University of North Texas Health Science Center

Acute exposure to cell-free mitochondrial DNA induces pregnancy-specific aortic endothelial dysfunction and organ-selective inflammation in rats

Abstract Pregnancy complications such as preeclampsia are associated with circulating cell-free mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA), a damage-associated molecular pattern capable of activating Toll-like receptor 9 (TLR9). We hypothesized that acute mtDNA exposure induces maternal inflammat...

In Vitro Assessment of Nintedanib in Keratoconus Corneal Stromal Microenvironment

Keratoconus (KC) is a degenerative corneal disease, characterized by stromal thinning and abnormal ECM remodeling, leading to fibrosis. Corneal fibrosis is a leading cause of visual impairment. Corneal stromal keratocytes differentiate into myofibroblasts, which alters extracellu...