The Journal of pharmacology and experimental therapeutics
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J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. · Sep 2008
Comparative StudyCombination therapy with fenofibrate, a peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor alpha agonist, and simvastatin, a 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitor, on experimental traumatic brain injury.
We and others have demonstrated that fibrates [peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor (PPAR)alpha agonists] and statins (3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl-coenzyme A reductase inhibitors) exerted neuroprotective and pleiotropic effects in experimental models of traumatic brain injury (TBI). Because the combination of statins and fibrates synergistically enhanced PPARalpha activation, we hypothesized that the combination of both drugs may exert more important and/or prolonged beneficial effects in TBI than each alone. In this study, we examined the combination of fenofibrate with simvastatin, administered 1 and 6 h after injury, on the consequences of TBI. ⋯ Furthermore, a delayed treatment given p.o. at 3 and 8 h after TBI with the combination was still efficient on neurological deficits induced by TBI, but it failed to reduce the brain edema at 48 h. The present data represent the first demonstration that the combination of fenofibrate and simvastatin exerts prolonged and synergistic neuroprotective effects than each drug alone. Thus, these results may have important therapeutic significance for the treatment of TBI.
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J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. · Aug 2008
Spinal antiallodynia action of glycine transporter inhibitors in neuropathic pain models in mice.
Neuropathic pain is refractory against conventional analgesics, and thus novel medicaments are desired for the treatment. Glycinergic neurons are localized in specific brain regions, including the spinal cord, where they play an important role in the regulation of pain signal transduction. Glycine transporter (GlyT)1, present in glial cells, and GlyT2, located in neurons, play roles in modulating glycinergic neurotransmission by clearing synaptically released glycine or supplying glycine to the neurons and thus could modify pain signal transmission in the spinal cord. ⋯ However, these manipulations to stimulate glycinergic neuronal activity were without effect during the 4 days after nerve injury, whereas manipulations to inhibit glycinergic neuronal activity protected against the development of allodynia in this phase. The results implied that the timing of medication with their inhibitors should be considered, because glycinergic control of pain was reversed in the critical period of 3 to 4 days after surgery. This may also provide important information for understanding the underlying molecular mechanisms of the development of neuropathic pain.
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J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. · Aug 2008
Comparative StudyPharmacological effects of the metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 antagonist compared with those of the metabotropic glutamate receptor 5 antagonist and metabotropic glutamate receptor 2/3 agonist in rodents: detailed investigations with a selective allosteric metabotropic glutamate receptor 1 antagonist, FTIDC [4-[1-(2-fluoropyridine-3-yl)-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]-N-isopropyl-N-methyl-3,6-dihydropyridine-1(2H)-carboxamide].
The functional roles of metabotropic glutamate receptor (mGluR) 1 in integrative brain functions were investigated using a potent and selective mGluR1 allosteric antagonist, FTIDC [4-[1-(2-fluoropyridine-3-yl)-5-methyl-1H-1,2,3-triazol-4-yl]-N-isopropyl-N-methyl-3,6-dihydropyridine-1(2H)-carboxamide], in comparison with the mGluR5 allosteric antagonist and the mGluR2/3 orthosteric agonist in rodents. FTIDC reduced maternal separation-induced ultrasonic vocalization and stress-induced hyperthermia without affecting behaviors in the elevated plus maze. An mGluR5 antagonist, 2-methyl-6-(phenylethynyl)-pyridine (MPEP), and an mGluR2/3 agonist, LY379268 [(1R,4R,5S,6R)-4-amino-2-oxabicyclo[3.1.0]hexane-4,6-dicarboxylic acid], showed anxiolytic activities in these models, suggesting involvement of postsynaptic mGluR1 in stress-related responses comparable with mGluR5 and mGluR2/3. ⋯ FTIDC selectively blocked methamphetamine-induced hyperlocomotion and disruption of prepulse inhibition, whereas MPEP and LY379268 did not alter those behaviors, suggesting that pharmacological blockade of mGluR1 could result in antipsychotic-like effects. FTIDC did not elicit catalepsy or impair motor functions at 10 times higher dose than doses showing antipsychotic-like action. In conclusion, blockade of mGluR1 showed antipsychotic-like effects without impairing motor functions, whereas blockade of mGluR5 and activation of mGluR2/3 did not display such activities.
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J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. · Aug 2008
Specific antinociceptive activity of cholest-4-en-3-one, oxime (TRO19622) in experimental models of painful diabetic and chemotherapy-induced neuropathy.
Diabetes and cancer chemotherapies are often associated with painful neuropathy. The mechanisms underlying neuropathic pain remain poorly understood, and the current therapies have limited efficacy and are associated with dose-limiting side effects. We recently described the pharmacological characterization of cholest-4-en-3-one, oxime (TRO19622), a cholesterol-like compound, that significantly reduced axonal degeneration and accelerated recovery of motor nerve conduction in a model of peripheral neuropathy induced by crushing the sciatic nerve. ⋯ Further exploration of these acute antinociceptive effects demonstrated that TRO19622 was also able to reverse tactile allodynia in vincristine-treated rats, a model of chemotherapy-induced neuropathic pain. It is interesting to note that TRO19622 did not have analgesic activity in animal models of pain produced by formalin injection, noxious thermal or mechanical stimulation, or chronic constriction injury of the sciatic nerve, indicating that painful diabetic or chemotherapy-induced neuropathies share a common mechanism that is distinct from acute, inflammationdriven, or lesion-induced neuropathic pain. These results support the potential use of TRO19622 to treat painful diabetic and chemotherapy-induced neuropathies.
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J. Pharmacol. Exp. Ther. · Aug 2008
Topical implantation of mesenchymal stem cells has beneficial effects on healing of experimental colitis in rats.
Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are attractive cell sources in regenerative medicine. We examined the effects of topical MSCs implantation on an experimental model of inflammatory bowel disease. Putative MSCs, isolated from bone marrow aspirates of male rats by dish adherence and expanded in vitro, were characterized by flow cytometry, reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay, and differentiation assays. ⋯ The MSCs expressed vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and transforming growth factor (TGF)-beta1 in vitro and after the implantation. In conclusion, we found that MSCs were successfully topically implanted in the colon and that they were associated with accelerated healing of TNBS-induced colitis. The beneficial effects of the MSCs might be mediated, at least in part, by their ability to differentiate into colonic interstitial cells and by their ability to provide VEGF and TGF-beta1 to the injured area.