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C Amore

Publications and source records attributed to C Amore.

27 records · Page 2Linked to original sources

Prostacyclin is required for t-PA release after venous occlusion.

The role of vascular cyclooxygenase pathway on tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) release after venous occlusion was studied in anesthetized rats. After the inferior vena cava was clamped for 30 min, fibrinolytic activity increased from 143.7 +/- 14.5 to 209.5 +/- 10.3 mm2 (mean +/- SE, P < 0.002). This increase was prevented by aspirin at high (100 mg/kg i.v.) but not at low doses (1 mg/kg i.v.). Dazoxiben (10 mg/kg i.v.), an inhibitor of thromboxane synthase, was ineffective on the fibrinolytic response. Both the basal levels of 6-ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha and its increase after venous occlusion were suppressed by 100 mg/kg aspirin administration (from 0.64 +/- 0.2 to 0.05 +/- 0.002 ng/ml before occlusion, P < 0.001; and from 1.08 +/- 0.2 to 0.06 +/- 0.002 ng/kg after occlusion, P < 0.001), whereas they were both unaffected by aspirin at low doses (from 0.53 +/- 0.06 before to 1.20 +/- 0.08 ng/ml after stasis). Moreover, iloprost, a stable analogue of prostacyclin, reversed the aspirin inhibitory effects on fibrinolytic activity by restoring t-PA vascular release after venous stasis. Our results provide experimental evidence that an intact cyclooxygenase pathway in vascular wall is required for the fibrinolytic activity increase after venous occlusion in rats.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗

Neutrophil derived cathepsin G induces potentially thrombogenic changes in human endothelial cells: a scanning electron microscopy study in static and dynamic conditions.

Activated neutrophils may promote thrombus formation by releasing proteases which may activate platelets, impair the fibrinolytic balance and injure the endothelial monolayer. We have investigated the morphological correlates of damage induced by activated neutrophils on the vascular wall, in particular the vascular injury induced by released cathepsin G in both static and dynamic conditions. Human umbilical vein endothelial cells were studied both in a cell culture system and in a model of perfused umbilical veins. At scanning electron microscopy, progressive alterations of the cell monolayer resulted in cell contraction, disruption of the intercellular contacts, formation of gaps and cell detachment. Contraction was associated with shape change of the endothelial cells, that appeared star-like, while the underlying extracellular matrix, a potentially thrombogenic surface, was exposed. Comparable cellular response was observed in an "in vivo" model of perfused rat arterial segment. Interestingly, cathepsin G was active at lower concentrations in perfused vessels than in culture systems. Restoration of blood flow in the arterial segment previously damaged by cathepsin G caused adhesion and spreading of platelets on the surface of the exposed extracellular matrix. The subsequent deposition of a fibrin network among adherent platelets, could be at least partially ascribed to the inhibition by cathepsin G of the vascular fibrinolytic potential. This study supports the suggestion that the release of cathepsin G by activated neutrophils, f.i. during inflammation, may contribute to thrombus formation by inducing extensive vascular damage.

Animals↗

Cathepsin G--induced release of PAI-1 in the culture medium of endothelial cells: a new thrombogenic role for polymorphonuclear leukocytes?

Activated polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMNs) may affect the integrity of blood vessels by endothelial cell injury. We investigated the effects of cathepsin G purified from human neutrophils on the fibrinolytic potential of cultured human umbilical vein endothelial cells (HUVECs). Cathepsin G (5 and 10 micrograms/ml) induced marked intercellular gap formation after 1 hour of treatment, whereas 1 microgram/ml did not, even after 6 hours incubation. In contrast, plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 (PAI-1) antigen levels, measured by a double antibody enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, were significantly increased in culture media (CM) on cathepsin G (1 microgram/ml) treatment after 15 minutes (5.1 +/- 1.2 ng/ml vs 2.6 +/- 0.6 ng/ml for controls, p < 0.01) and 6 hours of incubation (69.6 +/- 17.5 ng/ml vs 40.0 +/- 9.0 ng/ml for controls, p < 0.01). Likewise, PAI activity, measured by reverse fibrin autography, increased on cell treatment with cathepsin G. Preincubation of cathepsin G with eglin C (10 micrograms/ml) almost completely abolished the increase in both PAI antigen and activity levels induced by cathepsin G. Cycloheximide, a protein synthesis inhibitor, did not block cathepsin G-induced PAI-1 release. PAI-1 mRNA levels were not affected by HUVEC treatment with cathepsin G (1 microgram/ml for 15 minutes), even after 24 hours. In the extracellular matrix (ECM) PAI-1 antigen levels decreased to 77% and 40% of controls, respectively, after 15 minutes and 6 hours of cathepsin G (1 micrograms/ml) treatment. Reverse fibrin autography also demonstrated a dose-dependent reduction of PAI activity in the ECM on 6 hours of cell treatment with 1 or 5 micrograms/ml cathepsin G. Moreover, ECM prepared from confluent HUVECs released PAI-1 in supernatants on 1 micrograms/ml cathepsin G incubation in a cell-free system. Tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) activity was strongly depressed on cathepsin G treatment, both in CM from HUVECs or in a cell-free system. Finally, PAI-1 was also released from cathepsin G-stimulated platelets in a dose-dependent manner. In summary, our results support a potentially thrombogenic role of cathepsin G, which could impair the fibrinolytic potential of the endothelium. These data give a new insight into the mechanisms by which activated PMNs may promote thrombus formation. On the other hand, the decrease of PAI-1 in ECM could favor penetration and migration of inflammatory or tumor cells through the subendothelial layers.

Cathepsin G↗

Effect of aspirin on the fibrinolytic response in perfused rat hindquarters.

The role of aspirin on tissue plasminogen activator (t-PA) release was studied in rats after experimental venous occlusion. For this purpose, we developed a new experimental model which combines a vascular perfusion system (isolated rat hindquarters) with vascular stimulation, namely the application of venous stasis. Application of venous stasis for 30 min induced the release of t-PA from the vascular endothelium into the perfusate (from 0.19 +/- 0.05 to 0.39 +/- 0.05 UI/ml), reaching a peak 90 s after reperfusion. Aspirin administered to rats 60 min before the experiments (100 mg/kg i.v.), or dissolved in Tyrode solution (100 microM), suppressed 6-keto-prostaglandin F1 alpha (6-keto-PGF1 alpha) synthesis (0.38 +/- 0.09 in control and < 0.01 and 0.15 +/- 0.09 ng/ml, respectively, in aspirin-treated groups) but did not prevent the increase in fibrinolytic activity after venous occlusion (from 0.20 +/- 0.04 to 0.38 +/- 0.06 and from 0.07 +/- 0.03 to 0.27 +/- 0.03 IU/ml, respectively, in the aspirin-treated group). Our results suggest that the increase in fibrinolytic activity after experimental venous occlusion in isolated rat hindlegs is modulated by mechanism(s) other than the cyclooxygenase pathway in the vascular wall.

6-Ketoprostaglandin F1 alpha↗

Modulation of fibrinolytic response to venous occlusion in humans by a combination of low-dose aspirin and n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acids.

Aspirin at high but not at low doses reduces the fibrinolytic response to venous occlusion. Inhibition of vascular prostacyclin synthesis could be involved in this effect. Fish oil supplementation may redirect prostanoid metabolism toward an overall "antithrombotic" condition but with controversial effects on prostacyclin formation. In this study we investigated the effect of low-dose aspirin together with n-3 polyunsaturated fatty acid (PUFA) supplementation on the fibrinolytic response to venous occlusion. Following a double-blind, randomized, crossover design, six healthy volunteers (three men and three women, 24-37 years old) were given for 29 days 5.3 g eicosapentaenoic and docosahexaenoic acids or a corresponding dose of n-6 PUFAs as control; aspirin (40 mg/day) was then added for an additional 14 days. A 2-month washout period was allowed before the crossover. Blood was collected before and after venous stasis on days 0, 29, and 43 of each test period. A combination of aspirin with n-3 PUFAs reduced the fibrinolytic response to venous occlusion in all subjects, the mean value of fibrinolytic activity after stasis being 240 +/- 40 mm2, a value significantly lower than at baseline (366 +/- 51 mm2, mean +/- SEM, p < 0.05). Similarly, the tissue-type plasminogen activator (t-PA) antigen level was lower in the aspirin + PUFA-treated group. Plasminogen activator inhibitor activity before stasis was enhanced by n-3 PUFA supplementation (from 7.5 +/- 2 to 14.8 +/- 3 IU/ml, p < 0.05), an effect not affected by aspirin.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)

Adult↗

Chronic pelvic pain: psychosomatic aspects and clinico therapeutical reflections.

After describing the most common causes of chronic pelvic pain in women the Authors stress the importance of psychosomatic factors to the pathogenesis of chronic pelvic pain. Bearing this in mind it is easier to understand why the results of pharmacologic treatments often fail to come up to doctor's and patient's expectations. These limitations have often been stressed in the literature and several alternatives, like individual or group psychological treatment or, more recently, acupuncture, have been suggested. The Authors' proposal for treatment envisaged a dozen meetings to carry out skin reflexotherapy. Significant psychological elements came to light on those occasions and were subsequently discussed. The Authors' experience, though covering 15 cases only, is extremely encouraging and confirms the value of this reflexotherapeutical and psychosomatic approach which can really help patients who are chiefly alexitimic to overcome their problems.

Acupuncture Therapy↗