺血性心血管疾病,如冠心病的胸闷、心绞痛、心肌梗死、缺血性脑卒中、血栓闭塞性脉管炎等的治疗当中.本文采用炎症因子TNF-α干预致人脐静脉内皮细胞ECV304损伤,模拟AS时血管内皮受损的情况,探讨丹参川芎嗪注射液对与内皮细胞功能密切相关的ET-1和ICAM-1表达的影响.     

干预LOX-1表达的药物研究进展

研究证实,动脉粥样硬化（AS）发生的始动环节是血管内皮细胞（VEC）损伤,VEC损伤后可表达黏附分子,后者可使单核细胞与血管内皮细胞相互黏附,从而促进AS的发展。研究发现,在人类内皮细胞上有一种能够摄取氧化低密度脂蛋白（OX-LDL）的新型受体（LOX-1）,其主要功能是介导血管内皮细胞摄取OX-LDL,LOX-1的激活进一步诱导黏附分子的产生,导致内皮细胞功能损伤。现将干预LOX-1表达的药物的研究进展概述如下。     

Leukocytes-endothelial interaction in vascular pathology: from host defence mechanism to promoter of vascular injury]

Leukocytes play a key role in the defense of human organism from bacterial and fungal infections, taking part in the host defense mechanism against viral and neoplastic diseases. The purpose of this article is to underline the interaction between leukocytes and endothelial cells in atherosclerosis vascular damage. Actually, new evidences suggest a primary role for leukocytes, adhesion molecules, citokines and proteases to promote vascular endothelial cell injury by inflammatory process, the first step in atheromatic plaque formation.     

Nicotine induced changes in gene expression by human coronary artery endothelial cells

The primary role of cigarette smoking in the development of coronary heart disease is to cause damage to the vascular endothelium, leading to endothelial cell dysfunction and initiating the pathogenesis of coronary atherosclerosis. We studied the response of human coronary artery endothelial cells to nicotine exposure by examining the expression of a panel of genes encoding molecules that have been shown to be involved in atherogenesis. Treatment of primary human coronary artery endothelial cells with nicotine for 24 h at concentrations (10(-5) and 10(-7) M) similar to those in the blood of smokers resulted in increased mRNA levels of endothelial nitric oxide synthase, angiotensin-I converting enzyme, tissue-type plasminogen activator, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1, von Willebrand factor, and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1. No change was detected in the expression levels of the genes encoding basic fibroblast growth factor, endothelin-1, endothelial leukocyte adhesion molecule-1 and matrix metalloproteinase-2 under these conditions. These data indicate that nicotine alters the expression of a number of endothelial genes whose products play major roles in regulating the vascular tone and thrombogenicity, making a contribution to the understanding of the effects of cigarette smoking on the development of coronary atherosclerosis.     

Identification of a monocyte receptor on herpesvirus-infected endothelial cells.

The adhesion of circulating blood cells to vascular endothelium may be an initial step in atherosclerosis, inflammation, and wound healing. One mechanism for promoting cell-cell adhesion involves the expression of adhesion molecules on the surface of the target cell. Herpes simplex virus infection of endothelium induces arterial injury and has been implicated in the development of human atherosclerosis. We now demonstrate that HSV-infected endothelial cells express the adhesion molecule GMP140 and that this requires cell surface expression of HSV glycoprotein C and local thrombin generation. Monocyte adhesion to HSV-infected endothelial cells was completely inhibited by anti-GMP140 antibodies but not by antibodies to other adhesion molecules such as VCAM and ELAM-1. The induction of GMP140 expression on HSV-infected endothelium may be an important pathophysiological mechanism in virus-induced cell injury and inflammation.     

Hypertension, the endothelial cell, and the vascular complications of diabetes mellitus.

Hypertension is a major factor that contributes to the development of the vascular complications of diabetes mellitus, which primarily include atherosclerosis, nephropathy, and retinopathy. The mechanism of the pathophysiological effects of hypertension lies at the cellular level in the blood vessel wall, which intimately involves the function and interaction of the endothelial and vascular smooth muscle cells. Both hypertension and diabetes mellitus alter endothelial cell structure and function. In large and medium size vessels and in the kidney, endothelial dysfunction leads to enhanced growth and vasoconstriction of vascular smooth muscle cells and mesangial cells, respectively. These changes in the cells of smooth muscle lineage play a key role in the development of both atherosclerosis and glomerulosclerosis. In diabetic retinopathy, damage and altered growth of retinal capillary endothelial cells is the major pathophysiological insult leading to proliferative lesions of the retina. Thus, the endothelium emerges as a key target organ of damage in diabetes mellitus; this damage is enhanced in the presence of hypertension. An overall approach to the understanding and treatment of diabetes mellitus and its complications will be to elucidate the mechanisms of vascular disease and endothelial cell dysfunction that occur in the setting of hypertension and diabetes.     

Cholesterol lowering and endothelial function

The pathophysiology of the association between cholesterol and atherosclerosis has been thought to involve the deposition, modification, and cellular uptake of cholesterol. We now believe that the process begins with vascular injury and involves inflammation and vessel remodeling. The vascular endothelium actively regulates vascular tone, lipid breakdown, thrombogenesis, inflammation, and vessel growth, all of which are important factors in the development of atherosclerosis. Endothelial dysfunction promotes atherosclerosis through vasoconstriction, monocyte and platelet adhesion, thrombogenesis, and cytokine and growth factor stimulation and release. An important component of endothelial dysfunction is reduced availability of nitric oxide, which is caused by low-density lipoproteins, especially if they are oxidized. This reduced availability appears to occur through a combination of decreased production, abnormal signaling, and increased destruction by oxygen-free radicals. Concurrently, endothelium-mediated vasoconstrictors, adhesion molecules, cytokines, growth factors, and thrombogenic factors, such as endothelin, are increased by oxidized low-density lipoprotein. Several studies have shown improvements in endothelial function with cholesterol lowering, which may explain the early and substantial reductions in major cardiovascular events associated with cholesterol lowering.     

Mitochondrial dysfunction as an initiating event in atherogenesis: a plausible hypothesis

It is now widely accepted that oxidant stress and the ensuing endothelial dysfunction play a key role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis and cardiovascular diseases. The mitochondrial respiratory chain is the major source of reactive oxygen species as byproducts of normal cell respiration. Mitochondria may also be important targets for reactive oxygen species, which may damage mitochondrial lipids, enzymes and DNA with following mitochondrial dysfunction. Free cholesterol, oxidized low-density lipoprotein and glycated high-density lipoprotein are further possible causes of mitochondrial dysfunction and/or apoptosis. Moreover, in patients with mitochondrial diseases, vascular complications are commonly observed at an early age, often in the absence of traditional risk factors for atherosclerosis. We propose that mitochondrial dysfunction, besides endothelial dysfunction, represents an important early step in the chain of events leading to atherosclerotic disease.     

Role of platelets in the development of atherosclerosis

Platelets are blood cell fragments that originate from the cytoplasm of megakaryocytes in the bone marrow and circulate in blood to play a major role in the hemostatic process and in thrombus formation after an endothelial injury. Recent studies have provided insight into platelet functions in inflammation and atherosclerosis. A range of molecules, present on the platelet surface and/or stored in platelet granules, contributes to the cross-talk of platelets with other inflammatory cells during the vascular inflammation involved in the development and progression of atherosclerosis. This review discusses the nature of these molecules and the mechanisms involved in the participation of platelets in atherosclerosis, with emphasis on P-selectin, platelet-monocyte interactions, chemokines, and inflammatory cytokines.