European journal of pharmacology
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Sepsis occurs when microbes activate toll-like receptors (TLRs) stimulating widespread inflammation and activating coagulation cascades. TLR4 signal transduction has been recognized as a key pathway for lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced activation of various cells and an attractive target for treatment of sepsis. We found a new benzisothiazole derivative, M62812 that inhibits TLR4 signal transduction. ⋯ Single intravenous administration of M62812 (10-20 mg/kg) protected mice from lethality and reduced inflammatory and coagulatory parameters in a murine d-galactosamine-sensitized endotoxin shock model. M62812 (20 mg/kg) also prevented mice from lethality in a murine cecal ligation and puncture model. These results suggest that inhibition of TLR4 signal transduction can suppress coagulation as well as inflammation during sepsis and may be clinically beneficial in sepsis treatment.
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Berberine is an isoquinoline alkaloid isolated from Berberis aristata, a major herb widely used in Indian and Chinese systems of medicine. Berberine possessed a wide range of biological activity including antidiarrheal, antimicrobial, anti-inflammatory effects and some central nervous system activity as well. The present study was designed to explore the antidepressant activity and its possible mechanism of action. ⋯ Furthermore, the reduction in the immobility period elicited by berberine (5 mg/kg, i.p.) was also inhibited by pretreatment with sildenafil (5 mg/kg, i.p.) [phosphodiesterase 5 inhibitor]. The various modulators and their combination with berberine did not produce any changes in locomotor activity. Our findings demonstrated that berberine exerted antidepressant-like effect in various behavioural paradigms of despair possibly by modulating brain biogenic amines (norepinephrine, serotonin or dopamine) and further, the antidepressant-like effect of berberine in the forced-swim test involved an interaction with the L-arginine-NO-cGMP pathway.
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Whereas an important role of free radicals and oxidants in peripheral diabetic neuropathy is well established, the contribution of nitrosative stress and, in particular, of the highly reactive oxidant peroxynitrite, has not been properly explored. Our previous findings implicate peroxynitrite in diabetes-associated motor and sensory nerve conduction deficits and peripheral nerve energy deficiency and poly(ADP-ribose) polymerase activation associated with Type 1 diabetes. In this study the role of nitrosative stress in diabetic sensory neuropathy is evaluated. ⋯ Nitrotyrosine and poly(ADP-ribose) immunofluorescence in sciatic nerve, spinal cord, and dorsal root ganglion neurons of peroxynitrite decomposition catalyst-treated diabetic mice were markedly reduced. In conclusion, nitrosative stress plays an important role in sensory neuropathy associated with Type 1 diabetes. The findings provide rationale for further studies of peroxynitrite decomposition catalysts in a long-term diabetic model.
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Although the cannabinoid CB(1) antagonist N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-chlorophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (SR 141716A) blocks many of the in vivo effects of cannabinoids, the antagonist activity of SR 141716A is limited under some conditions. The general aims of this study were to: 1) examine whether the limited antagonist activity of SR 141716A generalizes to the cannabinoid CB(1) antagonist N-(piperidin-1-yl)-5-(4-iodophenyl)-1-(2,4-dichlorophenyl)-4-methyl-1H-pyrazole-3-carboxamide (AM 251); and 2) examine mechanisms by which cannabinoids produce hypothermia, catalepsy, and hypoactivity in C57BL/6J mice. SR 141716A and AM 251 were administered alone and in combination with the cannabinoid agonists triangle up(9)-tetrahydrocannabinol (triangle up(9)-THC) and R-(+)-[2,3-dihydro-5-methyl-3-[(morpholinyl)-methyl]pyrrolol-[1,2,3-de]-1,4-benzoxazinyl]-(1-naphthalenyl) methanone (WIN 55212-2). triangle up(9)-THC and WIN 55212-2 produced catalepsy, hypothermia, and hypoactivity with similar potency; WIN 55212-2 produced greater hypothermia than triangle up(9)-THC, otherwise differences in maximal effect were not detected in the other assays. ⋯ While the antagonists were equipotent in blocking agonist-induced hypothermia, SR 141716A was 6-fold more potent than AM 251 in blocking agonist-induced catalepsy. The results demonstrate that SR 141716A and AM 251 have strikingly similar behavioral activity, i.e., they block some and not other in vivo effects of cannabinoid agonists, and further demonstrate differences in the maximum effect of cannabinoid agonists that might be related to differences in agonist efficacy. While the results strongly suggest that cannabinoid CB(1) receptors mediate the hypothermic and cataleptic effects of cannabinoids, differences in the relative potency of antagonists suggest that mechanisms responsible for these effects are not identical.