Chronic administration of minoxidil protects elastic fibers and stimulates their neosynthesis with improvement of the aorta mechanics in mice

Abstract

Aggregating behaviors of cellulose molecules in NaOH/urea aqueous solution were investigated using a molecular dynamics (MD) simulation method. All the components, including cellulose, NaOH, urea and H2O were combined into the simulation. By monitoring the transformation of cellulose aggregates, we quantitatively revealed the solvent aggregating behaviors around cellulose molecules in the whole simulation process. And the aggregation evolution of solvent components around cellulose molecules, distributions of the solvent components in cellulose ICs, and the impacts of urea and NaOH in the dissolving process were discussed. In the simulation, the aggregated structure of cellulose molecules was dramatically changed and went through a dispersion process, equilibrium process and reaggregation process. The dramatic transformation of the cellulose aggregated structure indicates that the solvent components prefer to penetrate into the cellulose molecular sheets from the direction perpendicular to the molecular sheet. In the dispersion process, sodium ions around O6 and hydroxide ions around O3 and O2 play crucial roles in the dissolution of cellulose.

Dill Extract Induces Elastic Fiber Neosynthesis and Functional Improvement in the Ascending Aorta of Aged Mice with Reversal of Age-Dependent Cardiac Hypertrophy and Involvement of Lysyl Oxidase-Like-1

“…Because, in cell cultures, DE does not undergo the digestion process and the associated potential loss of potency (in contrast to the chronic DE treatment of mice), the DE concentrations used for cultured VSMC treatment were lower than those used in the chronic treatment of mice, in accordance with DE concentrations previously used in skin cell cultures [38]. The effects of the corticosteroid dexamethasone (0.1 µ M) and the ATP-dependent potassium channel opener diazoxide (50 µ M) were also tested as potential positive controls, with previously described stimulation of elastin expression by fibroblasts or VSMCs [32,34,36,43]. After 48 h, VSMCs were exposed to the primary antibody to elastin (ab21610, Abcam, Paris, France) before application of the secondary antibody coupled to horseradish peroxidase (HRP).…”

“…Acute treatment with 3% DE induced a significant increase in elastin synthesis (+24%) in cultured VSMCs from mouse ascending aortae. The 1% DE treatment, as well as dexamethasone and diazoxide at the concentrations tested [36,43], did not trigger a significant augmentation of elastin synthesis, although diazoxide produced a trend towards elevation (+10%; Figure 7).…”

“…As previously described [36], vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) were isolated from the ascending aortae of two 24-month-old mice by enzymatic digestion with collagenase type 2 (1 mg/mL) and elastase (0.5 mg/mL) for 40 min at 37 • C. The suspension was centrifuged at 600 × g for 10 min, and the cells were collected and seeded in 2 wells from a 48-wells plate (cells from each ascending aorta in a separate well) in Dulbecco's modified Eagle's medium (DMEM), containing 20% bovine fetal serum (FBS), 1% (v/v) penicillin/streptomycin solution and 1% non-essential amino acids solution (NEAA), and maintained in 5% CO 2 humidified air at 37 • C. After confluence, cells were isolated by trypsinization, cell culture was amplified and used at the 4th passage.…”

“…As previously described [36], VSMCs were cultured in 96-well plates in fresh 1% FBS-DMEM until they reach total confluency. They were then bathed in 1% FBS-DMEM supplemented with 0%, 1%, or 3% DE (v/v, final concentration).…”

“…Treatment of aged mice with 10% DE did not significantly change blood pressure compared to untreated aged animals or untreated adult animals ( Figure 1). Extracellular Elastin Quantification As previously described [36], VSMCs were cultured in 96-well plates in fresh 1% FBS-DMEM until they reach total confluency. They were then bathed in 1% FBS-DMEM supplemented with 0%, 1%, or 3% DE (v/v, final concentration).…”