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The dysregulation of the insulin-glucose axis represents the crucial event in insulin resistance syndrome. Insulin resistance increases atherogenesis and atherosclerotic plaque instability by inducing proinflammatory activities on vascular and immune cells. This condition characterizes several diseases, such as type 2 diabetes, impaired glucose...

Acute myocardial infarction is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in the adult population of developed and developing nations. Although the prompt restoration of antegrade blood flow in the infarct-related coronary artery is the mean therapy for improving survival, reperfusion itself may cause damage to ischaemic myocardial tissue....

Atherogenesis is characterized by an intense inflammatory process, involving immune and vascular cells. These cells play a crucial role in all phases of atherosclerotic plaque formation and complication through cytokine, protease, and prothrombotic factor secretion. The accumulation of inflammatory cells and thus high amounts of soluble...

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Endocannabinoids are endogenous bioactive lipids ubiquitously distributed in several tissues (e.g., brain, adipose tissue, liver, heart and arterial vessels), which play a crucial role in atherosclerosis. Endocannabinoids have been shown to promote cell homeostasis and modulate inflammatory bioactivities mainly via the binding to transmembrane...

Several studies support C-reactive protein (CRP) as a systemic cardiovascular risk factor. The recent detection of CRP in arterial intima suggests a dual activity in atherosclerosis as a circulating and tissue mediator on vascular and immune cells. In the present paper, we focused on the inflammatory effects of CRP on human monocytes, which...

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Acute pancreatitis is an inflammatory process of variable severity. Leucocytes are thought to play a key role in the development of pancreatitis and pancreatitis-associated lung injury. The interactions between inflammatory cells and their mediators are crucial for determining tissue damage. Monocyte chemoattractant...

In this study we analysed the possible modulation of endocannabinoids and related molecules during atherosclerosis development in mice. Wild-type and apolipoprotein E knockout (ApoE(-/-)) mice were fed either normal chow or high-cholesterol diet for 8-12 weeks, and tissue endocannabinoid levels were measured by liquid chromatography-mass...

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OBJECTIVES: We have recently shown that CRP induces chemokine secretion and adhesion molecule up-regulation in human primary monocytes cultured in adherence. Given the increasing evidence on direct immunomodulatory properties of statins, we investigated their possible anti-inflammatory role on CRP-treated human monocytes. METHODS: Monocytes...

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Hypercholesterolemia is one of the most important risk factors for erectile dysfunction, mostly due to the impairment of oxidative stress and endothelial function in the penis. The cannabinoid system might regulate peripheral mechanisms of sexual function; however, its role is still poorly understood. We investigated the effects of CB2...

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AIMS: Aim of this study was to evaluate a possible association between endocannabinoid (EC) plasma levels, such as anandamide (AEA) and 2-arachidonoylglycerol (2-AG), and coronary circulatory function in obesity. METHODS AND RESULTS: Myocardial blood flow (MBF) responses to cold pressor test (CPT) and during pharmacological vasodilation with...

Abstract BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: The concept of "vulnerable plaque" has been extended to the more recent definition of the "cardiovascular vulnerable patient," in which "intraplaque" and "systemic" factors contribute to the cumulative risk of acute cardiovascular events. Thus, we investigated the possible role of systemic and intraplaque...

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Abstract Aims. The activation of cannabinoid receptor type 2 (CB(2))-mediated pathways might represent a promising anti-atherosclerotic treatment. Here, we investigated the expression of the endocannabinoid system in human carotid plaques and the impact of CB(2) pharmacological activation on markers of plaque vulnerability in vivo and in...