同型半胱氨酸相关性慢性阻塞性肺疾病临床研究进展

在世界慢性疾病中,慢性阻塞性肺疾病(COPD)发病率和死亡率均较高,鉴于对患者生活造成严重伤害,越来越受到人们关注。同型半胱氨酸(Homocysteinemia,Hcy)对全身器官损害多有报道,随着研究的深入,Hcy目前对于肺部疾病的影响也受到重视。部分学者提出同型半胱氨酸可能是COPD发病机制中又一重要因素。Hcy在体内可以刺激产生大量的ROS和自由离子,并引起内皮细胞应激,还可降低肺脏内还原型谷胱甘肽含量。研究表明同型半胱氨酸水平在慢性阻塞性肺疾病中处于高表达状态,且其高表达水平与患者疾病的程度成相关性。本文将通过总结Hcy在肺脏及体内的代谢、各种应激反应等方面阑述同型半胱氨酸水平与COPD的相关性,并总结高水平的同型半胱氨酸相关的COPD治疗方法。     

Curcumin can prevent the loss of sinoatrial node cells in methionine-treated rats: A stereological study

Methionine (MET) rich diets, smoking, coffee and alcohol consumption, low physical activity, and aging are related to high plasma concentrations of homocysteine, which can jeopardize the heart health. Although hyperhomocysteinemia has been considered a recognized risk factor for cardiac dysrhythmia, the structural changes of the conductive system, including Sinoatrial (SA) node of the heart involved in the disorder, have not been completely clarified. Curcumin is the main component of turmeric and has shown some cardioprotective effects.This study aimed to evaluate the effect of curcumin on the structural changes of the SA node in L-MET-treated rats. These alterations were evaluated by means of stereological techniques, namely cavalieri principle for volume estimation and optical disector counting technique for cell counting. Both techniques used two-dimensional images for obtaining three-dimensional parameters. The rats were divided into four groups, including control, MET-treated (1 g/kg/day), curcumin-treated, (100 mg/kg/day), and MET + curcumin. The treatments were performed for 28 days. On the final day, SA nodes were dissected out for stereological investigation. Compared to the control rats, the volume of SA node, total volume of grape-like cell clusters, and number of SA node cells were respectively decreased by 42%, 34%, and 37% in the MET-treated group (p < 0.04). However, collagen density remained constant in all the study groups. Furthermore, treatment with curcumin could protect the SA node from cellular decline in the MET + curcumin group (p < 0.01).It can be concluded that curcumin could prevent the structural changes of the SA node in the rats treated with methionine.     

Vacancy affinity capillary electrophoresis to study competitive protein–drug binding

The suitability of the vacancy affinity capillary electrophoretic method (VACE) for study of displacement of a target drug from a protein by simultaneously administered drugs was investigated. As test system, the displacement of warfarin from bovine serum albumin (BSA) by furosemide and phenylbutazone was selected. It appears that the displacement can be observed well from the shift of the actual mobility of warfarin when a displacer drug is added. Also, the competitive action of the displacer drugs (affinity for BSA) is clearly visible. The VACE method seems to be attractive for rapid assesssment of information about the competitive properties of coadministered compounds.     

Epigenetics and atherosclerosis

The contribution of epigenetic mechanisms to cardiovascular diseases remains poorly understood. Hypomethylation of genomic DNA is present in human atherosclerotic lesions and methylation changes also occur at the promoter level of several genes involved in the pathogenesis of atherosclerosis, such as extracellular superoxide dismutase, estrogen receptor-α, endothelial nitric oxide synthase and 15-lipoxygenase. So far, no clear data is available about histone modification marks in atherosclerotic lesions. It remains unclear whether epigenetic changes are causally related to the pathogenetic features, such as clonal proliferation of lesion smooth muscle cells, lipid accumulation and modulation of immune responses in the lesions, or whether they merely represent a consequence of the ongoing pathological process. However, epigenetic changes could at least partly explain poorly understood environmental and dietary effects on atherogenesis and the rapid increases and decreases in the incidence of coronary heart disease observed in various populations. RNAi mechanisms may also contribute to the epigenetic regulation of vascular cells. Therapies directed towards modification of the epigenetic status of vascular cells might provide new tools to control atherosclerosis-related cardiovascular diseases.