scholarly journals Analgesic Efficacy of a Combination of Fentanyl and a Japanese Herbal Medicine “Yokukansan” in Rats with Acute Inflammatory Pain

Medicines ◽  
2020 ◽  
Vol 7 (12) ◽  
pp. 75
Author(s):  
Yuko Akanuma ◽  
Mami Kato ◽  
Yasunori Takayama ◽  
Hideshi Ikemoto ◽  
Naoki Adachi ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Inflammatory Pain ◽  
Late Phase ◽  
Analgesic Efficacy ◽  
Opioid Tolerance ◽  
High Dose ◽  
Erk Pathway ◽  
Single High Dose ◽  
Extracellular Signal Regulated Kinase ◽  
Extracellular Signal ◽  
Combined Use

Background: Fentanyl can induce acute opioid tolerance and postoperative hyperalgesia when administered at a single high dose; thus, this study examined the analgesic efficacy of a combination of fentanyl and Yokukansan (YKS). Methods: Rats were divided into control, formalin-injected (FOR), YKS-treated+FOR (YKS), fentanyl-treated+FOR (FEN), and YKS+FEN+FOR (YKS+FEN) groups. Acute pain was induced via subcutaneous injection of formalin into the paw. The time engaged in pain-related behavior was measured. Results: In the early (0–10 min) and intermediate (10–20 min) phases, pain-related behavior in the YKS+FEN group was significantly inhibited compared with the FOR group. In the late phase (20–60 min), pain-related behavior in the FEN group was the longest and significantly increased compared with the YKS group. We explored the influence on the extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) pathway in the spinal cord, and YKS suppressed the phosphorylated ERK expression, which may be related to the analgesic effect of YKS in the late phase. Conclusions: These findings suggest that YKS could reduce the use of fentanyl and combined use of YKS and fentanyl is considered clinically useful.

scholarly journals Nav1.7 via Promotion of ERK in the Trigeminal Ganglion Plays an Important Role in the Induction of Pulpitis Inflammatory Pain

2019 ◽  
Vol 2019 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shukai Sun ◽  
Jiangxing Sun ◽  
Wenkai Jiang ◽  
Wei Wang ◽  
Longxing Ni
Keyword(s):  
Trigeminal Ganglion ◽  
Inflammatory Pain ◽  
Pain Threshold ◽  
Expression Levels ◽  
Extracellular Signal Regulated Kinase ◽  
Extracellular Signal ◽  
Pulp Exposure ◽  
Mechanical Pain Threshold ◽  
Hematoxylin Eosin ◽  
Inhibitor Dose

The trigeminal ganglion (TG) refers to sensory neurons bodies that innervate the spinal cord and peripheral axons that innervate teeth. The tetrodotoxin-sensitive sodium (NA) channels (Nav1.7) play important roles in the pathophysiology of pain. In this study, we investigated the TG expression of Nav1.7 and extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) in a rat model of pulpitis to explore the correlation between these channels and inflammatory pain. Pulpitis was confirmed by hematoxylin-eosin staining. In this study, we demonstrated that the reflex of rats to mechanical stimulation increases after pulp exposure and that the exposed rat molar pulp can upregulate the expression of Nav1.7 and ERK in the rat TG. Three days after rat pulp exposure, the expression levels of the two ion channels in the TG increased. TG target injection of PF04856264, a Nav1.7 inhibitor, dose-dependently increased the mechanical pain threshold and was able to inhibit ERK expression. TG target injection of PD98059, an ERK inhibitor, dose-dependently increased the mechanical pain threshold. These factors simultaneously resulted in the highest production. In this study, with the established link to inflammatory pain, we found that Nav1.7 and ERK both play important roles in the induction of inflammatory pain caused by pulpitis. We also found a correlation between the expression levels of Nav1.7 and ERK and the degree of inflammatory pain. Furthermore, ERK signaling pathways were promoted by the Nav1.7 in TG after pulpitis.

scholarly journals RACK1 Targets the Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase/Mitogen-Activated Protein Kinase Pathway To Link Integrin Engagement with Focal Adhesion Disassembly and Cell Motility

2007 ◽  
Vol 27 (23) ◽  
pp. 8296-8305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Tomas Vomastek ◽  
Marcin P. Iwanicki ◽  
Hans-Joerg Schaeffer ◽  
Adel Tarcsafalvi ◽  
J. Thomas Parsons ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Focal Adhesion ◽  
Focal Adhesions ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein Kinase ◽  
Erk Pathway ◽  
Large Measure ◽  
Extracellular Signal Regulated Kinase ◽  
Extracellular Signal ◽  
Mitogen Activated Protein ◽  
Erk Activity

ABSTRACT The extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) cascade is activated in response to a multitude of extracellular signals and converts these signals into a variety of specific biological responses, including cell differentiation, cell movement, cell division, and apoptosis. The specificity of the biological response is likely to be controlled in large measure by the localization of signaling, thus enabling ERK activity to be directed towards specific targets. Here we show that the RACK1 scaffold protein functions specifically in integrin-mediated activation of the mitogen-activated protein kinase/ERK cascade and targets active ERK to focal adhesions. We found that RACK1 associated with the core kinases of the ERK pathway, Raf, MEK, and ERK, and that attenuation of RACK1 expression resulted in a decrease in ERK activity in response to adhesion but not in response to growth factors. RACK1 silencing also caused a reduction of active ERK in focal adhesions, an increase in focal adhesion length, a decreased rate of focal adhesion disassembly, and decreased motility. Our data further suggest that focal adhesion kinase is an upstream activator of the RACK1/ERK pathway. We suggest that RACK1 tethers the ERK pathway core kinases and channels signals from upstream activation by integrins to downstream targets at focal adhesions.

scholarly journals Distinct Cell Cycle Timing Requirements for Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase and Phosphoinositide 3-Kinase Signaling Pathways in Somatic Cell Mitosis

2002 ◽  
Vol 22 (20) ◽  
pp. 7226-7241 ◽  
Author(s):  
Elisabeth C. Roberts ◽  
Paul S. Shapiro ◽  
Theresa Stines Nahreini ◽  
Gilles Pages ◽  
Jacques Pouyssegur ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
Cell Cycle ◽  
Cell Cycle Progression ◽  
Cyclin B1 ◽  
Erk Pathway ◽  
Cycle Progression ◽  
Mitotic Entry ◽  
Extracellular Signal Regulated Kinase ◽  
Extracellular Signal ◽  
Phosphoinositide 3 Kinase ◽  
And Function

ABSTRACT Mitogen-activated protein (MAP) kinase and phosphoinositide 3-kinase (PI3K) pathways are necessary for cell cycle progression into S phase; however the importance of these pathways after the restriction point is poorly understood. In this study, we examined the regulation and function of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and PI3K during G2/M in synchronized HeLa and NIH 3T3 cells. Phosphorylation and activation of both the MAP kinase kinase/ERK and PI3K/Akt pathways occur in late S and persist until the end of mitosis. Signaling was rapidly reversed by cell-permeable inhibitors, indicating that both pathways are continuously activated and rapidly cycle between active and inactive states during G2/M. The serum-dependent behavior of PI3K/Akt versus ERK pathway activation indicates that their mechanisms of regulation differ during G2/M. Effects of cell-permeable inhibitors and dominant-negative mutants show that both pathways are needed for mitotic progression. However, inhibiting the PI3K pathway interferes with cdc2 activation, cyclin B1 expression, and mitotic entry, whereas inhibiting the ERK pathway interferes with mitotic entry but has little effect on cdc2 activation and cyclin B1 and retards progression from metaphase to anaphase. Thus, our study provides novel evidence that ERK and PI3K pathways both promote cell cycle progression during G2/M but have different regulatory mechanisms and function at distinct times.

scholarly journals Epstein-Barr Virus Latent Membrane Protein 2A Regulates c-Jun Protein through Extracellular Signal-Regulated Kinase

2002 ◽  
Vol 76 (18) ◽  
pp. 9556-9561 ◽  
Author(s):  
Shao-Yin Chen ◽  
Jean Lu ◽  
Yin-Chu Shih ◽  
Ching-Hwa Tsai
Keyword(s):  
Protein Kinase ◽  
Epstein Barr Virus ◽  
Latent Membrane Protein ◽  
Erk Pathway ◽  
Latent Membrane Protein 2A ◽  
Extracellular Signal Regulated Kinase ◽  
Barr Virus ◽  
Extracellular Signal ◽  
Infected Cells ◽  
Epstein Barr

ABSTRACT Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) latent membrane protein 2A (LMP2A) is widely expressed in both EBV-infected cells and EBV-associated malignancies. However, the function of LMP2A is still veiled. In this study, LMP2A was found to induce the kinase activities of extracellular signal-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase/stress-activated protein kinase JNK/SAPK. Furthermore, the downstream effector c-Jun showed hyperphosphorylation under LMP2A expression. The phosphorylation could be inhibited by the ERK pathway inhibitor PD98059, indicating that ERK may contribute to the phosphorylation of c-Jun in LMP2A-expressing cells. The impact on c-Jun phosphorylation by mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) is suggested to increase c-Jun protein stability, and this was also observed in LMP2A-expressing cells by a protein synthesis inhibition assay. Moreover, LMP2A-induced cell invasion was inhibited in the presence of the ERK pathway inhibitor. Taken together, we suggest that LMP2A may exploit MAPK kinases and affect both the phosphorylation and stability of c-Jun protein. Additionally, LMP2A may thereby promote the mobility of the cells. In doing so, it may enhance the mobility of EBV-infected cells and contribute to the metastatic process of malignant cells. Here we demonstrated the first evidence of LMP2A-induced migration and the underlying pathways accounting for it.

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