Previous studies suggested a certain efficiency of proteinogenic branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) and magnesium supplementations in reducing cardiovascular risk and increasing quality of life. This in Show more
Previous studies suggested a certain efficiency of proteinogenic branched-chain amino acid (BCAA) and magnesium supplementations in reducing cardiovascular risk and increasing quality of life. This investigation assessed the anti-atherogenic and anti-calcific effects of BCAA (55 mg/day, corresponding to a human equivalent dose of 13.5 g/day) and magnesium citrate (MgCit, 1.85 mg/day, corresponding to a human equivalent dose of 450 mg/day) intake in male and female ApoE-knockout mice, with the treatment initiation at either 1, 3, or 6 months of age. At the 12-month time point, lipid retention and calcium deposition in the aortic valve, lipid burden in the aorta, and serum ionized calcium were evaluated. The early BCAA intake (from 1/3 to 12 months of age) significantly reduced lipid retention in the aortic valve, whilst MgCit decreased ionized calcium. Both of these protective effects were higher in male than in female mice. Furthermore, it was tested whether human serum albumin (HSA) or MgCit can be applied to decrease the serum calcification propensity in 100 patients with myocardial infarction. A dual supplementation with HSA and MgCit reduced serum calcification propensity in 68% of cases. Collectively, these results highlight the potential benefits of BCAA/HSA and magnesium supplementations for cardiovascular prevention and justify further clinical trials in this regard. Show less
In the experiment, we used the endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFC) obtained from the peripheral blood of patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. The cells were isolated on a His Show more
In the experiment, we used the endothelial colony-forming cells (ECFC) obtained from the peripheral blood of patients who underwent percutaneous coronary intervention. The cells were isolated on a Histopaque 1077 density gradient (Sigma-Aldrich, USA), and then cultured in EGM-2MV culture medium (Lonza, Switzerland). A commercial culture of primary human coronary artery endothelial cells (HCAEC) was used as a control. The cells were unfrozen and cultured according to the manufacturer's recommendations in MesoEndo Cell Growth Medium (Cell Applications, USA).The experiment was carried out in specialized ฮผ-Luer plates in the perfusion system (IBIDI, Germany), which provided a continuous unidirectional flow of the culture medium with a shear stress of 5 dyn/cm In mature endothelial cells HCAEC when exposed to a laminar flow, only the transcription factor The gene expression profile of endothelial colony-forming cells is quite close to that of primary endothelial cells of the human coronary artery, and thus, the cells obtained from patients' peripheral blood can be used to develop personalized tissue-engineered constructs. Show less