Current Pharmaceutical Design - Volume 14, Issue 4, 2008

Vascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide. Reducing the incidence of deaths due to vascular causes holds implications for national economies worldwide [1]. On this basis, several animal models have been developed to replicate human vascular diseases in order to study their pathophysiology. This issue of the Current Pharmaceutical Design discusses some of these models. In this Editorial we will bri Read More

The prevalence of diabetes mellitus is increasing worldwide at an alarming rate due to population growth, obesity, sedentary lifestyle and aging. Consequently, diabetic microvascular complications (retinopathy and nephropathy) and macrovascular complications (coronary heart disease, peripheral arterial disease and cerebrovascular disease) are also rising. Traditional oral hypoglycaemic agents only partially prevent the Read More

In the last 50 years, several experimental models of abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) have been described. These models have aided scientists and physicians to understand the pathophysiological mechanisms underlying AAA development and progression. In addition, they have served as means for the development of a number of conservative (such as doxyxycline, marimastat and propranolol) and surgical treatment opti Read More

Atherosclerosis is a multifactorial and long-lasting process in humans. Therefore, animal models where more rapid changes occur can be useful for the study of this process. Among such models are the apolipoprotein (apo) E knock out mice. Apo E deficient mice show impaired clearing of plasma lipoproteins and they develop atherosclerosis in a short time. The current review considers lipid metabolism and inflammation a Read More

Both intracerebral and subarachnoid hemorrhages are associated with high mortality and most survivors are burdened with severe disability. Currently, there is no approved treatment for intracerebral hemorrhage and surgical evacuation was not proven beneficial. Regarding subarachnoid hemorrhage, existing therapies need substantial improvement. Detailed pathophysiologic mechanisms need to be underst Read More

Stroke is the third common cause of death and the most common cause of adult disability. Approximately 80% of all strokes are ischemic (brain infarction). The only approved acute therapy is intravenous thrombolysis with tissue plasminogen activator within 3 h of symptom onset but only a small percentage of all ischemic stroke patients can receive this therapy. Therefore, novel therapeutic approaches directed at the patho Read More

Cardiovascular disease remains a principal cause of mortality in Western countries. Novel strategies for enhancing angiogenesis (such as gene or cell therapy) provide alternative choices for patients without any current treatment options. This progress has contributed towards understanding the mechanisms underlying vascular formation. The establishment of new experimental models could lead to the development of new tr Read More

Non alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is often part of the metabolic syndrome which includes central obesity, dyslipidaemia, insulin resistance/type 2 diabetes mellitus and hypertension. In turn, NAFLD may be associated with an increased vascular risk. Several experimental models which express histological steatosis or steatohepatitis with fibrosis have been described. This review identifies those models of N Read More

HIV cellular entry is a multistep process that requires the interaction of a viral envelope glycoprotein (gp120) and a host receptor (CD4) followed by binding to a co-receptor. The CC-chemokine receptor 5 (CCR5) and CXC-chemokine receptor 4 (CXCR4) have been identified as the major HIV co-receptors and therefore are promising targets for the development of new anti-HIV drugs. CXCR4 is also involved in several diseases suc Read More

Due to the fact that the percentage of aged subjects in the populations of industrialized countries is dramatically increasing, the scientific community has been obligated to focus their attention on age related disease states and peculiar consequences of aging such as, frailty. Frailty is defined as a syndrome of decreased reserve and resistance to stressors and is clinically expressed as muscle weakness, poor exercise t Read More