This study aimed to investigate the effects of chronic restraint stress (CRS) on the protein levels of dopamine-β-hydroxylase (DBH), noradrenaline transporter (NET), vesicular monoamine transporter 2 (VMAT2) and brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF), as well as the concentration of noradrenaline (NA) in the rat hippocampus. The investigated parameters were quantified by Western blot analyses and ELISA kits. We found that CRS increased the protein levels of DBH by 30 %, VMAT2 by 11 %, BDNF by 11 % and the concentration of NA by 104 %, but decreased the protein levels of NET by 16 % in the hippocampus of chronically stressed rats. The molecular mechanisms by which CRS increased the hippocampal NA level are an important adaptive phenomenon of the noradrenergic system in the stress condition.
- MeSH
- dopamin-beta-hydroxylasa metabolismus MeSH
- fyzické omezení MeSH
- hipokampus metabolismus MeSH
- krysa rodu rattus MeSH
- mozkový neurotrofický faktor metabolismus MeSH
- noradrenalin metabolismus MeSH
- proteiny přenášející noradrenalin přes plazmatickou membránu metabolismus MeSH
- psychický stres metabolismus MeSH
- vezikulární transportní proteiny monoaminů metabolismus MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- krysa rodu rattus MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) and their tissue inhibitors (TIMPs) play a complex role in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis. We compared (1) the histopathological findings in patients with abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAA) and aortoiliac occlusive disease (AOD); (2) the expression of MMP-2/MMP-9 and TIMP-1/TIMP-2 in aortic layers, inflammatory cells and smooth muscle cells (SMCs), aiming to identify the common underlying pathogenic mechanisms of the disease development. Samples were obtained from 30 patients with AAA and 30 with AOD. Aortic histology and immunohistochemistry were performed to evaluate inflammatory changes and MMP and TIMP expression. Thrombosis and ulceration were more frequent in AOD than in AAA. The MMP-9 expression was elevated in all aortic layers of AAA patients and in media/adventitia of AOD patients, mainly followed by lower expression of its inhibitor TIMP-1. Higher MMP-9 expression was also found in SMCs and macrophages of both AAA and AOD specimens, while higher TIMP-1/TIMP-2 were predominantly observed in the lymphocytes and macrophages of the aneurysm. These results showed that both conditions exhibited increased MMP-9 expression; however, the MMP expression pattern differed to some degree between the aneurysms and occlusive disease. The variations in molecular mechanisms underlying dilatative/stenosing disease warrant further investigation.
- MeSH
- aneurysma břišní aorty metabolismus MeSH
- arteriální okluzní nemoci metabolismus MeSH
- imunohistochemie MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- matrixová metaloproteinasa 9 metabolismus MeSH
- matrixové metaloproteinasy metabolismus MeSH
- myocyty hladké svaloviny metabolismus MeSH
- nemoci aorty metabolismus MeSH
- tkáňový inhibitor metaloproteinasy 1 metabolismus MeSH
- tkáňový inhibitor metaloproteinasy 2 metabolismus MeSH
- Check Tag
- lidé MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Apoptosis is an active energy-consuming mechanism of cell death, which may contribute to heart failure in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Dilated cardiomyopathy is a common clinical outcome of many prolonged cardiac insults, and therefore is considered as the most prevalent form of cardiomyopathy. Loss of heart mass is highly correlated with the heart failure and mortality, thus the purpose of this study was to define the apoptotic index in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy. Apoptosis was detected by the TUNEL method in 30 patients. Biopsies were obtained from the left ventricle, and at least three specimens were taken. TUNEL-positive cardiomyocytes were found in 26 of 30 cases (86.7 %) and the mean apoptotic index for the entire specimen series was 5.41 ± 1.70 %. The analysis showed that patients with dilated cardiomyopathy had significantly higher apoptotic index (P < 0.001) than healthy subjects. One subject (man, 41 years old) had a markedly elevated apoptotic index of 52.2 %. In the remaining subjects, the percentage of cardiomyocyte death ranged from 0 % to 15.5 %. The high percentage of apoptosis found in our study may be in accordance with the clinically manifested cardiac failure in patients with dilated cardiomyopathy since in most patients we recorded the left ventricular ejection fraction values below 30 %.
- MeSH
- apoptóza * MeSH
- biopsie MeSH
- dilatační kardiomyopatie patologie patofyziologie MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- kardiomyocyty patologie MeSH
- koncové značení zlomů DNA in situ MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- myokard patologie MeSH
- tepový objem MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- mužské pohlaví MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
Cancer of the reproductive tract is an important cause of morbidity and mortality among women worldwide. In this study we evaluated the influence of diagnostic categories, age and reproductive factors on antioxidant enzymes and lipid hydroperoxides in the blood of gynaecological patients diagnosed with endometrial polyp, myoma, hyperplasia simplex, hyperplasia complex and endometrial adenocarcinoma. Multivariate regression analysis was used to assess the association of diagnosis, age, parity, abortions and abnormal uterine bleeding with the examined parameters. Diagnosis provided the best predictive model for superoxide dismutase, catalase and glutathione peroxidase activities, and also for the lipid hydroperoxide level. Abortions fitted the best predictive model for superoxide dismutase activity. A significant correlation was also found between the predictor variables themselves. This study showed that reproductive and other factors may be associated, at least partially, with antioxidant capacity and ability to defend against the oxidative damage in gynaecological patients with various diagnoses.
- MeSH
- antioxidancia metabolismus MeSH
- dospělí MeSH
- gynekologická onemocnění krev diagnóza enzymologie MeSH
- katalasa metabolismus MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- lipidové peroxidy MeSH
- regresní analýza MeSH
- rozmnožování * MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- superoxiddismutasa MeSH
- Check Tag
- dospělí MeSH
- lidé středního věku MeSH
- lidé MeSH
- senioři MeSH
- ženské pohlaví MeSH
- Publikační typ
- časopisecké články MeSH
- práce podpořená grantem MeSH
The study deals with activity of three antioxidant enzymes, copper, zinc-superoxide dismutase (CuZnSOD), manganese superoxide dismutase (MnSOD), catalase (CAT) in hippocampus of rats, following the exposure to single chronic (individual housing or forced swimming) and acute (immobilization or cold) stress, as well as to combined chronic/acute stress. In addition, plasma noradrenaline (NA) and adrenaline (A) concentrations were measured in the same stress conditions, because their autooxidation can add to the oxidative stress. We observed that i) long-term social isolation and repeated forced swimming had minor effects on plasma catecholamines, but in the long-term pretreated groups, acute stressors caused profound elevation NA and A levels, ii) chronic stressors activate antioxidant enzymes, iii) acute stressors decrease catalase activity, their effects on CuZnSOD appear to be stressor-dependent, whereas MnSOD is not affected by acute stressors, and iv) pre-exposure to chronic stress affects the antioxidant-related effects of acute stressors, but this effect depends to a large extent on the type of the chronic stressor. Based on both metabolic and neuroendocrine data, long-term isolation appears to be a robust psychological stressor and to induce a “priming” effect specifically on the CuZnSOD and CAT activity.
- MeSH
- antioxidancia farmakokinetika fyziologie MeSH
- financování vládou MeSH
- fyziologický stres etiologie patofyziologie MeSH
- hipokampus fyziologie MeSH
- interpretace statistických dat MeSH
- katecholaminy izolace a purifikace krev MeSH
- noradrenalin metabolismus MeSH
- oxidační stres účinky záření MeSH
- potkani Wistar MeSH
- zvířata MeSH
- Check Tag
- zvířata MeSH
- Publikační typ
- srovnávací studie MeSH
