Endothelial cells are important constituents of blood vessels that play critical roles in cardiovascular homeostasis by regulating blood fluidity and fibrinolysis, vascular tone, angiogenesis, monocyte/leukocyte adhesion, and platelet aggregation. The normal vascular endothelium is taken as a gatekeeper of cardiovascular health, whereas abnormality of vascular endothelium is a major contributor to a plethora of cardiovascular ailments, such as atherosclerosis, aging, hypertension, obesity, and diabetes. Endothelial dysfunction is characterized by imbalanced vasodilation and vasoconstriction, elevated reactive oxygen species (ROS), and proinflammatory factors, as well as deficiency of nitric oxide (NO) bioavailability. The occurrence of endothelial dysfunction disrupts the endothelial barrier permeability that is a part of inflammatory response in the development of cardiovascular diseases. As such, abrogation of endothelial cell activation/inflammation is of clinical relevance. Recently, hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S), an entry as a gasotransmitter, exerts diverse biological effects through acting on various targeted signaling pathways. Within the cardiovascular system, the formation of H 2 S is detected in smooth muscle cells, vascular endothelial cells, and cardiomyocytes. Disrupted H 2 S bioavailability is postulated to be a new indicator for endothelial cell inflammation and its associated endothelial dysfunction. In this review, we will summarize recent advances about the roles of H 2 S in endothelial cell homeostasis, especially under pathological conditions, and discuss its putative therapeutic applications in endothelial inflammation-associated cardiovascular disorders.

Hydrogen sulfide (H 2 S) has been proposed as a novel neuromodulator, which plays critical roles in the central nervous system affecting both neurons and glial cells. However, its relationship with neurodegenerative diseases is unexplored. The present study was undertaken to investigate the effects of H 2 S on cell injury induced by rotenone, a commonly used toxin in establishing in vivo and in vitro Parkinson's disease (PD) models, in humanderived dopaminergic neuroblastoma cell line (SH-SY5Y). We report here that sodium hydrosulfide (NaHS), an H 2 S donor, concentration-dependently suppressed rotenone-induced cellular injury and apoptotic cell death. NaHS also prevented rotenone-induced p38-and c-Jun NH 2 -terminal kinase (JNK)-mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) phosphorylation and rotenone-mediated changes in Bcl-2/Bax levels, mitochondrial membrane potential (⌬⌿ m ) dissipation, cytochrome c release, caspase-9/3 activation and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase cleavage. Furthermore, 5-hydroxydecanoate, a selective blocker of mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium (mitoK ATP ) channel, attenuated the protective effects of NaHS against rotenone-induced cell apoptosis. Thus, we demonstrated for the first time that H 2 S inhibited rotenone-induced cell apoptosis via regulation of mitoK ATP channel/ p38-and JNK-MAPK pathway. Our data suggest that H 2 S may have potential therapeutic value for neurodegenerative diseases, such as PD.

No abstract

ADPKD is marked by gradual renal cyst and kidney enlargement and ultimately renal failure. Magnetic resonance-based, height-adjusted total kidney volume (htTKV) over 600 ml/m predicts the development of CKD Stage 3 within 8 years in the Consortium for Radiologic Imaging in Polycystic Kidney Disease cohort. Here we compared simultaneous ultrasound and magnetic resonance imaging to determine if ultrasound and kidney length (KL) predict future CKD Stage 3 over longer periods of follow-up. A total of 241 ADPKD patients, 15–46 years, with creatinine clearance of 70 ml/min and above had iothalamate clearance, magnetic resonance and ultrasound evaluations. Participants underwent an average of five repeat clearance measurements over a mean follow-up of 9.3 years. Ultrasound and magnetic resonance-based TKV and KL were compared using Bland-Altman plots and intra-class correlations. Each measure was tested to predict future CKD Stage 3. Relatively strong intra-class correlations between ultrasound and magnetic resonance were found for both htTKV and KL (0.81 and 0.85, respectively). Ultrasound and magnetic resonance-based htTKV and KL predicted future CKD Stage 3 similarly (AUC of 0.87, 0.88, 0.87 and 0.88 respectively). An ultrasound kidney length over 16.5 cm and htTKV over 650 ml/m had the best cut-point for predicting the development of CKD Stage 3. Thus, kidney length alone is sufficient to stratify the risk of progression to renal insufficiency early in ADPKD using either ultrasound or magnetic resonance imaging.

Aims: Mitochondrion is considered as the major source of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). H 2 S has been reported to be an antioxidant, but its mechanism remains largely elusive. P66Shc is an upstream activator of mitochondrial redox signaling. The aim of this study was to explore whether the antioxidant effect of H 2 S is mediated by p66Shc. Results: Application of exogenous H 2 S with its donor, NaHS, or overexpression of its generating enzyme, cystathionine b-synthase, induced sulfhydration of p66Shc, but inhibited its phosphorylation caused by H 2 O 2 /D-galactose in SH-SY5Y cells or in the mice cortex. H 2 S also decreased mitochondrial ROS production and protected neuronal cells against stress-induced senescence. PKC bII and PP2A are the two key proteins to regulate p66Shc phosphorylation. Although H 2 S failed to affect the activities of these two proteins, it disrupted their association. Cysteine-59 resides in proximity to serine-36, the phosphorylation site of p66Shc. The C59S mutant attenuated the above-described biological function of H 2 S. Innovation: We revealed a novel mechanism for the antioxidant effect of H 2 S and its role in oxidative stress-related diseases. Conclusion: H 2 S inhibits mitochondrial ROS production via the sulfhydration of Cys-59 residue, which in turn, prevents the phosphorylation of p66Shc. Antioxid. Redox Signal. 21, 2531-2542.