International journal of molecular medicine
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The mechanism underlying sepsis‑induced cardiomyopathy (SICM) remains unclear. The aim of the present study was therefore to illuminate the mechanisms and effects of apelin on SICM, using both patient clinical features and a sepsis rat model. A total of 73 adult patients with or without sepsis were analyzed. ⋯ ELISA analyses revealed that apelin was upregulated following sepsis. The animal model study demonstrated that rats treated with apelin had significantly reduced mortality and suppressed sepsis‑induced myocardial damage and inflammatory responses, through suppression of activation of the Toll‑like receptor 4 (TLR4) and NLR family pyrin domain containing 3 (NLRP3) signaling pathways. Taken together, the present results suggested that apelin had a protective effect against sepsis‑induced cardiac impairment by attenuating TLR4 and NLRP3 signaling‑mediated inflammatory responses.
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Alkali burn is one of the main causes of corneal injury. The inflammation and neovascularization caused by alkali burns aggravate corneal damage, resulting in loss of vision. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the efficacy of xanthatin in the treatment of alkali burn‑induced inflammation and neovascularization. ⋯ In the VEGF‑treated HUVECs, xanthatin significantly decreased the expression levels of p‑VEGFR2, phosphorylated (p‑)STAT3, p‑PI3K and p‑Akt. In conclusion, the present study confirmed that xanthatin inhibited corneal neovascularization and inflammation in the alkali burn model, elucidating the underlying mechanisms involved in its protective effects. Therefore, xanthatin may be a novel drug for the treatment of corneal alkali burn.