Integrin-mediated mechanotransduction pathway of low-intensity continuous ultrasound in human chondrocytes.

Chondrocytes are mechanosensitive cells that require mechanical stimulation for proper growth and function in in vitro culture systems. Ultrasound (US) has emerged as a technique to deliver mechanical stress; however, the intracellular signaling components of the mechanotransduction pathways that transmit the extracellular mechanical stimulus to gene regulatory mechanisms are not fully defined. We evaluated a possible integrin/mitogen-activated protein kinase (MAPK) mechanotransduction pathway using Western blotting with antibodies targeting specific phosphorylation sites on intracellular signaling proteins.

Acetyl-L-carnitine protects neuronal function from alcohol-induced oxidative damage in the brain.

The studies presented here demonstrate the protective effect of acetyl-L-carnitine (ALC) against alcohol-induced oxidative neuroinflammation, neuronal degeneration, and impaired neurotransmission. Our findings reveal the cellular and biochemical mechanisms of alcohol-induced oxidative damage in various types of brain cells. Chronic ethanol administration to mice caused an increase in inducible nitric oxide synthase (iNOS) and 3-nitrotyrosine adduct formation in frontal cortical neurons but not in astrocytes from brains of these animals.