Corticotropin-releasing factor receptor agonists decrease interstitial cells of Cajal in murine colon.

Background: Peripheral corticotropin-releasing factor (CRF) has been reported to affect gastrointestinal motility through corticotropin-releasing factor receptor located in enteric nervous system (ENS), but less is known about of the relationship between peripheral CRF and interstitial cells of Cajal (ICC).

Methods: Mice were intraperitoneally injected with CRF receptor agonists to determine their effects on colonic ICC. Chronic heterotypic stress (CHeS) was applied to mice to determine endogenous CRF-CRF receptor signaling on colonic ICC.

Involvement of PAR2 in platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α-positive cell proliferation in the colon of diabetic mice.

Our previous study indicated that streptozotocin (STZ)-induced diabetes leads to colonic platelet-derived growth factor receptor-α-positive (PDGFRα ) cell proliferation accompanied by slow colonic transit in mice; however, the mechanism of this effect is unclear. The present study used western blotting, immunohistochemistry, and quantitative PCR to investigate whether proteinase-activated receptor 2 (PAR2) mediates PDGFRα cell proliferation. Our results showed that PDGFRα, PAR2, and Ki-67 coexpression was increased in the diabetic colonic muscle layer.

Cynandione A Alleviates Neuropathic Pain Through α7-nAChR-Dependent IL-10/β-Endorphin Signaling Complexes.

Cynandione A, an acetophenone isolated from Cynanchum Radix, exhibits antineuropathic pain effect. This study further explored the target molecule and signaling mechanisms underlying cynandione-A-induced antineuropathic pain. Intrathecal injection of cynandione A significantly attenuated mechanical allodynia in neuropathic rats and substantially increased spinal expression of IL-10 and β-endorphin but not dynorphin A.

Lappaconitine, a C18-diterpenoid alkaloid, exhibits antihypersensitivity in chronic pain through stimulation of spinal dynorphin A expression.

Lappaconitine is a representative C18-diterpenoid alkaloid extracted from Aconitum sinomontanum Nakai and has been prescribed as a pain relief medicine in China for more than 30 years. This study evaluated its antihypersensitivity activity in the rat models of neuropathic and cancer pains and explored its underlying mechanisms. Subcutaneous injection of cumulative doses of lappaconitine produced dose-dependent mechanical antiallodynia and thermal antihyperalgesia in spinal nerve ligation-induced neuropathic rats.

Silencing of MICAL-L2 suppresses malignancy of ovarian cancer by inducing mesenchymal-epithelial transition.

Ovarian cancer remains the disease with the highest associated mortality rate of gynecologic malignancy due to cancer metastasis. Rearrangement of actin cytoskeleton by cytoskeleton protein plays a critical role in tumor cell metastasis. MICAL-L2, a member of MICAL family, can interact with actin-binding proteins, regulate actin cross-linking and coordinate the assembly of adherens junctions and tight junctions.

Silencing of WISP3 suppresses gastric cancer cell proliferation and metastasis and inhibits Wnt/β-catenin signaling.

CCN6/Wnt1-inducible signaling protein-3 (CCN6/WISP3) is a cysteine-rich protein that belongs to the CCN (Cyr61, CTGF, Nov) family of matricellular proteins, which are often dysregulated in cancers. However, the functional role and clinical significance of WISP3 in gastric cancer remain unclear. In this study, we found that silencing of WISP3 suppressed gastric cancer cell proliferation, migration and invasion.

DNA methylation-mediated silencing of matricellular protein dermatopontin promotes hepatocellular carcinoma metastasis by α3β1 integrin-Rho GTPase signaling.

Dermatopontin (DPT), a tyrosine-rich, acidic matricellular protein, has been implicated in several human cancers. However, its biological functions and molecular mechanisms in cancer progression, particular hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC), remain unknown. We demonstrated that DPT was significantly down-regulated in 202 HCC clinical samples and that its expression level was closely correlated with cancer metastasis and patient prognosis.

Dysregulated cell mechanical properties of endometrial stromal cells from endometriosis patients.

Endometriosis, diagnosed with ectopically implanted endometrial stromal cells (ESC) and epithelial cells to a location outside the uterine cavity, seriously threaten the quality of life and reproductive ability of women, yet the mechanisms and the pathophysiology of the disease remain unclear. Specially, the functional changes of ESC during endometriosis progression need in-depth investigation. In this study, we characterized mechanical properties of normal ESC (NESC) from healthy women and eutopic ESC (EuESC) and ectopic ESC (EcESC) from endometriosis patients.

Decreased hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ contributes to increased sensitivity to endotoxin in obstructive jaundice.

Aim: To investigate the role of hepatic peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor-γ (PPAR-γ) in increased susceptibility to endotoxin-induced toxicity in rats with bile duct ligation during endotoxemia.

Methods: Male Sprague-Dawley rats were subjected to bile duct ligation (BDL). Sham-operated animals served as controls.

[A study of the bacteriophage-based assay for the detection of pyrazinamide resistance in Mycobacterium tuberculosis].

Objective: To set up and evaluate the method of phage amplified biologically assay (PhaB) in rapid detection of pyrazinamide (PZA) resistance.

Methods: The PhaB assay was developed and applied in detecting PZA resistance in 108 clinical isolates of Mycobacterium tuberculosis and the results were compared with those of the absolute concentration method. The minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) was detected for all discrepancy isolates.