Brain research bulletin
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Brain research bulletin · Jul 2016
Peripheral interactions between cannabinoid and opioid receptor agonists in a model of inflammatory mechanical hyperalgesia.
Activation of opioid and cannabinoid receptors expressed in nociceptors induces effective antihyperalgesia. In this study, we examined whether combinations of opioid and cannabinoid receptor agonists directed at the injured site would enhance therapeutic effectiveness. Behavioral pharmacology experiments were performed to compare the effects of DAMGO, a selective agonist for μ-opioid receptor (MOR), ACPA, a specific agonist for CB1, and combinations of DAMGO and ACPA in attenuating complete Freund's adjuvant (CFA)-induced mechanical hyperalgesia in the rat hindpaw. ⋯ Using isobolographic analysis, we determined that combined treatment with DAMGO and ACPA produced antagonistic effects with the observed ED50 of 128.4±2.28μg. Our findings showed that MOR and CB1 agonists directed at the inflamed site effectively attenuate mechanical hyperalgesia when administered individually, but exert opposing effects when administered together. The antagonistic interactions between the two classes of drugs at the inflamed site suggest distinct mechanisms unique to peripheral nociceptors or inflamed tissue, and therefore require further studies to investigate whether the therapeutic utility of the combined drug treatments in chronic pain conditions can be optimized.
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Brain research bulletin · Jun 2016
Attenuation of oxidative and nitrosative stress in cortical area associates with antidepressant-like effects of tropisetron in male mice following social isolation stress.
Tropisetron, a 5-HT3 receptor antagonist widely used as an antiemetic, has been reported to have positive effects on mood disorders. Adolescence is a critical period during the development of brain, where exposure to chronic stress during this time is highly associated with the development of depression. In this study, we showed that 4 weeks of juvenile social isolation stress (SIS) provoked depressive-like behaviors in male mice, which was associated with disruption of mitochondrial function and nitric oxide overproduction in the cortical areas. ⋯ Furthermore, l-arginine (nitric oxide precursor, 100mg/kg) abolished the positive effects of tropisetron. These results have increased our knowledge on the pivotal role of mitochondrial function in the pathophysiology of depression, and highlighted the role of 5-HT3 receptors in psychosocial stress response during adolescence. Finally, we observed that tropisetron alleviated the mitochondrial dysfunction through decreased nitrergic system activity in the cerebral cortex.
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Brain research bulletin · May 2016
Morphine-induced antinociception and reward in "humanized" mice expressing the mu opioid receptor A118G polymorphism.
The rewarding and antinociceptive effects of opioids are mediated through the mu-opioid receptor. The A118G single nucleotide polymorphism in this receptor has been implicated in drug addiction and differences in pain response. Clinical and preclinical studies have found that the G allele is associated with increased heroin reward and self-administration, elevated post-operative pain, and reduced analgesic responsiveness to opioids. ⋯ Finally, we examined basal pain response and morphine-induced antinociception in the formalin test for inflammatory pain. We found no gender or genotype differences in either basal pain response or morphine-induced antinociception in the formalin test. Our data suggests that homozygous expression of the GG allele in mice blunts morphine-induced hypothermia and hotplate antinociception but does not alter morphine CPP, morphine tolerance, or basal inflammatory pain response.
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Brain research bulletin · Mar 2016
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor promotes vesicular glutamate transporter 3 expression and neurite outgrowth of dorsal root ganglion neurons through the activation of the transcription factors Etv4 and Etv5.
Brain-derived neurotrophic factor (BDNF) is critical for sensory neuron survival and is necessary for vesicular glutamate transporter 3 (VGLUT3) expression. Whether the transcription factors Etv4 and Etv5 are involved in these BDNF-induced effects remains unclear. In the present study, primary cultured dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons were used to test the link between BDNF and transcription factors Etv4 and Etv5 on VGLUT3 expression and neurite outgrowth. ⋯ These data imply that Etv4 and Etv5 are essential transcription factors in modulating BDNF/TrkB signaling-mediated VGLUT3 expression and neurite outgrowth. BDNF, through the ERK1/2 signaling pathway, activates Etv4 and Etv5 to initiate GAP-43 expression, promote neurofilament (NF) protein expression, induce neurite outgrowth, and mediate VGLUT3 expression for neuronal function improvement. The biological effects initiated by BDNF/TrkB signaling linked to E26 transformation-specific (ETS) transcription factors are important to elucidate neuronal differentiation, axonal regeneration, and repair in various pathological states.
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Brain research bulletin · Mar 2016
NMDA receptor antagonists attenuate the proconvulsant effect of juvenile social isolation in male mice.
Experiencing psychosocial stress in early life, such as social isolation stress (SIS), is known to have negative enduring effects on the development of the brain and behavior. In addition to anxiety and depressive-like behaviors, we previously showed that juvenile SIS increases susceptibility to pentylenetetrazole (PTZ)-induced seizures in mice through enhancing the nitrergic system activity in the hippocampus. In this study, we investigated the possible involvement of N-methyl-D-aspartate (NMDA) receptors in proconvulsant effects of juvenile SIS. ⋯ Co-administration of non-effective doses of nitric oxide synthase (NOS) inhibitors, 7NI (25mg/kg) and L-NAME (10mg/kg), with NMDA receptor antagonists, MK-801 (0.01 mg/kg) and ketamine (0.1mg/kg) attenuated the proconvulsant effects of juvenile SIS only in isolated housed mice. Also, using real time RT-PCR, we showed that hippocampal upregulation of NR2B subunit of NMDA receptor may play a critical role in proconvulsant effects of juvenile SIS by dysregulation of NMDA/NO pathway. In conclusion, results of present study revealed that experiencing SIS during adolescence predisposes the co-occurrence of seizure disorders with psychiatric comorbidities and also, alteration of NMDA receptor structure and function in hippocampus plays a role in proconvulsant effects of juvenile SIS through enhancing the NMDA/NO pathway.