Emergence of nociceptive functionality and opioid signaling in human induced pluripotent stem cell-derived sensory neurons.

Induced pluripotent stem cells (iPSCs) have enabled the generation of various difficult-to-access cell types such as human nociceptors. A key challenge associated with human iPSC-derived nociceptors (hiPSCdNs) is their prolonged functional maturation. While numerous studies have addressed the expression of classic neuronal markers and ion channels in hiPSCdNs, the temporal development of key signaling cascades regulating nociceptor activity has remained largely unexplored.

RNA interference-mediated silencing of Kv7.2 in rat dorsal root ganglion neurons abolishes the anti-nociceptive effect of a selective channel opener.

Introduction: Development of agonistic analgesic drugs requires proof of selectivity in vivo attainable by selective antagonists or several knockdown strategies. The Kv7.2 potassium channel encoded by the KCNQ2 gene regulates neuronal excitability and its activation inhibits nociceptive transmission.

RNA interference-based functional knockdown of the voltage-gated potassium channel Kv7.2 in dorsal root ganglion neurons after in vitro and in vivo gene transfer by adeno-associated virus vectors.

Activation of the neuronal potassium channel Kv7.2 encoded by the KCNQ2 gene has recently been shown to be an attractive mechanism to inhibit nociceptive transmission. However, potent, selective, and clinically proven activators of Kv7.

Electrophysiological characterization of activation state-dependent Ca(v)2 channel antagonist TROX-1 in spinal nerve injured rats.

Prialt, a synthetic version of Ca(v)2.2 antagonist ω-conotoxin MVIIA derived from Conus magus, is the first clinically approved voltage-gated calcium channel blocker for refractory chronic pain. However, due to the narrow therapeutic window and considerable side effects associated with systemic dosing, Prialt is only administered intrathecally.

Induction of drug-resistant bladder carcinoma cells in vitro: impact on polychemotherapy with cisplatin, methotrexate and vinblastine (CMV).

Residual tumor, tumor progression or relapse after chemotherapy of patients with advanced or metastasized transitional cell carcinoma of the bladder (TCCB) are suggested to reflect intrinsic drug resistance of cancer cells, or the development of chemotherapy-resistant tumor cell populations. The present study aimed to establish drug-resistant subculture cell lines from human TCCB, selected for anticancer drugs, administered in the cisplatin, methotrexate and vinblastine (CMV) polychemotherapy protocol. Tumor cells from chemonaive cell lines of human TCCB (HT1376, TCCSUP) have been exposed to progressively increasing concentrations of cis-diamminedichloroplatinum (II) (CDDP), methotrexate (MTX), vinblastine (VBL) or etoposide (VP16).

Detection of circulating prostatic cells during radical prostatectomy.

The detection of micrometastasis of prostate cancer could help to decide more appropriate therapeutic strategies in an individual patient. We have developed a flow cytometric method for detecting cytokeratin-positive cells in the peripheral blood before, during and after radical prostatectomy in patients with prostatic carcinoma. By means of this technique we were able to detect a higher number of cytokeratin-positive cells in the intraoperative blood sample than in the pre- and postoperative blood sample in 15 patients with prostate cancer (P < 0.