Vardenafil and cilostazol can improve vascular reactivity in rats with diabetes mellitus and rheumatoid arthritis co-morbidity

Publication date: Available online 11 May 2019Source: Life SciencesAuthor(s): Mariam Gamal Fahmy Wahba, Basim Anwar Shehata Messiha, Mahmoud El-Sayed El-Daly, Ali Ahmed Abo-SaifAbstractEndothelial dysfunction and vascular reactivity defects secondary to metabolic and immunological disorders carry risk of serious cardiovascular complications. Here, the effects of the phosphodiesterase (PDE) inhibitors vardenafil and cilostazol were examined against rheumatoid arthritis (RA)/diabetes mellitus (DM)-co-morbidity-induced endothelial dysfunction and vascular reactivity defects. After setting of RA/DM-co-morbidity model, rats were divided into a normal control group, an RA/DM-co-morbidity group, and two treatment groups receiving oral vardenafil (10 mg/kg/day) and cilostazol (30 mg/kg/day) for 21 days after RA/DM-co-morbidity induction. Aorta was isolated for biochemical estimations of the pro-inflammatory vasoconstrictor molecules angiotensin-II (Ang-II) and endothelin-1 (ET-1), the adhesion molecules P-selectin and vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 (VCAM-1), the energy sensor adenosine-5′-monophosphate-activated protein kinase (AMPK), and the vasodilator anti-inflammatory molecule vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and western blot analysis. Immunohistochemical estimations of endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) and matrix metalloproteinase (MMP)-2 were performed coupled with histopathological examination using routine h...
Source: Life Sciences - Category: Biology Source Type: research