Frontiers in pharmacology
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Frontiers in pharmacology · Jan 2018
Mu-Opioid Receptor Agonist Induces Kir3 Currents in Mouse Peripheral Sensory Neurons - Effects of Nerve Injury.
Neuropathic pain often arises from damage to peripheral nerves and is difficult to treat. Activation of opioid receptors in peripheral sensory neurons is devoid of respiratory depression, sedation, nausea, and addiction mediated in the brain, and ameliorates neuropathic pain in animal models. Mechanisms of peripheral opioid analgesia have therefore gained interest, but the role of G protein-coupled inwardly rectifying potassium (Kir3) channels, important regulators of neuronal excitability, remains unclear. ⋯ DAMGO-induced currents in naïve and CCI groups were reversed by barium and a more selective Kir3 channel blocker tertiapin-Q. These data indicate the coupling of Kir3 channels with MOR in mouse peripheral sensory neuron cell bodies, which was unchanged after CCI. A comparative analysis of opioid-induced potassium conductance at the axonal injury site and peripheral terminals of DRG neurons could clarify the role of Kir3 channel-MOR interactions in peripheral nerve injury and opioid analgesia.
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Frontiers in pharmacology · Jan 2018
ReviewAdvancements in Regenerative Strategies Through the Continuum of Burn Care.
Burns are caused by several mechanisms including flame, scald, chemical, electrical, and ionizing and non-ionizing radiation. Approximately half a million burn cases are registered annually, of which 40 thousand patients are hospitalized and receive definitive treatment. Burn care is very resource intensive as the treatment regimens and length of hospitalization are substantial. ⋯ Due to the complexity of burn wound healing compared to other skin injuries, burn specific treatment regimens must be developed. Recently, tissue engineering and regenerative medicine strategies have been developed to improve skin regeneration that can restore normal skin physiology and limit adverse outcomes, such as infection, delayed re-epithelialization, and scarring. Our emphasis will be centered on how current clinical and pre-clinical research of pharmacological agents, biomaterials, and cellular-based therapies can be applied throughout the continuum of burn care by targeting the stages of wound healing: hemostasis, inflammation, cell proliferation, and matrix remodeling.
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Frontiers in pharmacology · Jan 2018
ReviewThe Relative Risk and Incidence of Immune Checkpoint Inhibitors Related Pneumonitis in Patients With Advanced Cancer: A Meta-Analysis.
Background: Recently, immune checkpoint inhibitors (ICIs) have been proved one of the most promising anti-cancer therapy, series clinical trials have confirmed their efficacy. But they are also associated with distinctive set of toxic effects, which are recognized as immune-related adverse events. Among those immune-related adverse events, pneumonitis is rare, but it is often clinically serious and potentially life-threatening. ⋯ Conclusion: The incidence of immune checkpoint inhibitors related pneumonitis was higher in NSCLC than other tumor types. Patients treated with immune checkpoint inhibitor in experiment arms are more likely to experience any grade pneumonitis than control arms. These findings suggest that clinician need to draw more attention on this rare but serious adverse event.
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Frontiers in pharmacology · Jan 2018
Hydrogen Sulfide Ameliorates Blood-Spinal Cord Barrier Disruption and Improves Functional Recovery by Inhibiting Endoplasmic Reticulum Stress-Dependent Autophagy.
Spinal cord injury (SCI) induces the disruption of blood-spinal cord barrier (BSCB), which elicits neurological deficits by triggering secondary injuries. Hydrogen sulfide (H2S) is a gaseous mediator that has been reported to have neuroprotective effect in the central nervous system. However, the relationship between H2S and BSCB disruption during SCI remains unknown. ⋯ But the autophagy inhibitor (3-Methyladenine, 3-MA) only inhibited autophagy without obvious effects on ER stress. Finally, we had revealed that NaHS significantly alleviated BSCB permeability and improved functional recovery after SCI, and these effects were markedly reversed by TM and Rapa. In conclusion, our present study has demonstrated that NaHS treatment is beneficial for SCI recovery, indicating that H2S treatment is a potential therapeutic strategy for promoting SCI recovery.
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Frontiers in pharmacology · Jan 2018
The Optimal Chinese Herbal Injections for Use With Radiotherapy to Treat Esophageal Cancer: A Systematic Review and Bayesian Network Meta-Analysis.
Ethnopharmacological relevance: Esophageal cancer is one of the most common human cancers, and its incidence is highly endemic in China. The combination of Chinese herbal injections (CHIs) and radiotherapy should be informed by the best available evidence. Aim of the study: To update and expand on previous work in order to compare and rank the efficacy and safety of CHIs in combination with radiotherapy to treat esophageal cancer. ⋯ Lentinan injection may be considered a favorable choice for reliving ADRs, and Compound kushen injection may provide treatment benefits by reducing both gastrointestinal reaction and radiation esophagitis. Conclusions: The current clinical evidence indicated that Compound kushen injection combined with radiotherapy is the most preferable and beneficial option for patients with esophageal cancer in terms of efficacy and safety. However, the results of our study should be interpreted with caution given the limitations of the sample size and the methodological quality of the included trials.