Glycyrrhizin Ameliorates Cardiac Injury in Rats with Severe Acute Pancreatitis by Inhibiting Ferroptosis via the Keap1/Nrf2/HO-1 Pathway.

Background: Severe acute pancreatitis (SAP) is a potential fatal gastrointestinal disease that is usually complicated by myocardial injury and dysfunction. Due to the lack of understanding of the mechanism of SAP-associated cardiac injury (SACI), there is still no complete treatment.

Aims: To explore the alleviative effect and anti-ferroptosis mechanism against SACI of glycyrrhizin (GL), an inhibitor of oxidative stress.

Connexin32 activates necroptosis through Src-mediated inhibition of caspase 8 in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Necroptosis is an alternative form of programmed cell death that generally occurs under apoptosis-deficient conditions. Our previous work showed that connexin32 (Cx32) promotes the malignant progress of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) by enhancing the ability of resisting apoptosis in vivo and in vitro. Whether triggering necroptosis is a promising strategy to eliminate the apoptosis-resistant HCC cells with high Cx32 expression remains unknown.

Cx32 exerts anti-apoptotic and pro-tumor effects via the epidermal growth factor receptor pathway in hepatocellular carcinoma.

Background: Abnormal expression or distribution of connexin 32 (Cx32) is associated with hepatocarcinogenesis, but the role of Cx32 and the underlying mechanisms are still unclear.

Methods: The expression level of Cx32 in 96 hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) specimens was determined using western blotting and immunohistochemistry. The correlation between Cx32 expression and clinicopathological parameters was analyzed.

The gap junction inhibitor INI-0602 attenuates mechanical allodynia and depression-like behaviors induced by spared nerve injury in rats.

Gap junctions (GJs) are novel molecular targets for pain therapeutics due to their pain-promoting function. INI-0602, a new GJ inhibitor, exerts a neuroprotective role, while its role in neuropathic pain is unclear. The objective was to investigate the analgesic role and mechanisms of INI-0602 in neuropathic pain induced by spared nerve injury (SNI), and whether INI-0602 attenuated pain-induced depression-like behaviors.

Gut Barrier Dysfunction Induced by Aggressive Fluid Resuscitation in Severe Acute Pancreatitis is Alleviated by Necroptosis Inhibition in Rats.

Fluid resuscitation is the first-line antishock treatment in severe acute pancreatitis (SAP). Currently, although mentions of complications related to aggressive fluid resuscitation are very frequent, a lack of proper handling of complications remains. One of the most important complications is intestinal barrier injury, including intestinal ischemia-reperfusion injury following aggressive fluid resuscitation.

Effects and mechanisms of Bazhen decoction, Siwu decoction, and Sijunzi decoction on 5-fluorouracil-induced anemia in mice.

Objective: To investigate the effects of Bazhen decoction (BZD), Siwu decoction (SWD) and Sijunzi decoction (SJZD) in mice with anemia induced by 5-fluorouracil (5-FU) and discussed the possible pharmacological hematopoietic mechanism to provide experimental evidence for the clinical use of the three classical prescriptions in the treatment of anemia.

Methods: Anemia was induced by intravenous injection of 5-FU and 80 female Kunming mice were randomly, assigned to oral administration of SWD, SJZD, or BZD daily for 10 days. Peripheral blood cells count and bone marrow cell cycle were monitored to evaluate anti-anemia effects.

The cytoplasmic translocation of Cx32 mediates cisplatin resistance in ovarian cancer cells.

Ovarian cancer is the most lethal gynecologic malignancy, and cisplatin is one of the first-line chemotherapeutic agents. However, acquired cisplatin resistance prevents the successful treatment of patients with ovarian cancer. Gap junction (GJ) and connexin (Cx) are closely related to tumor formation, but the relationship between cisplatin resistance and GJ or Cx are undetermined.