Hypertension Is Associated with Marked Alterations in Sphingolipid Biology: A Potential Role for Ceramide

Background Hypertension is, amongst others, characterized by endothelial dysfunction and vascular remodeling. As sphingolipids have been implicated in both the regulation of vascular contractility and growth, we investigated whether sphingolipid biology is altered in hypertension and whether this is reflected in altered vascular function. Methods and Findings In isolated carotid arteries from spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR) and normotensive Wistar-Kyoto (WKY) rats, shifting the ceramide/S1P ratio towards ceramide dominance by administration of a sphingosine kinase inhibitor (dimethylsphingosine) or exogenous application of sphingomyelinase, induced marked endothelium-dependent contractions in SHR vessels (DMS: 1.4±0.4 and SMase: 2.1±0.1 mN/mm; n = 10), that were virtually absent in WKY vessels (DMS: 0.0±0.0 and SMase: 0.6±0.1 mN/mm; n = 9, p Conclusions Hypertension is associated with marked alterations in vascular sphingolipid biology such as elevated ceramide levels and signaling, that contribute to increased vascular tone

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Involvement of protein kinases in the induction of NO synthase II in human DLD-1 cells

1. Protein phosphorylation is involved in the induction of nitric oxide synthase II (NOS II, iNOS) in several types of animal cells. Here we have investigated the possible involvement of major protein kinases in the induction of NOS II expression in human DLD-1 cells. 2. In DLD-1 cells, interferon-γ alone induced a submaximal NOS II expression; a cytokine mixture consisting of interferon-γ, tumour necrosis factor-α and interleukin-1β produced maximal NOS II induction. 3. Activators of protein kinase A (forskolin, 8-dibutyryl-cyclic AMP), of protein kinase C (tetradecanoylphorbol-13-acetate), and of protein kinase G (8-bromo cyclic GMP) did not induce NOS II mRNA by themselves, nor did they alter NOS II mRNA induction in response to cytokines. 4. Inhibitors of protein kinase A (compound H89), of protein kinase C (bisindolylmaleimide, chelerythrine or staurosporine), of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (wortmannin), of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase (compound SB 203580) and of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (compound PD 98059) also had no influence on basal or cytokine-induced NOS II mRNA expression. 5. Immunoprecipitation kinase assays showed no activation of extracellular signal-regulated kinase or p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase in cytokine-incubated DLD-1 cells. The c-Jun NH(2)-terminal kinase was activated by cytokines, but the most efficacious cytokine was tumour necrosis factor-α which did not induce NOS II by itself. 6. In contrast, the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor tyrphostin B42 (a specific inhibitor of interferon-γ-activated janus kinase 2) and the protein tyrosine kinase inhibitor tyrphostin A25 both reduced CM-induced NOS II mRNA expression in a concentration-dependent manner. 7. These results suggest that activation of NOS II expression in DLD-1 cells is independent of the activities of protein kinases A, C and G, phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase, extracellular signal regulated kinase and p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, but seems to require protein tyrosine kinase activity, especially the interferon-γ-activated janus kinase 2

Involvement of bradykinin, cytokines, sympathetic amines and prostaglandins in formalin-induced orofacial nociception in rats

1. This study characterises some of the mechanisms and mediators involved in the orofacial nociception triggered by injection of formalin into the upper lip of the rat, by assessing the influence of various treatments on behavioural nociceptive responses (duration of facial rubbing) elicited either by a low subthreshold (i.e. non-nociceptive; 0.63%) or a higher concentration of the algogen (2.5%). 2. The kininase II inhibitor captopril (5 mg kg(−1), s.c.) and prostaglandin(PG) E(2) (100 ng lip(−1)) potentiated both phases of the response to 0.63% formalin, whereas tumour necrosis factor (TNFα; 5 pg lip(−1)), interleukin(IL)-1β (0.5 pg lip(−1)), IL-6 (2 ng lip(−1)) and IL-8 (200 pg lip(−1)), or the indirectly acting sympathomimetic drug tyramine (200 μg lip(−1)), each augmented only the second phase of nociception. 3. Conversely, both phases of nociception induced by 2.5% formalin were inhibited by the bradykinin (BK) B(2) receptor antagonist HOE140 (5 μg lip(−1)) or the selective β(1)-adrenoceptor antagonist atenolol (100 μg lip(−1)). However, the BK B(1) receptor antagonist des-Arg(9)-Leu(8)-BK (1 and 2 μg lip(−1)), antibody and/or antiserum against each of the cytokines, the adrenergic neurone blocker guanethidine (30 mg kg(−1) day(−1), s.c., for 3 days) and the cyclooxygenase(COX)-2 inhibitor celecoxib (50 and 200 μg lip(−1), s.c.; or 1 and 3 mg kg(−1), i.p.) reduced only the second phase of the response. The nonselective COX inhibitor indomethacin and the 5-lipoxygenase activating protein inhibitor MK886 did not change formalin-induced nociception. 4. Our results indicate that BK, TNF-α, IL-1β, IL-6, IL-8, sympathetic amines and PGs (but not leukotrienes) contribute significantly to formalin-induced orofacial nociception in the rat and the response seems to be more susceptible to inhibition by B(2) receptor antagonist and selective COX-2 inhibitor than by B(1) receptor antagonist or nonselective COX inhibitor