Apelin 在心血管疾病中的研究进展

Apelin是APJ(angiotensin II protein J)的一个配体,是一种重要的生理调节肽。Apelin-APJ系统在心血管系统存在广泛的作用,参与高血压、冠心病、心力衰竭及心房纤颤等多种疾病的病理生理过程,本文就apelin的生物学特性及与多种心血管疾病的关系作一综述。     

Apelin/APJ 与胚胎心肌分化

胚胎发育中心脏祖细胞迁移至生心区并分化为心肌细胞是心脏形成的基础。研究心肌分化对了解心脏发育异常以及应用干细胞治疗缺血性心脏病具有重要意义。最近研究发现apelin/APJ信号通路与祖细胞的迁移及心肌分化有关。本文就apelin/APJ与胚胎心肌分化的关系做一综述。     

Apelin/APJ系统的神经保护作用及其机制

Apelin/APJ系统在人与动物组织中广泛分布,不仅参与维持生理稳态,也参与多种疾病的病理生理过程。越来越多的证据表明,apelin/APJ系统具有神经保护作用,能对抗兴奋性毒性损伤、氧化应激损伤以及损伤诱导的神经元凋亡。本文现就apelin/APJ系统神经保护作用及其机制的相关研究进展作一综述。     

Apelin/APJ 系统对能量代谢及其相关疾病调控的影响

G蛋白偶联受体APJ及其内源性配体Apelin在许多外周组织和中枢神经系统中高度表达,包括骨骼肌、胰腺、脂肪组织和下丘脑。Apelin /APJ系统调控许多生理功能,如调节血管生成,液体体内平衡和能量代谢;同时还参与不同疾病的发生发展,如糖尿病及其并发症、肥胖等。越来越多的证据表明,Apelin/APJ系统能调节胰岛素敏感性,刺激葡萄糖利用缓解糖尿病的形成;Apelin/APJ系统还能缓解肥胖引起的高血压、心血管等疾病;同时Apelin/APJ系统能促进肿瘤细胞的增殖与迁移。这篇综述旨在介绍Apelin /APJ系统在人体内各组织中可能存在的能量代谢调节功能及其对相关代谢性疾病的调控,Apelin /APJ系统有望成为潜在的用于治疗代谢性疾病的分子靶标。     

血管紧张素受体AT1相关受体蛋白新的配体 ——Elabela的生物学效应及与心血管疾病的关系

Elabela是一种新型血管紧张素受体1相关受体蛋白的配体,与另一个配体apelin一样,参与胚胎心脏和血管发育以及很多心血管疾病的病生理过程,包括先兆子痫、高血压、肺动脉高压、冠心病和心力衰竭等.Elabela可能通过调节液体稳态、舒张血管、增加心肌收缩力等机制发挥心血管保护作用,是一个潜在的新的心血管疾病治疗靶点.     

硫化氢在心血管保护过程中免疫炎症调节研究进展

硫化氢(hydrogen sulfide,H_2S)是一种无色、具有臭鸡蛋气味的气体,过去认为只是一种有毒的气体。近年来大量研究证实H_2S是继一氧化氮(nitric oxide,NO)和一氧化碳(carbon oxide,CO)后第三种内源性气体信号分子,同时,H_2S在心血管系统疾病发生、发展过程中起关键的调控作用,但其机制还不明确,已有报道主要通过抗凋亡、抗氧化、调节内皮一氧化氮合酶活性、促进血管新生等;而本文总结了H_2S在缺血性心脏病、动脉粥样硬化等心血管疾病中免疫炎症调节作用及其机制,从而为H_2S生物学功能以及相关心血管疾病的防治提供新的思路。     

葛根素对人非小细胞肺癌A549细胞凋亡的作用

目的：观察葛根素对人非小细胞肺癌A549细胞生长的抑制作用及其机制。方法：体外培养人非小细胞肺癌细胞（A549）,不同浓度（60 μg/ml,120 μg/ml,240 μg/ml）葛根素处理24 h后;采用CCK-8法观察葛根素对细胞的增值抑制作用;吖啶橙（AO）/溴化乙锭（EB）双染法及AnnexinⅤ-PI双染流式细胞术检测药物作用前后A549细胞的形态学变化及凋亡状况;Western blot法检测Apelin/APJ蛋白水平的变化。结果：CCK-8法检测结果说明葛根素能抑制A549细胞的增值,具有浓度和时间依赖关系;流式细胞术进一步证实葛根素具有诱导细胞凋亡的作用,与A549细胞组比较,葛根素各处理组Apelin/APJ蛋白水平均有不同程度下调。结论：葛根素可能通过调节Apelin/APJ蛋白的表达诱导A549细胞凋亡。     

白细胞介素21的生物学功能及其抗肿瘤效应

白细胞介素21（IL-21）属于I类细胞因子,主要由活化的CD4＋T产生,作用于免疫系统中的大部分骨髓、淋巴细胞,具有广泛的生物学功能,是联系主动免疫与被动免疫的中间因子。IL-21能够调节体液和细胞介导的免疫应答,促进T细胞增殖分化,调节B细胞的增殖分化与调亡,增强NK细胞的细胞毒性作用与免疫监督功能。此外,IL-21还具有抗肿瘤作用,与其他细胞因子、疫苗等联合应用,可增强其抑制肿瘤细胞生长的功能。该文综述了IL-21的生物功能及其应用于抗肿瘤治疗的研究前景。     

Apelin的生理与病理功能

多肽Apelin广泛存在于各种组织中,通过自分泌和旁分泌等信号途径发挥重要的生物学效应. 近年来,对Apelin的研究日益增多,发现其在心血管、神经、肾、肺等系统中均有非常重要的作用.同时,Apelin在体液平衡及肥胖的进程中也扮演了重要的角色.Apelin及其受体系统存在如此广泛,功能如此之多,暗示了其作为多个疾病进程中的关键因子.近期对Apelin功能的认识从系统、组织水平转向分子水平.随着研究的深入,Apelin有望成为治疗相关疾病的新的靶分子.本文对Apelin参与重要心血管疾病、神经疾病、肥胖症及关节炎等生理与病理过程做一综述.     

脂肪因子Apelin对2型糖尿病的调控作用

Apelin是G蛋白偶联受体APJ的特异性配体,在多种组织中均有表达。对Apelin作为一种有益的脂肪因子,可通过不同的信号通路调控糖代谢和脂代谢,并对胰岛素的分泌具有一定的调控作用,在2型糖尿病的发生和发展中起着重要的调控作用,现就Apelin对2型糖尿病的调控作用作一综述。     

Indole glucosinolate breakdown and its biological effects

Most species in the Brassicaceae produce one or more indole glucosinolates. In addition to the parent indol-3-ylmethylglucosinolate (IMG), other commonly encountered indole glucosinolates are 1-methoxyIMG, 4-hydroxyIMG, and 4-methoxyIMG. Upon tissue disruption, enzymatic hydrolysis of IMG produces an unstable aglucone, which reacts rapidly to form indole-3-acetonitrile and indol-3-ylmethyl isothiocyanate. The isothiocyanate, in turn, can react with water, ascorbate, glutathione, amino acids, and other plant metabolites to produce a variety of physiologically active indole compounds. Myrosinase-initiated breakdown of the substituted indole glucosinolates proceeds in a similar manner to that of IMG. Induction of indole glucosinolate production in response to biotic stress, experiments with mutant plants, and artificial diet assays suggest a significant role for indole glucosinolates in plant defense. However, some crucifer-feeding specialist herbivores recognize indole glucosinolates and their breakdown products as oviposition and/or feeding stimulants. In mammalian diets, IMG can have both beneficial and deleterious effects. Most IMG breakdown products induce the synthesis of phase 1 detoxifying enzymes, which may in some cases prevent carcinogenesis, but in other cases promote carcinogenesis. Recent advances in indole glucosinolate research have been fueled by their occurrence in the well-studied model plant Arabidopsis thaliana. Knowledge gained from genetic and biochemical experiments with A. thaliana can be applied to gain new insight into the ecological and nutritional properties of indole glucosinolates in other plant species.     

Apelin and its receptor are expressed in human osteoblasts

OBJECTIVES: Apelin is a recently discovered peptide that is the endogenous ligand for the orphan G-protein-coupled receptor APJ. Adipocytes can express and secrete apelin. The aim of this study was to characterize apelin and APJ expression in human osteoblasts and to investigate the effects of apelin on osteoblasts. RESULTS: Apelin and APJ were expressed in human osteoblasts. Apelin stimulated proliferation of human osteoblasts, but had no effect on alkaline phosphatase (ALP) activity, osteocalcin and type I collagen production in human osteoblasts. Suppression of APJ with small-interfering RNA (siRNA) abolished the apelin-induced cell proliferation. Apelin induced activation of Akt (Phosphatidylinositol-3 kinase downstream effector), but not MAPKs, such as c-jun N-terminal Kinase (JNK), p38 and ERK1/2 in human osteoblasts. This effect was blocked by suppression of APJ with siRNA. Furthermore, LY294002 (PI3 kinase inhibitor) blocked the activation of Akt by apelin and abolished the apelin-induced cell proliferation. CONCLUSIONS: Human osteoblasts express apelin and APJ and apelin enhances human osteoblast proliferation, but has no effect on osteoblast differentiation, and APJ/PI3 kinase/Akt pathway is involved in the proliferation response. These findings suggest that apelin may function as a mitogenic agent for osteoblasts.     

ADP-ribosylation of bradykinin and effects on its biological activities

We investigated the ADP-ribosylation of bradykinin by hen liver nuclear ADP-ribosyltransferase. Two Arg residues of the peptide were modified by this enzyme. Arg1 was preferentially modified as compared to Arg9; the Vmax/Km for Arg1 was 3 times higher than that for Arg9. These results were given support by data observed in experiments with des-Arg1 and des-Arg9 bradykinin; the Vmax/Km for des-Arg9 bradykinin was 3 times that for des-Arg1 bradykinin. ADP-ribosylation suppressed the biological activity of bradykinin, as related to both binding and contractile activities. The extent of ADP-ribosylation-induced suppression of both activities was higher in the case of the modification of Arg1 than that of Arg9. In view of the observation of ADP-ribosyltransferase activity in skeletal, cardiac, and smooth muscles (Soman, G. et al. (1984) Biochem. Biophys. Res. Commun. 120, 973-980; Shimoyama, M. et al. (1987) in The 8th International Symposium on ADP-Ribosylation, Texas, abstract p. 13), bradykinin functioning in the contraction of smooth muscle may be modified in this way in vivo.     

Apelin and its receptor control heart field formation during zebrafish gastrulation

The vertebrate heart arises during gastrulation as cardiac precursors converge from the lateral plate mesoderm territories toward the embryonic midline and extend rostrally to form bilateral heart fields. G protein-coupled receptors (GPCRs) mediate functions of the nervous and immune systems; however, their roles in gastrulation remain largely unexplored. Here, we show that the zebrafish homologs of the Agtrl1b receptor and its ligand, Apelin, implicated in physiology and angiogenesis, control heart field formation. Zebrafish gastrulae express agtrl1b in the lateral plate mesoderm, while apelin expression is confined to the midline. Reduced or excess Agtrl1b or Apelin function caused deficiency of cardiac precursors and, subsequently, the heart. In Apelin-deficient gastrulae, the cardiac precursors converged inefficiently to the heart fields and showed ectopic distribution, whereas cardiac precursors overexpressing Apelin exhibited abnormal morphology and rostral migration. Our results implicate GPCR signaling in movements of discrete cell populations that establish organ rudiments during vertebrate gastrulation.     

Apelin effects in human splanchnic arteries. Role of nitric oxide and prostanoids

Apelin effects were examined in human splanchnic arteries from liver donors (normal arteries) and from liver recipients. Segments 3 mm long were obtained from mesenteric arteries taken from liver donors (normal arteries), and from hepatic arteries taken from cirrhotic patients undergoing liver transplantation (liver recipients), and the segments were mounted in organ baths for isometric tension recording. In arteries under resting conditions, apelin (10(-10)-10(-6) M) caused no effect in any of the arteries tested. In arteries precontracted with the thromboxane A(2) analogue U46619 (10(-7)-10(-6) M), apelin (10(-10)-10(-6) M) produced concentration-dependent relaxation that was lower in hepatic than in mesenteric arteries, whereas sodium nitroprusside (10(-8)-10(-4) M) produced a similar relaxation in both types of arteries. The inhibitor of nitric oxide synthesis N(w)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME, 10(-4) M) diminished the relaxation to apelin in mesenteric but not in hepatic arteries. The inhibitor of cyclooxygenase meclofenamate (10(-5) M) did not affect the relaxation provoked by apelin in both types of arteries. Therefore, apelin may produce relaxation in normal human splanchnic arteries, and this relaxation may be mediated in part by nitric oxide without involvement of prostanoids. This relaxation as well as the role of nitric oxide may be decreased in splanchnic arteries from cirrhotic patients.     

Losartan and its interaction with copper(II): biological effects

Losartan, the potassium salt of 2-n-butyl-4-chloro-5-hydroxymethyl-1-[(2'-(1H-tetrazol-5-yl)biphenyl-4-yl)methyl]imidazol, is an efficient antihypertensive drug. The vibrational FTIR and Raman spectra of Losartan (its anionic and protonated forms) are discussed. In addition, the copper(II) complex of Losartan was obtained and characterized as a microcrystalline powder. The metal center is bound to the ligand through the nitrogen atoms of the tetrazolate moiety as determined by vibrational spectroscopy. The compound is a dimer with the metal centers in a tetragonal distorted environment but the presence of a monomeric impurity has been determined by EPR spectroscopy. The antioxidant properties of the complex (superoxide dismutase mimetic activity) and its effect on the proliferation and morphology of two osteoblast-like cells in culture are reported. The new compound exerted more toxic effects on tumoral cells than the copper(II) ion and Losartan.     

Synthesis of an octupolar compound and its biological effects on serum albumin

A special rigid planar structural octupolar molecule titled 2,4,6-tris(p-methylstyryl)-s-triazine (TMT) was synthesized and its interaction with bovine serum albumin (BSA) were studied by molecular spectroscopy. The quenching mechanism of fluorescence of BSA by TMT was discussed. The thermodynamic parameters ΔH ^θ, ΔG ^θ, ΔS ^θ at different temperatures were calculated and the results indicate hydrogen bond forces played major role in the reaction and the reaction was mainly enthalpy-driven. The distance r between donor (BSA) and acceptor (TMT) was obtained according to Förster theory of non-radiation energy transfer. Circular dichroism (CD) spectra, synchronous and three-dimensional fluorescence spectra were used to investigate the structural change of BSA molecules with addition of TMT, the result indicates that the α-helical structures of BSA molecules reduced in the presence of TMT. Sketch map of the interaction process was analyzed at molecular level.     

Apelin与血管加压素在水平衡中的研究

Apelin受体与血管加压素Ⅱ型受体均属于G蛋白偶联受体,Apelin与血管加压素均由下丘脑大细胞AVP神经元分泌,Apelin受体与血管加压素Ⅱ型受体均在肾脏表达,本文就Apelin与血管加压素的分布及参与水平衡调节做简单的综述,为其参与水代谢疾病的发病机制提供理论依据。