Behavioral Effects of a Novel Benzofuranyl-Piperazine Serotonin-2C Receptor Agonist Suggest a Potential Therapeutic Application in the Treatment of Obsessive-Compulsive Disorder.

Selective serotonin reuptake inhibitors (SSRIs) are the only effective pharmacological treatments for obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD). Nonetheless, their generally limited efficacy, side-effects, and delayed onset of action require improved medications for this highly prevalent disorder. Preclinical and clinical findings have suggested serotonin2C (5-HT) receptors as a potential drug target.

An innovative and highly drug-tolerant approach for detecting neutralizing antibodies directed to therapeutic antibodies.

Aim: Immunogenicity testing of biotherapeutic drugs is a regulatory requirement. Herein, we describe a drug-tolerant assay for detecting neutralizing antibodies against a therapeutic antibody.

Results: Excess target of the therapeutic antibody was incorporated into the detection step of an affinity capture elution assay.

Skeletal Muscle Regeneration and Oxidative Stress Are Altered in Chronic Kidney Disease.

Skeletal muscle atrophy and impaired muscle function are associated with lower health-related quality of life, and greater disability and mortality risk in those with chronic kidney disease (CKD). However, the pathogenesis of skeletal dysfunction in CKD is unknown. We used a slow progressing, naturally occurring, CKD rat model (Cy/+ rat) with hormonal abnormalities consistent with clinical presentations of CKD to study skeletal muscle signaling.

Glucose metabolic trapping in mouse arteries: nonradioactive assay of atherosclerotic plaque inflammation applicable to drug discovery.

Background: (18)F-Fluorodeoxyglucose (FDG)-positron emission tomography (PET) imaging of atherosclerosis in the clinic is based on preferential accumulation of radioactive glucose analog in atherosclerotic plaques. FDG-PET is challenging in mouse models due to limited resolution and high cost. We aimed to quantify accumulation of nonradioactive glucose metabolite, FDG-6-phosphate, in the mouse atherosclerotic plaques as a simple alternative to PET imaging.

R-fluoxetine increases extracellular DA, NE, as well as 5-HT in rat prefrontal cortex and hypothalamus: an in vivo microdialysis and receptor binding study.

The selective serotonin reuptake inhibitor fluoxetine consists of equal amounts of R and S stereoisomers. In this study, we investigated the pharmacologic properties of the stereoisomers using transporter and receptor binding assays and in vivo microdialysis in freely moving rats. Binding to the transporter confirmed selectivity of R- and S-fluoxetine for the 5-HT transporter versus the dopamine (DA) and norepinephrine (NE) human transporters.