Matrine alleviates coronary microvascular dysfunction in ischemia with non-obstructive coronary artery disease mice induced by advanced glycation end products inhibition of the reactive oxygen species-mediated endoplasmic reticulum stress in cardiac microvascular endothelial cells.

Objective: To investigate the protective effect of matrine on coronary microvascular dysfunction (CMD) induced by advanced glycation end products (AGEs) in a mouse model of ischemia with non-obstructive coronary artery disease (INOCA), with a focus on the underlying mechanisms, particularly the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) stress protein kinase R-like ER kinase (PERK)/ nuclear factor of activated T-cells (NFAT) signaling pathway.

Methods: An INOCA model was established in mice, and CMD was induced by peritoneal injections of AGEs. Matrine was administered daily intraperitoneal injections.

Lack of association of polymorphism in miRNA-196a2 with Parkinson's disease risk in a Chinese population.

MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a new class of non-protein coding RNA molecules, which participate in diverse biological pathways. We hypothesized that miRNA-196a2 polymorphism is associated with the risk of Parkinson's disease (PD) in a Chinese population. In a case-control study of 549 PD patients and 736 control subjects frequency matched by age and gender, we genotyped the single-nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) rs11614913 (T>C) in miRNA-196a2, whose target mRNA was alpha-synuclein, and assessed its association with risk of PD by TaqMan Genotyping method.

Gene expression of neuropilin-1 and its receptors, VEGF/Semaphorin 3a, in normal and cancer cells.

Extracellular domains of the transmembrane glycoprotein, neuropilin-1 (Np1), specifically bind an array of factors and co-receptors including class-3 semaphorins (Sema3a), vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF), hepatocyte growth factor, platelet-derived growth factor BB, transforming growth factor-β 1 (TGF-β1), and fibroblast growth factor2 (FGF2). Np1 may have a role in immune response, tumor cell growth, and angiogenesis, but its relative expression in comparison to its co-primary receptors, VEGF and Sema3a, is not known. In this study we determined the mRNA expression of Np1 and its co-receptors, VEGF and Sema3a, and the ratio of VEGF/Sema3a in different human and rodent cell lines.