Current neurovascular research
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Life expectancy continues to increase throughout the world, but is accompanied by a rise in the incidence of non-communicable diseases. As a result, the benefits of an increased lifespan can be limited by aging-related disorders that necessitate new directives for the development of effective and safe treatment modalities. With this objective, the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR), a 289-kDa serine/threonine protein, and its related pathways of mTOR Complex 1 (mTORC1), mTOR Complex 2 (mTORC2), proline rich Akt substrate 40 kDa (PRAS40), AMP activated protein kinase (AMPK), Wnt signaling, and silent mating type information regulation 2 homolog 1 (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) (SIRT1), have generated significant excitement for furthering novel therapies applicable to multiple systems of the body. ⋯ In experimental and clinical studies, EPO appears to have significant efficacy in treating several disorders including those involving the developing brain. However, in mature populations that are affected by aging-related disorders, the direction for the use of EPO to treat clinical disease is less clear that may be dependent upon a number of factors including the understanding of mTOR signaling. Continued focus upon the regulatory elements that control EPO and mTOR signaling could generate critical insights for targeting a broad range of clinical maladies.
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Oxaliplatin is a widely used chemotherapeutic agent that induces both acute and chronic peripheral neuropathy. Based on previous research indicating that estrogen replacement may attenuate some forms of pain in ovariectomized animals, we examined the effects of 17β-estradiol in OXAIPN. We discovered that local cold exposure induces an abnormal vascular response in both acute and chronic models of OXAIPN (oxaliplatin-induced peripheral neuropathy) that may be used as an easy and non-invasive method to predict which patients may be susceptible to the development of severe, chronic OXAIPN. ⋯ Local blockade of TRPA1 or TRPM8 receptors attenuated the initial vasodilation. Changes in release of calcitonin gene related peptide (CGRP) and nitric oxide (NO) metabolites due to local cold exposure at the hind paw were also involved. Administration of 17β-estradiol resulted in an anti-nociceptive effect and attenuating abnormal vasodilation.