NO-releasing xanthine KMUP-1 bonded by simvastatin attenuates bleomycin-induced lung inflammation and delayed fibrosis

Background and purposePulmonary fibrosis (PF) is a progressing lung injury initiated by pulmonary inflammation (PI). Bleomycin (BLM) is the most common pathogenesis of PF through early PI and extensive extracellular matrix deposition. This study is aimed to determine whether NO-releasing KMUP-1 inhibits PI and PF, and if so, the benefits of KMUP-1S resulted from simvastatin (SIM)-bonding to KMUP-1.Experiment approachC57BL/6 male mice were intra-tracheally administered BLM (4 U/kg) at day 0. KMUP-1 (1–5 mg/kg), KMUP-1S (2.5 mg/kg), SIM (5 mg/kg), Plus (KMUP-1 2.5 mg/kg + SIM 2.5 mg/kg), and clarithromycin (CAM, 10 mg/kg) were orally and daily administered for 7 and 28 days, respectively, to mice, sacrificed at day-7 and day-28 to isolate the lung tissues, for examining the inflammatory and fibrotic signaling and measuring the cell population and MMP-2/MMP-9 activity in broncholaveolar lavage fluid (BAL).Key resultsKMUP-1 and KUP-1S significantly decreased neutrophil counts in BAL fluid. Fibroblastic foci were histologically assessed by H&E and Masson's trichrome stain and treated with KMUP-1 and references. Lung tissues were determined the contents of collagen and the expressions of TGF-β, α-SMA, HMGB1, CTGF, eNOS, p-eNOS, RhoA, Smad3, p-Smad3, MMP-2 and MMP-9 by Western blotting analyses, respectively. These changes areregulated by NO/cGMP and inhibited by various treatments. KMUP-1 and KMUP-1S predominantly prevented HMGB1/MMP-2 expression at day-7 and reduced TGF-β/phosphorylated Smad3 and CTGF at day-28.Conclusions and implicationsKMUP-1 and KMUP-S restore eNOS, inhibit iNOS/ROCKII/MMP-2/MMP-9, attenuate histologic collagen disposition and reduce BALF inflammatory cells, potentially useful for the treatment of BLM-lung PF.     

骨纤维异常增殖症的发病机制及药物治疗

骨纤维异常增殖症（FD）是由G蛋白ɑ亚基基因突变引起的一种代谢性骨病。成骨细胞分化异常及破骨细胞活性增强的双重因素参与FD发病机制,少数患者伴低磷性骨软化症,加重FD骨骼病变。近年基于发病机制的药物治疗逐渐受到重视,其中骨吸收抑制剂——双膦酸盐和抗RANKL单克隆抗体已在部分临床研究中取得良好疗效,但仍需进一步研究证实。另外,钙剂、维生素D可作为FD患者的补充治疗,合并低磷血症患者可酌情补充磷制剂。     

单磷酸阿糖腺苷联合复方异丙托溴铵、布地奈德治疗毛细支气管炎患儿的疗效及对血清样淀粉蛋白A的影响

目的 评价单磷酸阿糖腺苷联合复方异丙托溴铵、布地奈德治疗小儿毛细支气管炎疗效及对血清样淀粉蛋白A （SAA）水平的影响。方法 选取2016年2月-2017年12月收治的毛细支气管炎患儿110例,随机分为观察组和对照组,每组55例。对照组给予布地奈德混悬液0.5 mg联合复方异丙托溴铵1.25 mL溶入3 mL生理盐水中雾化吸入。观察组在对照组的基础上加用单磷酸阿糖腺苷10 mg溶于5%葡萄糖溶液100 mL中iv。两组均治疗7 d,比较两组临床疗效（包括发热、咳喘、啰音等）以及治疗前后血清SAA、肿瘤坏死因子-α（TNF-α）、白细胞介素-6（IL-6）以及IL-8水平。结果 观察组和对照组的总有效率分别为96.4%和83.6%,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）;治疗后观察组症状体征消失时间和住院时间与对照组相比明显缩短,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）;治疗后两组患儿血清SAA表达水平及血清TNF-α、IL-6及IL-8水平均较治疗前明显下降,且观察组显著低于对照组,差异有统计学意义（P<0.05）。结论 单磷酸阿糖腺苷联合复方异丙托溴铵、布地奈德治疗小儿毛细支气管炎疗效确切,可改善机体免疫功能及降低炎症指标,值得临床推广应用。     

Early pregnancy induced expression of prostaglandin E2 receptors EP2 and EP4 in the ovine endometrium and regulated by interferon tau through multiple cell signaling pathways

Prostaglandin E2 (PGE₂) plays pleiotropic roles at fetal-maternal interface during establishment of pregnancy. The objectives of the study were to: (i) determine regulation of PGE2 receptors EP1, EP2, EP3, and EP4 in the endometrium during the estrous cycle and early pregnancy; and (ii) understand endometrial epithelial and stromal cell-specific hormonal regulation of EP2 and EP4 in sheep. Results indicate that: (i) early pregnancy induces expression of EP2 and EP4 but not EP1 and EP3 proteins in the endometrium on days 12-16 compared to that of estrous cycle; (ii) intrauterine infusion of interferon tau (IFNT) increases expression of EP2 and EP4 proteins in endometrium; and (iii) IFNT activates distinct epithelial and stromal cell-specific JAK, EGFR, ERK1/2, AKT, or JNK signaling module to regulate expression of EP2 and EP4 proteins in the ovine endometrium. Our results indicate a role for EP2 and EP4-mediated PGE₂ signaling in endometrial functions and establishment of pregnancy in ruminants.     

The role of nitric oxide in ocular surface physiology and pathophysiology

Nitric oxide (NO) has a wide array of biological functions including the regulation of vascular tone, neurotransmission, immunomodulation, stimulation of proinflammatory cytokine expression and antimicrobial action. These functions may depend on the type of isoform that is responsible for the synthesis of NO. NO is found in various ocular tissues playing a pivotal role in physiological mechanisms, namely regulating vascular tone in the uvea, retinal blood circulation, aqueous humor dynamics, neurotransmission and phototransduction in retinal layers. Unregulated production of NO in ocular tissues may result in production of toxic superoxide free radicals that participate in ocular diseases such as endotoxin-induced uveitis, ischemic proliferative retinopathy and neurotoxicity of optic nerve head in glaucoma. However, the role of NO on the ocular surface in mediating physiology and pathophysiological processes is not fully understood. Moreover, methods used to measure levels of NO in the biological samples of the ocular surface are not well established due to its rapid oxidation. The purpose of this review is to highlight the role of NO in the physiology and pathophysiology of ocular surface and propose suitable techniques to measure NO levels in ocular surface tissues and tears. This will improve the understanding of NO's role in ocular surface biology and the development of new NO-based therapies to treat various ocular surface diseases. Further, this review summarizes the biochemistry underpinning NO's antimicrobial action.     

Systemic Administration of Rolipram Increases Medullary and Spinal cAMP and Activates a Latent Respiratory Motor Pathway After High Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Background/Objective: High cervical spinal cord hemisection interrupts descending respiratory drive from the rostral ventral respiratory group in the medulla to the ipsilateral phrenic motoneurons. Hemisection results in the paralysis of the ipsilateral hemidiaphragm. Chronic administration of rolipram, a specific phosphodiesterase-IV inhibitor, promotes synaptic plasticity and restores phrenic nerve function after a high cervical spinal cord lesion. Here, we test the hypothesis that an acute administration of rolipram will increase spinal and medullary levels of 3′,5′-cyclic adenosine monophosphate (cAMP) and induce phrenic nerve recovery after cervical (C2) spinal cord hemisection.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to left C2 hemisection surgery 1 week before experimentation. Bilateral phrenic nerve activity was recorded in anesthetized, vagotomized, and pancuronium paralyzed rats, and rolipram was intravenously applied (2 mg/kg).

Results: Intravenous administration of rolipram increased phrenic nerve output in uninjured control and left C2 spinal cord-hemisected rats. In addition, rolipram restored respiratory-related activity to the left phrenic nerve made quiescent by the hemisection. In both uninjured and hemisected rats, rolipram significantly enhanced phrenic inspiratory burst amplitude and burst area compared with predrug values. Also, rolipram concomitantly increased spinal and medullary cAMP.

Conclusions: These results suggest that a phosphodiesterase inhibitor capable of elevating cAMP levels can enhance phrenic nerve output and restore respiratory-related phrenic nerve function after high cervical spinal cord injury. Thus, targeting the cAMP signaling cascade can be a useful therapeutic approach in promoting synaptic efficacy and respiratory recovery after cervical spinal cord injury.     

Somatostatin receptors: From signaling to clinical practice

Somatostatin is a peptide with a potent and broad antisecretory action, which makes it an invaluable drug target for the pharmacological management of pituitary adenomas and neuroendocrine tumors. Somatostatin receptors (SSTR1, 2A and B, 3, 4 and 5) belong to the G protein coupled receptor family and have a wide expression pattern in both normal tissues and solid tumors. Investigating the function of each SSTR in several tumor types has provided a wealth of information about the common but also distinct signaling cascades that suppress tumor cell proliferation, survival and angiogenesis. This provided the rationale for developing multireceptor-targeted somatostatin analogs and combination therapies with signaling-targeted agents such as inhibitors of the mammalian (or mechanistic) target of rapamycin (mTOR). The ability of SSTR to internalize and the development of rabiolabeled somatostatin analogs have improved the diagnosis and treatment of neuroendocrine tumors.