The roles of nitric oxide in murine cardiovascular development

Plasma l-citrulline concentrations in l-arginine-supplemented healthy dogs

INTRODUCTION

To determine whether oral l-arginine increases plasma [l-citrulline] in dogs.

ANIMALS

Eleven healthy staff-owned dogs were used in this study.

MATERIALS AND METHODS

Dogs (n = 3) were given l-arginine (50mg/kg PO q8h) for 7 days, and plasma [l-arginine] and [l-citrulline] were analyzed by high performance liquid chromatography at baseline (BL), steady state trough, and 0.5, 1, 1.5, 2, 4, 6, and 8 h after final dosing on day 7. Eleven dogs were then treated with 100mg/kg l-arginine PO q8h for 7 days, and [l-arginine] and [l-citrulline] were measured at BL, steady state trough, and at peak 4 hrs after dosing (T4 hrs).

RESULTS

- Plasma [l-arginine] and [l-citrulline] peaked at T4 hrs on the 50mg/kg dosage. Target outcome, modeled after human study results, of a doubling of [l-arginine] and a 25-30% increase in [l-citrulline] from BL were not reached. After the 100mg/kg dosage, plasma [l-arginine] increased from a BL median of 160.1 μM (range, 100.2-231.4 μM) to a peak of 417.4 μM (206.5-807.3 μM) at T4 hrs, and plasma [l-citrulline] increased from a BL median of 87.8 μM (59.1-117.1 μM) to peak of 102.2 μM (47.4-192.6 μM) at T4 hrs. Ten of eleven dogs showed a doubling of plasma [l-arginine] and 4/11 dogs achieved 25-30% or greater increases in plasma [l-citrulline]. No adverse effects on heart rate or blood pressure were noted.

CONCLUSIONS

- Oral l-arginine dosage of 100mg/kg q8h doubles plasma [l-arginine] in healthy dogs, but conversion to l-citrulline is quite variable. Further evaluation of this dosage regimen in dogs with pulmonary hypertension is warranted.

New development of the yolk sac theory in diabetic embryopathy: molecular mechanism and link to structural birth defects

Maternal diabetes mellitus is a significant risk factor for structural birth defects, including congenital heart defects and neural tube defects. With the rising prevalence of type 2 diabetes mellitus and obesity in women of childbearing age, diabetes mellitus-induced birth defects have become an increasingly significant public health problem. Maternal diabetes mellitus in vivo and high glucose in vitro induce yolk sac injuries by damaging the morphologic condition of cells and altering the dynamics of organelles. The yolk sac vascular system is the first system to develop during embryogenesis; therefore, it is the most sensitive to hyperglycemia. The consequences of yolk sac injuries include impairment of nutrient transportation because of vasculopathy. Although the functional relationship between yolk sac vasculopathy and structural birth defects has not yet been established, a recent study reveals that the quality of yolk sac vasculature is related inversely to embryonic malformation rates. Studies in animal models have uncovered key molecular intermediates of diabetic yolk sac vasculopathy, which include hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, apoptosis signal-regulating kinase 1, and its inhibitor thioredoxin-1, c-Jun-N-terminal kinases, nitric oxide, and nitric oxide synthase. Yolk sac vasculopathy is also associated with abnormalities in arachidonic acid and myo-inositol. Dietary supplementation with fatty acids that restore lipid levels in the yolk sac lead to a reduction in diabetes mellitus-induced malformations. Although the role of the human yolk in embryogenesis is less extensive than in rodents, nevertheless, human embryonic vasculogenesis is affected negatively by maternal diabetes mellitus. Mechanistic studies have identified potential therapeutic targets for future intervention against yolk sac vasculopathy, birth defects, and other complications associated with diabetic pregnancies.

Antifungal and antioxidant activity of Crassocephalum bauchiense (Hutch.) Milne-Redh ethyl acetate extract and fractions (Asteraceae)

BACKGROUND

Crassocephalum bauchiense is a flowering plant, found in the West Region of Cameroon. Previous studied has highlighted the antibacterial and the dermal toxicological safety as well as the immunomodulatory activities of the ethyl acetate extract of its dry leaves. As an extension of the previous researches, the current work has been undertaken to evaluate the in vitro antifungal and antioxidant activities of C. bauchiense dried leaves ethyl acetate extract and fractions.

METHODS

The extract was obtained by maceration in ethyl acetate and further fractionated into six fractions labeled F1 to F6 by flash chromatography. The antifungal activity of the extract and fractions against yeasts and dermatophytes was evaluated using broth microdilution method. Antioxidant activity was evaluated using 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH), nitric oxide (NO) and β-carotene - linoleic acid assays.

RESULTS

The extract (MIC = 0.125 - 4 mg/ml) was found to be more active on dermatophytes and yeasts compared to the fractions. The ethyl acetate extract and fractions exhibited strong scavenging activity on DPPH (CI50 = 28.57 - 389.38 μg/ml). The fractions F3 and F6 expressed best antioxidant activity on DPPH radicals compared to the crude extract.

CONCLUSION

The results of these findings clearly showed that C. bauchiense ethyl acetate extract has a significant antifungal and antioxidant activity. It is therefore a source of active compounds that might be used as antifungal and antioxidant agents.

Ambient air pollution and congenital heart disease: a register-based study

Maternal exposure to ambient air pollution has increasingly been linked to adverse pregnancy outcomes. The evidence linking this exposure to congenital anomalies is still limited and controversial. This case-control study investigated the association between maternal exposure to ambient particulate matter with aerodynamic diameter less than 10 μm (PM(10)), sulfur dioxide (SO(2)), nitrogen dioxide, nitric oxide (NO), ozone (O(3)), and carbon monoxide (CO) and the occurrence of congenital heart disease in the population of Northeast England (1993-2003). Each case and control was assigned weekly average (weeks 3-8 of pregnancy) of pollutant levels measured by the closest monitor to the mother's residential postcode. Using exposure as both continuous and categorical variables, logistic regression models were constructed to quantify the adjusted odds ratios of exposure to air pollutants and the occurrence of each outcome group. We found exposure to CO and NO to be associated with ventricular septal defect and cardiac septa malformations. CO was also associated with congenital pulmonary valve stenosis and NO with pooled cases of congenital heart disease and tetralogy of Fallot. Findings for SO(2), O(3) and PM(10) were less consistent.

[Molecular bases of diabetic nephropathy]

The determinant of the diabetic nephropathy is hyperglycemia, but hypertension and other genetic factors are also involved. Glomerulus is the focus of the injury, where mesangial cell proliferation and extracellular matrix occur because of the increase of the intra- and extracellular glucose concentration and overexpression of GLUT1. Sequentially, there are increases in the flow by the poliol pathway, oxidative stress, increased intracellular production of advanced glycation end products (AGEs), activation of the PKC pathway, increase of the activity of the hexosamine pathway, and activation of TGF-beta1. High glucose concentrations also increase angiotensin II (AII) levels. Therefore, glucose and AII exert similar effects in inducing extracellular matrix formation in the mesangial cells, using similar transductional signal, which increases TGF-beta1 levels. In this review we focus in the effect of glucose and AII in the mesangial cells in causing the events related to the genesis of diabetic nephropathy. The alterations in the signal pathways discussed in this review give support to the observational studies and clinical assays, where metabolic and antihypertensive controls obtained with angiotensin-converting inhibitors have shown important and additive effect in the prevention of the beginning and progression of diabetic nephropathy. New therapeutic strategies directed to the described intracellular events may give future additional benefits.

A density functional theory investigation on the mechanism of the second half-reaction of nitric oxide synthase

Density functional theory methods have been employed to systematically investigate the overall mechanism of the second half-reaction of nitric oxide synthases. The initial heme-bound hydrogen peroxide intermediate previously identified is found to first undergo a simple rotation about its O-O peroxide bond. Then, via a "ping-pong" peroxidase-like mechanism the -O(in)H- proton is transferred back onto the substrate's -NO oxygen then subsequently onto the outer oxygen of the resulting Fe(heme)-OOH species. As a result, O(out) is released as H2O with concomitant formation of a compound I-type (Fe(heme)-O) species. Formation of the final citrulline and NO products can then be achieved in one step via a tetrahedral transition structure resulting from direct attack of the Fe(heme)-O moiety at the substrate's guanidinium carbon center. The possible role of alternative mechanisms involving a protonated compound II-type species or an initial transfer of only the -NH- hydrogen of the =NHOH+ group of N(omega)-hydroxy-L-arginine is also discussed.

Low nitric oxide: a key factor underlying copper-deficiency teratogenicity

Copper (Cu)-deficiency-induced teratogenicity is characterized by major cardiac, brain, and vascular anomalies; however, the underlying mechanisms are poorly understood. Cu deficiency decreases superoxide dismutase activity and increases superoxide anions, which can interact with nitric oxide (NO), reducing the NO pool size. Given the role of NO as a developmental signaling molecule, we tested the hypothesis that low NO levels, secondary to Cu deficiency, represent a developmental challenge. Gestation day 8.5 embryos from Cu-adequate (Cu+) or Cu-deficient (Cu-) dams were cultured for 48 h in Cu+ or Cu- medium, respectively. We report that NO levels were low in conditioned medium from Cu-/Cu- embryos and yolk sacs, compared to Cu+/Cu+ controls under basal conditions and with NO synthase (NOS) agonists. The low NO production was associated with low endothelial NOS phosphorylation at serine 1177 and cyclic guanosine-3',5'-monophosphate (cGMP) concentrations in the Cu-/Cu- group. The altered NO levels in Cu-deficient embryos are functionally significant, as the administration of the NO donor DETA/NONOate increased cGMP and ameliorated embryo and yolk sac abnormalities. These data support the concept that Cu deficiency limits NO availability and alters NO-dependent signaling, which contributes to abnormal embryo and yolk sac development.

Production of axial skeletal malformations with the nitric oxide synthesis inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME) in the mouse

BACKGROUND

To test whether the differentiating embryo is susceptible to the teratogenic effects of the nitric oxide (NO) synthesis inhibitor NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME).

METHODS

ICR-(CD-1) mice received a single intraperitoneal injection of L-NAME at 90, 150, or 300 mg/kg on Gestation Day (GD) 8 or 9. Controls were treated with vehicle on GD 8 and 9. Teratological assessments were carried out near term (GD 18).

RESULTS

Maternal treatment with a single dose of L-NAME at 150 or 300 mg/kg on either GD 8 or 9 produced axial skeletal defects in the ICR (CD-1) mouse fetuses. Other treatment-related effects included increased embryo lethality and fetal growth restriction.

CONCLUSIONS

This study provides evidence that in utero exposure to L-NAME can affect organogenesis of the axial skeleton.

Klf2 is an essential regulator of vascular hemodynamic forces in vivo

Hemodynamic responses that control blood pressure and the distribution of blood flow to different organs are essential for survival. Shear forces generated by blood flow regulate hemodynamic responses, but the molecular and genetic basis for such regulation is not known. The transcription factor KLF2 is activated by fluid shear stress in cultured endothelial cells, where it regulates a large number of vasoactive endothelial genes. Here, we show that Klf2 expression during development mirrors the rise of fluid shear forces, and that endothelial loss of Klf2 results in lethal embryonic heart failure due to a high-cardiac-output state. Klf2 deficiency does not result in anemia or structural vascular defects, and it can be rescued by administration of phenylephrine, a catecholamine that raises vessel tone. These findings identify Klf2 as an essential hemodynamic regulator in vivo and suggest that hemodynamic regulation in response to fluid shear stress is required for cardiovascular development and function.