Current Medicinal Chemistry - Cardiovascular & Hematological Agents - Volume 2, Issue 4, 2004

Enzyme replacement therapy has recently been introduced to treat Fabry disease, a rare X-linked lysosomal storage disorder. The disease occurs due to deficient activity of α-galactosidase A, leading to progressive accumulation of globotriaosylceramide in multiple organs and tissues. Renal, cardiac and cerebrovascular manifestations of the disease result in premature death in both hemizygous males and heterozygous femal Read More

Aldosterone production in the heart as well as aldosterone plasma levels are increased after myocardial infarction and in congestive heart failure, correlating with the severity of disease. Aldosterone promotes sodium and water retention, sympathoadrenergic activation, endothelial dysfunction, and cardiovascular fibrosis and hypertrophy. Even maximally recommended doses of ACE inhibitors do not completely prevent formatio Read More

Modification of polymer surfaces to achieve a surface with enhanced compatibility is an important means of obtaining improved biomaterials. The molecular design of the novel technologies is carried out with attention to create a biomembrane-mimicking surface on medical devices. This review focusses on the comparison of the chemical composition of recent novel surface modifying additives and coating technologies, t Read More

α2-Antiplasmin (α2AP) is the primary inhibitor of plasmin, a proteinase that digests fibrin, the main component of blood clots. Two forms of α2AP circulate in human plasma: a 464-residue protein with methionine as the aminoterminus (Met-α2AP) and an N-terminally-shortened 452-residue form with asparagine as the amino-terminus (Asn-α2AP). Huma n pla sma α2AP concentration is 1 mM and c onsists of ∼30% Met-α2AP Read More

The optimal drugs employed in the antithrombotic treatment and prophylaxis have ideally been suggested to have high efficacy and safety and to be easy to use as regards the administration route and the fashion of monitoring the anticoagulant effect. A number of agents are under development in order to improve such requirements. Among them, the present review is focussed on a selective factor Xa inhibitor (pen Read More

Atherosclerosis is well recognized as an inflammatory disease and circulating markers of inflammation such as C-reactive protein and soluble adhesion molecules are strong predictors of atherosclerotic lesion development and future cardiovascular events. Several cells (endothelial, smooth muscle and macrophages) and proteins (inflammatory cytokines and adhesion molecules) contribute to this inflammatory proce Read More

The urocortins, together with corticotropin releasing hormone (CRH), have a long evolutionary pedigree. In the brain, CRH largely mediates anxiogenic effects associated with the stress response, while the urocortins are concerned with adaptive and coping behaviour. The urocortins, in particular, are also expressed in peripheral sites, including the heart. Here, they may play an autocrine / paracrine role, since CRH-R2 re Read More

The soluble guanylate cyclase (sGC) / cyclic guanosine monophosphate (cGMP) second messenger system provides a complex and highly regulated mechanism for signal transduction events and ensuing functional responses through a cascade of serine / threonine protein kinase-dependent pathways. Nitric oxide (NO) and carbon monoxide (CO), two unique diatomic gases endogenously produced by the respective enzymes n Read More