British journal of pharmacology
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Tumour cell migration and adhesion constitute essential features of metastasis. G-protein coupled receptor 55 (GPR55), a lysophospholipid receptor, has been shown to play an important role in carcinogenesis. Here, we investigated the involvement of GPR55 in migration and metastasis of colon cancer cells. ⋯ GPR55 is involved in the migratory behaviour of colon carcinoma cells and may serve as a pharmacological target for the prevention of metastasis. © 2015 The British Pharmacological Society.
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Upon stimulation, neutrophils release their nuclear contents called neutrophil extracellular traps (NETs), which contain unfolded chromatin and lysosomal enzymes. NETs have been demonstrated to play a critical role in host defence, although the role of PGE2 , a bioactive substance generated in inflammatory tissues, in the formation of NETs remains unclear. ⋯ PGE2 inhibits NET formation through the production of cAMP. These findings will contribute to the development of novel treatments for NETosis-related diseases.
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α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (α7 nAChRs) may represent useful targets for cognitive improvement. The aim of this study is to compare the pro-cognitive activity of selective α7-nAChR ligands, including the partial agonists, DMXBA and A-582941, as well as the positive allosteric modulator, 3-furan-2-yl-N-p-tolyl-acrylamide (PAM-2). ⋯ Our results support the view that α7 nAChRs are involved in cognition processes and that PAM-2 is a novel promising candidate for the treatment of cognitive disorders.
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Aryl sulfonamide Nav 1.3 or Nav 1.7 voltage-gated sodium (Nav ) channel inhibitors interact with the Domain 4 voltage sensor domain (D4 VSD). During studies to better understand the structure-activity relationship of this interaction, an additional mode of channel modulation, specifically slowing of inactivation, was revealed by addition of a single methyl moiety. The objective of the current study was to determine if these different modulatory effects are mediated by the same or distinct interactions with the channel. ⋯ Addition of a methyl group to a Nav channel inhibitor introduces an additional mode of gating modulation, implying that a single compound can affect sodium channel function in multiple ways.
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The history of ketamine and phencyclidine from their development as potential clinical anaesthetics through drugs of abuse and animal models of schizophrenia to potential rapidly acting antidepressants is reviewed. The discovery in 1983 of the NMDA receptor antagonist property of ketamine and phencyclidine was a key step to understanding their pharmacology, including their psychotomimetic effects in man. ⋯ The relevance of these findings to modern hypotheses of schizophrenia and the implications for drug discovery are reviewed. The findings of the rapidly acting antidepressant effects of ketamine in man are discussed in relation to other glutamatergic mechanisms.