Life sciences
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In this study, we investigated whether the opioid system and the nitric oxide pathway were involved in the peripheral antinociception induced by a cannabinoid receptor agonist anandamide. ⋯ This study provides evidence that the peripheral antinociceptive effect of the cannabinoid receptor agonist anandamide may result from l-arginine/NO/cGMP pathway activation and that the opioid system is also involved.
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To investigate whether ischemia/reperfusion (I/R)-induced apoptosis in the bile duct epithelium could be mediated by tumor necrosis factor-related apoptosis-inducing ligand (TRAIL) receptors in biliary epithelial cells, we examined the effects of hypoxia/reoxygenation (H/R) on TRAIL cytotoxicity. ⋯ H/R up-regulated the expression of DR4 and DR5, and enhanced TRAIL-mediated apoptosis in normal human intrahepatic biliary epithelial cells.