Penfluridol targets acid sphingomyelinase to inhibit TNF signaling and is therapeutic against inflammatory autoimmune diseases.

Background: Penfluridol, isolated from an FDA-approved small-molecule drug library as an inhibitor of tumor necrosis factor α (TNFα)-stimulated NF-κB activation, is clinically used to treat chronic schizophrenia and related disorders. This study is aimed to investigate the therapeutic effect of penfluridol on TNFα-stimulated inflammatory autoimmune diseases, particularly inflammatory arthritis.

Methods: Various in vitro studies to confirm the inhibitory effect of penfluridol on TNFα-induced NF-κB activity in bone marrow-derived macrophages or Raw 264.

Asenapine maleate inhibits angiotensin II-induced proliferation and activation of cardiac fibroblasts via the ROS/TGFβ1/MAPK signaling pathway.

Background: Cardiac fibrosis will increase wall stiffness and diastolic dysfunction, which will eventually lead to heart failure. Asenapine maleate (AM) is widely used in the treatment of schizophrenia. In the current study, we explored the potential mechanism underlying the role of AM in angiotensin II (Ang II)-induced cardiac fibrosis.

Neuroprotective mechanisms of rutin for spinal cord injury through anti-oxidation and anti-inflammation and inhibition of p38 mitogen activated protein kinase pathway.

Rutin has anti-inflammatory, antioxidant, anti-viral, anti-tumor and immune regulatory effects. However, the neuroprotective effects of rutin in spinal cord injury are unknown. The p38 mitogen activated protein kinase (p38 MAPK) pathway is the most important member of the MAPK family that controls inflammation.

Regulatory roles of microRNA-21 in fibrosis through interaction with diverse pathways (Review).

MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) is a small, non-coding RNA which can regulate gene expression at the post‑transcriptional level. While the fibrogenic process is vital in tissue repair, proliferation and transition of fibrogenic cells combined with an imbalance of secretion and degradation of the extracellular matrix results in excessive tissue remodeling and fibrosis. Recent studies have indicated that miR‑21 is overexpressed during fibrosis and can regulate the fibrogenic process in a variety of organs and tissues via diverse pathways.

microRNAs in spinal cord injury: potential roles and therapeutic implications.

microRNAs (miRNAs) are a novel class of small non-coding RNAs that negatively regulate gene expression at the post-transcriptional level. miRNAs can modulate gene expression and thus play important roles in diverse neurobiological processes, such as cell differentiation, growth, proliferation and neural activity, as well as the pathogenic processes of spinal cord injury (SCI) like inflammation, oxidation, demyelination and apoptosis. Results from animal studies have revealed the temporal alterations in the expression of a large set of miRNAs following SCI in adult rats, and the expressional changes in miRNAs following SCI is bidirectional (increase or decrease).