JING LI^1,2, WANWAN FAN⁴, LILI HAO¹, YONGSHENG LI⁵, GUOCHENG YU¹, WEI SUN⁶, XIANQIONG LUO^2,*, JINGXIANG ZHONG^1,3,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.11, pp. 2485-2494, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.044177

Abstract Objective: This study aimed to investigate the potential of human umbilical cord mesenchymal stem cell (hucMSC)-derived exosomes (hucMSC-Exos) in inhibiting hypoxia-induced cell hyper proliferation and overexpression of vascular endothelial growth factor A (VEGF-A) in immature human fetal retinal microvascular endothelial cells (hfRMECs). Methods: Exosomes were isolated from hucMSCs using cryogenic ultracentrifugation and characterized through various techniques, including transmission electron microscopy, nanoparticle tracking analysis, bicinchoninic acid assays, and western blotting. The hfRMECs were identified using von Willebrand factor (vWF) co-staining and divided into four groups: a control group cultured under normoxic condition, a hypoxic model group, a hypoxic group treated with… More > Graphic Abstract

WENLI JIANG^1,#, JUNYI SHEN^1,#, XIAOQIANG DU^1,#, YAN QIU¹, JIAN ZHONG¹, ZHI OUYANG¹, BINGMEI M. FU², YE ZENG^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.10, pp. 2255-2263, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.030880

Abstract Background: Anisodine hydrobromide (AT3), an anti-cholinergic agent, could be delivered to the brain across the blood-brain barrier and has been used clinically for the treatment of cerebral ischemia/reperfusion injury. Endothelial dysfunction can be caused by hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) via oxidative stress and metabolic alterations. The present study investigated whether AT3 regulates the production of nitric oxide (NO) and reactive oxygen species (ROS), and the HIF-1α pathway via regulation of muscarinic acetylcholine receptors (mAChRs) in brain microvascular endothelial cells after H/R exposure. Methods: Under H/R conditions, hCMEC/D3 cerebral microvascular endothelial cells were treated with AT3. Specific inhibitors of M2- and M4- mAChRs… More > Graphic Abstract

ZHUO YANG^#, WEN QIN^#, DI CHEN, JUNSHENG HUO, JINGBO WANG, LIYUAN WANG, QIN ZHUO, JIYONG YIN^*

BIOCELL, Vol.47, No.1, pp. 125-131, 2023, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2023.022937

Abstract Emodin is an effective component of rhubarb with positive pharmacological effects on human health. However, it is also toxic to different cells or tissues to varying degrees. The effects of emodin on glomerular endothelial cells (GECs) remain to be tested, and the documented works were always performed in vitro and hardly reflect the real physiological situation. To study the effects of emodin on GECs in a biomimetic environment, we utilized a microfluidic chip to assess the physiological reaction of human renal glomerular endothelial cells to various concentrations of emodin in this work. The results showed that emodin caused cytotoxicity, impaired… More >

Anupam Krishnan¹, Anjana P. Anantharaman^2,*

Molecular & Cellular Biomechanics, Vol.19, No.2, pp. 77-88, 2022, DOI:10.32604/mcb.2022.018369

Abstract Computational Fluid Dynamics has become relevant in the study of hemodynamics, where clinical results are challenging to obtain. This paper discusses a 2-Dimensional transient blood flow analysis through an arterial bifurcation for patients infected with the Coronavirus. The geometry considered is an arterial bifurcation with main stem diameter 3 mm and two outlets. The left outlet (smaller) has a diameter of 1.5 mm and the right outlet (larger), 2 mm. The length of the main stem, left branch and right branch are fixed at 35 mm, 20 mm and 25 mm respectively. Viscosity change that occurs in the blood leads… More >

LONG SU^#, ZHEXUAN LIN^#, HUI LI, HONGJUN LUO, WENHONG LUO^*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.7, pp. 1725-1732, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2022.018508

Abstract Divicine is an active pyrimidine aglycone, generated from vicine by the enzyme β-glucosidase upon ingestion of fava beans. In this study, we investigated the effect of divicine on cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs) and explored the potential mechanisms. Incubation HUVECs with 18.5–85.1 μM divicine resulted in a concentration and time dependent decrease of cell viability, followed by decrease of cellular reduced glutathione, as well as increase of reactive oxygen species (ROS), malondialdehyde (MDA), and labile iron pool. Transmission electron microscopy confirmed that the divicine treated HUVECs’ mitochondria had shrunk. Importantly, the administration of desferrioxamine, an iron chelator, to… More >

FEI CHENG^1,#, YIQIAN DING^2,#, QING XU³, WEI ZHANG³, YULAN ZHEN⁴, JING LIU⁵, SHICHENG LI¹, CHANG TU¹, GUOHUA LAI¹, JUN LAN^1,*, JINGFU CHEN^1,*

BIOCELL, Vol.46, No.4, pp. 1053-1066, 2022, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.012901

Abstract Previous reports have suggested that Ang-(1-7) may have a protective effect in endothelial cells against high glucose (HG)-induced cell injury thanks to a modulatory mechanism in the NF-κB signaling pathway. In this study, we have examined whether NF-κB-IL-1β and Heme oxygenase-1 (HO-1) pathways contribute to the protection of Ang-(1-7) against hyperglycemia-induced inflammation and oxidative stress in human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Our results indicate that time-varying exposures of HUVECs, from 1 h to 24 h, to high glucose concentrations result in an increased expression of phosphorylated (p)-p65 and HO-1 in a time-dependent manner. As an inhibitor of NF-κB, pyrrolidinedithiocarbamic… More >

Liping Wang, Mingjie Zhang, Xi Chen, Yachang Pang, Jiaqi Liu, Zhuoming Xu^*

Congenital Heart Disease, Vol.17, No.1, pp. 87-97, 2022, DOI:10.32604/CHD.2022.018452

Abstract Background: Reversibility of pulmonary hypertension (PH) is closely related to the treatment options for and prognosis of children with congenital heart disease. Objective: We combined patient-specific clinical features including diagnosis, age and echocardiographic results, and biomarkers of pulmonary vascular dysfunction to explore the noninvasive methods that can be used to accurately evaluate the reversibility of pulmonary hypertension in congenital heart disease (PH-CHD). Methods: Based on the preoperative systolic pulmonary arterial pressure (sPAP), 70 CHD patients were divided into normal, PH-CHD suspected, and confirmed groups. Additionally, biomarkers of circulating endothelial cells (CECs), endothelin-1 (ET-1), and endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) were… More >

HAORAN SU¹, KEXIN LI¹, XIAO LIU^1,*, JING DU¹, LI WANG⁴, XIAOYAN DENG^3,*, YUBO FAN^1,2,*

BIOCELL, Vol.45, No.4, pp. 797-811, 2021, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2021.014900

Abstract Endothelial cells arranged on the vessel lumen are constantly stimulated by blood flow, blood pressure and pressureinduced cyclic stretch. These stimuli are sensed through mechanical sensory structures and converted into a series of functional responses through mechanotransduction pathways. The process will eventually affect vascular health. Therefore, there has been an urgent need to establish in vitro endothelial biomechanics and mechanobiology of models, which reproduce three-dimensional structure vascular system. In recent years, the rapid development in microfluidic technology makes it possible to replicate the key structural and functionally biomechanical characteristics of vessels. Here, we summarized the progress of microfluidic chips used… More >

KHAWAR ALI SHAHZAD^1,2,#, ZHONGJIE QIN^3,4,#, YAN LI^1,2,*, DELIN XIA^3,4,*

BIOCELL, Vol.44, No.2, pp. 137-145, 2020, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2020.08500

Abstract Focal adhesions are polyproteins linked to extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton, which play an important role in the process of transforming force signals into intracellular chemical signals and subsequently triggering related physiological or pathological reactions. The cytoskeleton is a network of protein fibers in the cytoplasm, which is composed of microfilaments, microtubules, intermediate filaments, and cross-linked proteins. It is a very important structure for cells to maintain their basic morphology. This review summarizes the process of fluid shear stress transduction mediated by focal adhesion and the key role of the cytoskeleton in this process, which focuses on the focal adhesion and… More >

CHAOJUN TANG¹, XUE WU¹, LINQI YE^1,2, XIANG XIE¹, GUIXUE WANG^1*

BIOCELL, Vol.36, No.3, pp. 97-104, 2012, DOI:10.32604/biocell.2012.36.097

Abstract Devices for the rotational culture of cells and the study of biological reactions have been widely applied in tissue engineering. However, there are few reports exploring the effects of rotational culture on cell morphology, nitric oxide (NO) production, and cell cycle of the endothelial cells from human umbilical vein on the stent surface. This study focuses on these parameters after the cells are seeded on the stents. Results showed that covering of stents by endothelial cells was improved by rotational culture. NO production decreased within 24 h in both rotational and static culture groups. In addition, rotational culture significantly increased… More >