scholarly journals Dezocine attenuates neuropathic pain by inhibiting ERK1/2 signaling in rats

2019 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chan Shen ◽  
Shi Sheng ◽  
Ling Yu ◽  
Naixing Xin

Abstract Background Neuropathic pain severely impacts patients’ life quality. Dezocine can be used for the treatment of pain. The present study intended to explore the effects of dezocine in chronic constriction injury (CCI) induced neuropathic pain as well as the possible responsible molecules in rats. Methods There were 3 subgroups, ie, control group, CCI group and dezocine+CCI group. The values of paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL) in rats were determined by a dynamic plantar esthesiometer. The ipsilateral lumbar spinal cords in rats were extracted for the detection of protein levels of phosphorylated-mammalian target of rapamycin (p-mTOR) and p-extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (p-ERK1/2) by western blot analysis; and the mRNA and protein expression levels of interleukin (IL)-6, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, and cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2) by reverse transcription-quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RT-qPCR) and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), respectively. Results In comparison with control group, there were lower values of PWT and PWL in CCI group, which were partially reversed by dezocine. In addition, compared to control group, the expression levels of p-mTOR, p-ERK1/2, IL-6, TNF-α and COX-2 were upregulated by CCI, which were attenuated by dezocine. Conclusions In conclusion, the analgesic effect of dezocine on CCI induced neuropathic pain might be correlated with inhibiting of the p-mTOR and p-ERK1/2 signaling pathway.

Author(s):  
Jiaqi Yuan ◽  
Yue Fei

Abstract Lidocaine is a commonly used drug to alleviate neuropathic pain (NP). This work aims to investigate the mechanism of lidocaine in alleviating NP. Chronic constriction injury (CCI) rats were established by surgery to induce NP. We observed the mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) of rats. Immunofluorescence staining was performed to determine the LC3/glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP)-positive cells. Rat astrocytes were treated with lipopolysaccharide (LPS) to induce CCI, and then treated with lidocaine or 3-MA (autophagy inhibitor). CCK-8 was performed to detect cell proliferation. Western blot and enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay were performed to detect the level of protein and inflammatory factor. CCI rats exhibited a decrease of MWT and TWL, which was effectively abolished by lidocaine. Lidocaine enhanced the number of LC3/GFAP-positive cells in CCI rats. Moreover, lidocaine inhibited the expression of GFAP and p62, and enhanced LC3-II/LC3-I expression in the LPS-treated astrocytes. Lidocaine inhibited the level of TNF-α and IL-1β in the LPS-treated astrocytes. The influence conferred by lidocaine was effectively abolished by 3-MA. In conclusion, our work demonstrates that lidocaine activates autophagy of astrocytes and ameliorates CCI-induced NP. Thus, our study provides a further experimental basis for the mechanism of lidocaine to alleviate NP.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (6) ◽  
pp. 1161-1166
Author(s):  
Zhiwen Zhou ◽  
Xiang Ren ◽  
Aiping Li ◽  
Wensheng Zhou ◽  
Li Huang

Purpose: To investigate the protective effect of floroindole against cecal ligation and puncture (CLP)- induced sepsis, as well as the underlying mechanism of action. Methods: Thirty-five 10–week-old male Wistar rats weighing 190 - 210 g (mean: 200.00 ± 10.10 g) were used for this study. The rats were randomly assigned to seven groups of five rats each, viz, normal control group, and six CLP groups. The CLP groups were those subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP). The first 5 CLP groups received 2, 4, 6, 8 or 10 mg/kg floroindole, respectively, 1 h after CLP, via intraperitoneal route (i.p.) while the 6th CLP group served as untreated control. Western blotting, enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) and real-time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR) were used for the assessment of the expression levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF- α), interleukn-6 (IL-6), nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain 2 (NOD2) and p-NF-κB p65. Results: Cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) significantly and time-dependently upregulated the expressions of TNF-α, IL-6 and NOD2 in intestinal tissues of rats (p < 0.05). However, treatment with floroindole significantly, and dose-dependently down-regulated CLP-induced expressions of these proteins (p < 0.05). Treatment of rats with floroindole also significantly and dose-dependently inhibited CLP-induced phosphorylation of NF-κB p65 in rat ileum (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results obtained in this study demonstrate that floroindole confers some degree of protection against CLP-induced sepsis via inhibition of NF-κB p65 phosphorylation.


2020 ◽  
Vol 17 (1) ◽  
pp. 79-85
Author(s):  
Jun-Bao Fu ◽  
Zhi-Hua Wang ◽  
Yong-Ying Ren

Purpose: The current study was conducted in order to investigate the role of Forkhead box O1 and p21-mediated macrophage polarization in postoperative cognitive dysfunction induced by sevoflurane. Methods: There involved a total of 30 healthy mice that were randomly divided into two groups: control group (without any treatment) and anaesthesia group (treated with sevoflurane inhalation). The effects of sevoflurane on cognitive function (memory) in mice were studied by trace fear conditioned reflex, and the effects of systemic inflammation and behavior after operation were measured by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA), the concentrations of CD163 and tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) were measured. The expression of macrophage phenotype was observed by immunofluorescence staining, the expression levels of M1 and M2 markers mRNA were detected by real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR (RT-PCR), and the expression levels of FoxO1 and p21 were analyzed by immunoblotting (Western blot). Results: Compared with the control group, the freezing time in the anesthesia group was lower than that in the control group (P<0.01), indicating that sevoflurane anesthesia led to the decrease of cognitive ability. The blood concentrations of CD163 and TNF-α increased significantly at 24 h after the operation with sevoflurane anesthesia (P<0.05). Fluorescence microscopic observation showed that M2 was the main type of macrophages in normal tissues, while M1 and M2 phenotypes were highly expressed in sevoflurane anesthetized tissues at the same time, especially in M1 phenotypes (P<0.01). The polarization of macrophages in the anesthetic group showed the high level of M1 mRNA, and the expression levels of TNF-α, monocyte chemotactic protein 1(MCP-1) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6)mRNA in the anesthetic group were significantly higher than those in the control group (P<0.05). The expression levels of M2 mRNA such as transforming growth factor-β (TGF-β) and IL-10 were significantly lower than those in the control group (P<0.05). Compared with the control group, the expression of FoxO1 and p21 protein in the anesthesia group was significantly lower than that in the control group with a significant statistical difference (P<0.01). Conclusion: This study offers a theoretical basis and insight for further understanding of the prevention and treatment of cognitive dysfunction induced by anesthetic drugs.


Antioxidants ◽  
2019 ◽  
Vol 8 (10) ◽  
pp. 482 ◽  
Author(s):  
Sobeh ◽  
Mahmoud ◽  
Rezq ◽  
Alsemeh ◽  
Sabry ◽  
...  

Patients with neuropathic pain experience chronic painful tingling, burning, and prickling sensations accompanied with hyperalgesia and/or allodynia. In this study, 38 secondary metabolites of a methanol extract from Salix tetrasperma flowers were identified by liquid chromatography-mass spectrometry (HPLC-MS/MS). The extract showed substantial anti-inflammatory, central and peripheral anti-nociceptive, antipyretic, and antioxidant activities in vitro and in different animal models. In the chronic constriction injury (CCI) rat model, the extract was able to attenuate and significantly relieve hyperalgesia and allodynia responses in a dose dependent manner and restore the myelin sheath integrity and Schwann cells average number in the sciatic nerve. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) showed that the extract significantly reduced the expression of various pro-inflammatory biomarkers including nuclear factor kabba B (NF-κB), tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), 5-lipoxygenase (5-LOX), cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2), inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS), and the oxidative stress biomarker NADPH oxidase 1 (NOX1), in brain stem and sciatic nerve tissues. These findings were supported by in vitro enzyme inhibition assays (COX-1, COX-2 and 5-LOX). Moreover, the extract significantly reduced p53 expression in the brain stem tissue. These findings support the use of S. tetrasperma in folk medicine to alleviate pain. It could be a promising natural product for further clinical investigations to treat inflammation, nociceptive pain and chronic neuropathic pain.


2017 ◽  
Vol 2017 ◽  
pp. 1-10 ◽  
Author(s):  
Chenglong Liu ◽  
Jia Tao ◽  
Hui Wu ◽  
Yixin Yang ◽  
Qiang Chen ◽  
...  

Diabetic neuropathic pain (DNP), one of the early symptoms of diabetic neuropathy, relates to metabolic disorders induced by high blood glucose, neurotrophic vascular ischemia and hypoxia, and autoimmune factors. This study was aimed at exploring the effects of long noncoding RNA (lncRNA) BC168687 siRNA on DNP mediated by P2X7 receptor on SGCs in DRG of rats. The mechanical withdrawal threshold (MWT) and thermal withdrawal latency (TWL) of rats, the expression levels of P2X7 mRNA and protein in the DRG, and nitric oxide (NO) in the serum were, respectively, detected in our study. Our experimental results showed that the level of BC168687 mRNA in DNP group was markedly higher than that of control group; the MWT and TWL of DNP + BC168687 si group were significantly increased, and the expression levels of P2X7 in DRG and the concentrations of NO in serum of DNP + BC168687 si group were decreased compared to those of the DNP group. In conclusion, lncRNA BC168687 may participate in the pathogenesis of DNP mediated by P2X7 receptor, which will provide a novel way for the study of the pathogenesis of diabetes mellitus complicated with neuropathic pain and its prevention and treatment.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-6
Author(s):  
Qian Wang ◽  
Jing Lin ◽  
Peng Yang ◽  
Yingye Liang ◽  
Dongming Lu ◽  
...  

This study set out to investigate the effect of massage on the Toll-like receptor 4 (TLR4) signalling pathway in the dorsal root ganglia of rats that had undergone spinal nerve ligation (SNL), with the hypothesis that massage could be used as an analgesic. Forty female SD rats were randomly divided into 5 groups: the control group, sham-operated group, model group, sham massage group, and massage group. There were 8 rats in each group. SNL rat models were established in the model group, sham massage group, and massage group. Rats in the sham-operated group underwent surgery to expose the vertebral nerves, but no further procedures were performed. The control group consisted of intact animals. The rats in the massage group underwent massage using a massage simulation machine once a day for 14 d in succession; the hind limbs of the rats in the sham massage group were gently touched with a cloth bag once a day for 14 continuous days. The rats in the control group, the sham-operated group, and the model group did not receive any intervention and were observed for 14 d. Paw withdrawal thermal latency (PWTL) and paw withdrawal mechanical threshold (PWMT) of rats in each group were detected 1 d before modelling and at 1, 3, 7, and 14 d after modelling. Fourteen days after modelling, the expression levels of TLR4, IRAK1, TRAF6, TNF-α, and IL-6 were detected in all rats. The PWTL and PWMT of SNL rats were decreased, while these parameters were elevated after massage. SNL rats showed higher levels of TLR4, IRAK1, TRAF6, IL-6, and TNF-α, and massage effectively lowered the expression levels of these molecules. Inhibiting activation of the TLR4 signalling pathway, which can reduce the release of inflammatory factors, may be one mechanism by which massage treats neuropathic pain.


2021 ◽  
Vol 18 (5) ◽  
pp. 955-960
Author(s):  
Jianlin Zhang ◽  
Longze Zong ◽  
Dongyu Bai

Purpose: To investigate the fracture-healing effect of boeravinone B in ovariectomy-induced (OVX) osteoporotic rats. Methods: Adult female Wistar rats (n = 30) were ovariectomized and after three months, the unilateral cross-tibial fractures were fixed with intramedullary nails. The rats were then randomly assigned to three groups of 10 rats each: normal control group, OVX group and 100 mg/kg body weight boeravinone B group. Boeravinone B was orally administered for a period of 5 weeks. The effect of boeravinone B on indices of bone formation and resorption was assessed. Levels of inflammatory cytokines including tumor necrosis factor- α (TNF-α) and interleukin-1β (IL-1β) were determined using enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). Western blotting was used to determine the expression levels of NF-κB p65, IкB-α and SIRT1 proteins. Results: There were significant increases in the activities of tartrate-resistant acid phosphatase (TRAP) and alkaline phosphatase (ALP), and collagen type I fragment (CTX) level and serum osteocalcin (OC) of OVX group, when compared with normal control group (p < 0.05). However, treatment with boeravinone B significantly reduced the activities and levels of these parameters, relative to OVX group (p < 0.05). The levels of TNF-α and IL-1β significantly increased in OVX group, relative normal control group, but were significantly lower following treatment with boeravinone B (p < 0.05). Bone mineral content (BMC) was not significantly altered in OVX and boeravinone B-treated groups, when compared with normal control group (p > 0.05). There was significant reduction in bone mineral density (BMD) of OVX group relative to normal control group (p < 0.05). However, treatment with boeravinone B significantly increased the BMD, when compared with OVX group (p < 0.05). After Week 5 of treatment, boeravinone B significantly enhanced bone remodeling and formation of callus. Treatment with boeravinone B significantly reduced the expression levels of NF-κB p65 and IκB-α proteins, and significantly upregulated the expression of SIRT-1 (p < 0.05). Conclusion: The results obtained in this study suggest that boeravinone B promotes the healing of fracture caused by osteoporosis via a mechanism involving NF-κB p65/IκB-α/SIRT-1 signaling pathway.


2020 ◽  
Vol 26 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Zhen Li ◽  
Aiyuan Li ◽  
Liping Yan ◽  
Tian Yang ◽  
Wei Xu ◽  
...  

Abstract Background Neuropathic pain belongs to chronic pain and is caused by the primary dysfunction of the somatosensory nervous system. Long noncoding RNAs (lncRNAs) have been reported to regulate neuronal functions and play significant roles in neuropathic pain. DLEU1 has been indicated to have close relationship with neuropathic pain. Therefore, our study focused on the significant role of DLEU1 in neuropathic pain rat models. Methods We first constructed a chronic constrictive injury (CCI) rat model. Paw withdrawal threshold (PWT) and paw withdrawal latency (PWL) were employed to evaluate hypersensitivity in neuropathic pain. RT-qPCR was performed to analyze the expression of target genes. Enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA) was conducted to detect the concentrations of interleukin‐6 (IL-6), tumor necrosis factor‐α (TNF-α) and IL-1β. The underlying mechanisms of DLEU1 were investigated using western blot and luciferase reporter assays. Results Our findings showed that DLEU1 was upregulated in CCI rats. DLEU1 knockdown reduced the concentrations of IL‐6, IL‐1β and TNF‐α in CCI rats, suggesting that neuroinflammation was inhibited by DLEU1 knockdown. Besides, knockdown of DLEU1 inhibited neuropathic pain behaviors. Moreover, it was confirmed that DLEU1 bound with miR-133a-3p and negatively regulated its expression. SRPK1 was the downstream target of miR-133a-3p. DLEU1 competitively bound with miR-133a-3p to upregulate SRPK1. Finally, rescue assays revealed that SRPK1 overexpression rescued the suppressive effects of silenced DLEU1 on hypersensitivity in neuropathic pain and inflammation of spinal cord in CCI rats. Conclusion DLEU1 regulated inflammation of the spinal cord and mediated hypersensitivity in neuropathic pain in CCI rats by binding with miR-133a-3p to upregulate SRPK1 expression.


2019 ◽  
Vol 20 (10) ◽  
pp. 781-784 ◽  
Author(s):  
Meizhen Zhao ◽  
Li Juanjuan ◽  
Fan Weijia ◽  
Xie Jing ◽  
Huang Qiuhua ◽  
...  

Background: This study aimed to investigate the expression levels of microRNA (miRNA)-125b in serum exosomes and its diagnostic efficacy for asthma severity. Methods: The study included 80 patients with untreated asthma and 80 healthy volunteers. The patients were divided into 4 groups according to disease severity: 20 with the intermittent state, 20 with the mildly persistent state, 20 with the moderately persistent state, and 20 with the severely persistent state. The expression levels of miRNA-125b in serum exosomes of each group were detected using a quantitative polymerase chain reaction and compared. The Spearman correlation analysis was used to study the correlation between the expression levels of miRNA-125b in serum exosomes and asthma severity. The diagnostic efficacy of the expression levels of miRNA-125b in exosomes for asthma severity was evaluated using the Receiver Operating Characteristic (ROC) curve. Results: The expression levels of miRNA-125b in serum exosomes of patients with intermittent, mildly persistent, moderately persistent, and severely persistent asthma were all higher than those in the healthy control group, with statistically significant differences. The expression levels of miRNA-125b were also statistically significantly different among patients in each group. The Spearman correlation analysis showed a positive correlation of the relative expression of miRNA-125b in serum exosomes with asthma severity. The area under the ROC curve of the diagnostic efficacy of miRNA-125b in serum exosomes for patients with intermittent, mildly, moderately, and severely persistent asthma was 0.7770, 0.8573, 0.9111, and 0.9995, respectively. Conclusion: The expression levels of miRNA-125b in serum exosomes had a high diagnostic efficacy and might serve as a noninvasive diagnostic marker for asthma severity.


2019 ◽  
Vol 22 (4) ◽  
pp. 232-237 ◽  
Author(s):  
Jihong An

Objective: This study aims to investigate the expression and clinical significance of Th17 cells and related factors in peripheral blood of patients with Autoimmune Hepatitis (AIH). Methods: A retrospective selection of 100 patients with AIH were included as a study group, and 100 healthy volunteers in the outpatient clinic were selected as the control group. The levels of IL- 17, IL-6, IL-21 and TNF-α in peripheral blood of all subjects were detected by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay and the frequency of Th17 cells and Treg cells was detected by flow cytometry. Results: Results showed that the study group had higher levels of serum total bilirubin (TBil), alkaline phosphatase (ALP), γ -glutamyltranspeptidase (γ-GT), immunoglobulin G (IgG), immunoglobulin M (IgM), alanine aminotransferase (ALT) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST) than the control group, as well as higher levels of IL-17, IL-6, IL-21 and TNF-α in serum. The frequency of Th17 cells in peripheral blood was higher in the study group, while the frequency of Treg cells was lower. Also, serum IL-17, TNF-α levels and Th17 cells frequency were positively correlated with ALT and AST, whereas Treg cells frequency were negatively correlated with ALT and AST levels. Conclusion: Our finding demonstrates that Th17 cell frequency and their related factors IL-17 and TNF-α, are associated with liver damage, which might be used to monitor AIH disease severity.


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