Journal of receptor and signal transduction research
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J. Recept. Signal Transduct. Res. · Aug 2021
miR-140 ameliorates neuropathic pain in CCI rats by targeting S1PR1.
Neuropathic pain, with lots of clinical conditions in various diseases, whose physiopathology is implicated in inflammation. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) have largely been shown to exert anti-inflammatory effects against chronic diseases. We then evaluated the effects and regulatory mechanism of miR-140 on neuropathic pain. ⋯ MiR-140 could mollify CCI-stimulated neuropathic pain via targeting S1PR1, suggesting a potential therapeutic target in the treatment of neuropathic pain.
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J. Recept. Signal Transduct. Res. · Dec 2020
Virtual screening, ADME/T, and binding free energy analysis of anti-viral, anti-protease, and anti-infectious compounds against NSP10/NSP16 methyltransferase and main protease of SARS CoV-2.
Recently, a pathogen has been identified as a novel coronavirus (SARS-CoV-2) and found to trigger novel pneumonia (COVID-19) in human beings and some other mammals. The uncontrolled release of cytokines is seen from the primary stages of symptoms to last acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Thus, it is necessary to find out safe and effective drugs against this deadly coronavirus as soon as possible. ⋯ NSP10/NSP16 methyltransferase and protease interacted with drugs by hydrophobic interactions. Compounds show good DG binging free energy with protein complexes. Ligands were found to follow the Lipinski rule of five.
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J. Recept. Signal Transduct. Res. · Jan 2016
Electrolytically generated acid functional water inhibits NF-κB activity by attenuating nuclear-cytoplasmic shuttling of p65 and p50 subunits.
Human β-defensin 2 (hBD2) gene expression is dependent on nuclear factor kappa B (NF-κB) activity. We have previously demonstrated that electrolytically generated acid functional water (FW) induces the expression of hBD2 in the human oral squamous cell carcinoma (OSCC) cell line Ca9-22. However, the induction was not dependent on NF-κB activity; in fact, FW inhibited NF-κB activity. Therefore, we hypothesized that FW might reduce spontaneous interleukin 8 (IL-8) secretion by Ca9-22 cells, which is heavily dependent on NF-κB activity. This study aimed at demonstrating the inhibitory effect of FW on NF-κB activity. ⋯ The results from this study indicate that FW might inhibit spontaneous IL-8 secretion by redistribution of the NF-κB subunits within the cells.
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J. Recept. Signal Transduct. Res. · Jan 2015
Spinorphin inhibits membrane depolarization- and capsaicin-induced intracellular calcium signals in rat primary nociceptive dorsal root ganglion neurons in culture.
Spinorphin is a potential endogenous antinociceptive agent although the mechanism(s) of its analgesic effect remain unknown. We conducted this study to investigate, by considering intracellular calcium concentrations as a key signal for nociceptive transmission, the effects of spinorphin on cytoplasmic Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)]i) transients, evoked by high-K(+) (30 mM) depolariasation or capsaicin, and to determine whether there were any differences in the effects of spinorphin among subpopulation of cultured rat dorsal root ganglion (DRG) neurons. ⋯ Results from this study indicates that spinorphin significantly inhibits [Ca(2+)]i signaling, which are key for the modulation of cell membrane excitability and neurotransmitter release, preferably in nociceptive subtypes of this primary sensory neurons suggesting that peripheral site is involved in the pain modulating effect of this endogenous agent.
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J. Recept. Signal Transduct. Res. · Jun 2012
Modulation of action potential and calcium signaling by levetiracetam in rat sensory neurons.
Levetiracetam (LEV), a new anticonvulsant agent primarily used to treat epilepsy, has been used in pain treatment but the cellular mechanism of this action remains unclear. This study aimed to investigate effects of LEV on the excitability and membrane depolarization-induced calcium signaling in isolated rat sensory neurons using the whole-cell patch clamp and fura 2-based ratiometric Ca(2+)-imaging techniques. Dorsal root ganglia (DRG) were excised from neonatal rats, and cultured following enzymatic and mechanical dissociation. ⋯ It also caused a decrease in number of APs in neurons fired multiple APs in response to prolonged depolarization. Fura-2 fluorescence Ca(2+) imaging protocols revealed that HiK(+) (30 mM)-induced intracellular free Ca(2+) ([Ca(2+)](i)) was inhibited to 97.8 ± 4.6% (n = 17), 92.6 ± 4.8% (n = 17, p < 0.01) and 89.1 ± 5.1% (n = 18, p < 0.01) after application of 30 µM, 100 µM and 300 µM LEV (respectively), without any significant effect on basal levels of [Ca(2+)](i). This is the first evidence for the effect of LEV on the excitability of rat sensory neurons through an effect which might involve activation of potassium channels and inhibition of entry of Ca(2+), providing new insights for cellular mechanism(s) of LEV in pain treatment modalities.