Pharmacological Reports最新文献

Background: The study aimed to evaluate the therapeutic potential of fourteen newly synthesized bisphosphonates by assessing their bioavailability, bone affinity, and cytotoxicity. These bisphosphonates included a series of aminomethylenebisphosphonates and standard compounds such as risedronate and tiludronate.

Methods: Drug permeability was determined using Parallel Artificial Membrane Permeability Assays (PAMPA), while bone affinity was assessed by sorption on hydroxyapatite. Bacterial cell response to the bisphosphonates was also examined using Lactobacillus paracasei cells as a model.

Results: Several tested compounds, including BP3 to BP8 and BP11, which feature substituents in the pyridine ring such as methyl groups, iodine, bromine, chlorine, or hydroxyl groups, demonstrated potentially more beneficial therapeutic properties than commercially used bisphosphonates. These compounds showed stronger bone affinity and higher gastrointestinal absorption with comparable or lower cytotoxic effects. Specifically, BP11 exhibited the highest bone affinity, while BP8 and BP11 showed the greatest permeability.

Conclusions: The findings suggest that BP3 BP8, and BP11 are promising candidates for further research. These results highlight the importance of comprehensively evaluating bisphosphonates' therapeutic properties to identify effective treatments for osteoporosis and other bone diseases.

Background: Currently, there is no antiviral licensed to treat chikungunya fever, a disease caused by the infection with Alphavirus chikungunya (CHIKV). Treatment is based on analgesic and anti-inflammatory drugs to relieve symptoms. Our study aimed to evaluate the antiviral activity of sulfadoxine (SFX), an FDA-approved drug, and its derivatives complexed with silver(I) (AgSFX), salicylaldehyde Schiff base (SFX-SL), and with both Ag and SL (AgSFX-SL) against CHIKV.

Methods: The anti-CHIKV activity of SFX and its derivatives was investigated using BHK-21 cells infected with CHIKV-nanoluc, a marker virus-carrying nanoluciferase reporter. Dose-response and time of drug-addition assays were performed in order to assess the antiviral effects of the compounds, as well as in silico data and ATR-FTIR analysis for insights on their mechanisms of action.

Results: The SFX inhibited 34% of CHIKV replication, while AgSFX, SFX-SL, and AgSFX-SL enhanced anti-CHIKV activity to 84%, 89%, and 95%, respectively. AgSFX, SFX-SL, and AgSFX-SL significantly decreased viral entry and post-entry to host cells, and the latter also protected cells against infection. Additionally, molecular docking calculations and ATR-FTIR analysis demonstrated interactions of SFX-SL, AgSFX, and AgSFX-SL with CHIKV.

Conclusions: Collectively, our findings suggest that the addition of metal ions and/or Schiff base to SFX improved its antiviral activity against CHIKV.

Background: Recently, we demonstrated that nicorandil inhibits mechanical allodynia induced by paclitaxel. In the present study, we evaluated the effect induced by nicorandil in a model of neuropathic pain induced by chronic constriction injury (CCI) in mice. We also investigated putative mechanisms underlying such an effect.

Methods: CCI was induced by three ligatures of the left sciatic nerve. Mechanical allodynia was evaluated by measuring the paw withdrawal threshold with an electronic von Frey apparatus. Concentrations of cytokines and myeloperoxidase activity were determined in the paw tissue, sciatic nerve, and dorsal root ganglia (DRG).

Results: Oral administration of two doses of nicorandil (150 mg/kg po), but not equimolar doses of nicotinamide or nicotinic acid, attenuated mechanical allodynia induced by CCI. Nicorandil activity was reduced by previous administration of glibenclamide (40 mg/kg) or naltrexone (5 mg/kg or 10 mg/kg). Two doses of nicorandil (150 mg/kg, po) reduced tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin-1β and interleukin-6, but not CXCL-1, concentrations in the paw tissue of CCI mice. Two doses of nicorandil (150 mg/kg, po) reduced concentrations of all these mediators in the sciatic nerve and DRG. Two doses of nicorandil (150 mg/kg, po) also reduced the myeloperoxidase activity in the paw tissue, sciatic nerve, and DRG.

Conclusions: Nicorandil exhibits antiallodynic activity in a model of neuropathic pain induced by CCI. Inhibition of cytokines production and reduction of neutrophils recruitment in paw tissue, sciatic nerve, and DRG as well as activation of ATP-dependent potassium channels and opioidergic pathways, underlie nicorandil antiallodynic activity.

Background: Endometriosis is a female hormone-dependent gynecological disorder characterized by chronic inflammation. Therefore, the development of novel treatment strategies that can diminish the side effects of the long-term use of hormone-based drugs has been emphasized. S-Allyl-L-cysteine (SAC) is the major constituent of aged garlic extracts. Although the therapeutic effects resulting from the antioxidant properties of SAC have been extensively studied in inflammatory diseases, the therapeutic efficacy of SAC in endometriosis has not been described. In this study, we investigated the therapeutic potential of SAC for endometriosis using a mouse model.

Methods: An endometriosis mouse model was surgically induced, and oral treatment with 30 mg/kg SAC was administered daily for 28 days. The development of endometriotic lesions was assessed by histological analysis, and the expression profiles of adhesion-, apoptosis-, and inflammation-related genes were evaluated by PCR. Flow cytometric analysis of mouse spleen was conducted to assess changes in lymphocyte subpopulations.

Results: SAC treatment significantly inhibited endometriotic lesion growth. Transcriptional expression analysis revealed the antiadhesion and apoptosis-promoting effects of SAC. In particular, SAC showed an effective immune modulatory response by altering splenic CD4⁺ and CD8⁺ T cell subsets and inflammatory cytokine production in the spleen and endometriotic lesions.

Conclusion: This study newly elucidates the inhibitory effects of SAC on the growth of endometriosis in a mouse model and describes its immunomodulatory effects.

Background: The understanding of mechanisms underlying non-response to antidepressants is limited. The latest data highlights the role of insulin resistance (IR) in major depressive disorder (MDD) pathophysiology, presentation, and treatment efficacy. This work aimed to assess IR in MDD and explore the relationships between IR, MDD presentation and non-response to selective serotonin and noradrenaline reuptake inhibitors (SNRI).

Methods: 67 MDD individuals: 36 responsive (MDD T[+]), 31 non-responsive (MDD T[-]) to SNRI and 30 healthy controls were recruited. The treatment response criteria were: Clinical Global Impression Scale-Improvement score of 1 or 2 after ≥ 8 weeks of treatment. Participants were assessed by physician and self-report tools measuring depression, anhedonia, anxiety, bipolarity, sleep quality. Blood samples were collected to assess fasting glucose and insulin levels and calculate HOMA-IR (homeostasis model assessment of insulin resistance).

Results: MDD T[-] vs. MDD T[+] had significantly higher body mass index, insulin levels, and HOMA-IR. MDD T[-] presented higher levels of depressed mood, appetite/weight changes, loss of interest, energy, overall depressive symptoms, and sleep impairment; some evaluations suggested higher anhedonia and anxiety in MDD T[-] vs. MDD T[+]. Insulin and IR were weakly but significantly correlated with the severity of psychomotor symptoms, energy level, thoughts of death/suicide, self-criticism, appetite/weight, depressed mood symptoms, sleep problems. IR was weakly but significantly correlated with anhedonia.

Conclusion: IR appears to be linked to depressive symptoms characteristic of the "metabolic" MDD subtype, such as psychomotor changes, energy level, anhedonia, sleep problems, appetite/weight changes, state and trait anxiety, sleep quality, and non-response to SNRI.

Background: Iron is one of the key microelements in the mammalian body and is the most abundant metal in the brain. Iron, a very important chemical element in the body of mammals, is the most abundant metal in the brain. It participates in many chemical reactions taking place in the central nervous system acting as a cofactor in key enzymatic reactions involved in neurotransmitter synthesis and degradation, dendritic arborization, and myelination. Moreover, iron accumulation in the brain has been implicated in the pathogenesis of neurogenerative disorders.

Material and methods: The aim of our study was to assess the influence of iron administered orally (30 mg/kg) to rats in the neonatal period (p12-p14) by testing the performance of rats in the open field and social interaction tests, and by evaluating the recognition memory, monoamine levels in some brain structures, and BDNF mRNA expression. The behavioral and biochemical tests were performed in adult p88-p92 rats.

Results: Iron administered to rats in the neonatal period induced long-term deficits in behavioral tests in adult rats. It reduced the exploratory activity in the open field test. In the social interaction test, it induced deficits in the parameters studied, and decreased memory retention. Moreover, iron changed the brain monoamine levels in some studied brain structures and decreased the expression of BDNF mRNA in the hippocampus.

Conclusions: All earlier and our present results indicated that iron administered to rats in the neonatal period induced an increase in oxidative stress which resulted in a change in the brain monoamine levels and decreased BDNF mRNA expression which may play a role in iron-induced memory impairment in adult rats.

Background: The cholinergic system has been increasingly linked to the pathophysiology of mood disorders such as depression, with the potential involvement of nicotinic and/or muscarinic receptors. Conventional antidepressants usually require weeks of daily dosing to achieve a full antidepressant response. In contrast, clinical studies have shown that scopolamine, a nonselective muscarinic acetylcholine receptor antagonist, can induce potent and rapid antidepressant effects, requiring only a few days of treatment. This study aimed to examine the suitability of the unpredictable chronic mild stress (UCMS) model of depression to reproduce the above scopolamine antidepressant activity patterns.

Methods: Rapid and sustained antidepressant-like effects were assessed by using the splash test, sucrose preference test (SPT), tail suspension test (TST), and forced swimming test (FST) in animals undergoing the UCMS procedure and stress-naïve C57BL/6J mice. Western Blotting was used to measure tropomyosin receptor kinase B (TrkB), mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR), eukaryotic elongation factor (eEF2) and postsynaptic density protein 95 (PSD95) levels.

Results: Scopolamine induced antidepressant-like effects in a dose-dependent manner only after subchronic, but not single, administration in the UCMS model of depression in C57BL/6J mice without affecting locomotor activity. Specifically, scopolamine administered at a dose of 0.3 mg/kg for four consecutive days significantly reversed the UCMS-induced depressive-like behavior, such as apathy, anhedonia, and behavioral despair, while scopolamine, given at the same dose but only once, did not relieve the above symptoms. Scopolamine treatment was accompanied by eEF2 protein dephosphorylation and its subsequent reactivation in the prefrontal cortex (PFC).

Conclusion: Subchronic administration of scopolamine is needed to ameliorate UCMS-induced depressive-like behavior. The suggested mechanism of scopolamine action covers eEF2 protein activity in the PFC.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic autoimmune disease characterized by pathological processes of demyelination, subsequent axonal loss, and neurodegeneration within the central nervous system. Despite the availability of numerous disease-modifying therapies that effectively manage this condition, there is an emerging need to identify novel therapeutic targets, particularly for progressive forms of MS. Based on contemporary insights into disease pathophysiology, ongoing efforts are directed toward developing innovative treatment modalities. Primarily, monoclonal antibodies have been extensively investigated for their efficacy in influencing specific pathological pathways not yet targeted. Emerging approaches emphasizing cellular mechanisms, such as chimeric antigen receptor T cell therapy targeting immunological cells, are attracting increasing interest. The evolving understanding of microglia and the involvement of ferroptotic mechanisms in MS pathogenesis presents further avenues for targeted therapies. Moreover, innovative treatment strategies extend beyond conventional approaches to encompass interventions that target alterations in microbiota composition and dietary modifications. These adjunctive therapies hold promise as complementary methods for the holistic management of MS. This narrative review aims to summarize current therapies and outline potential treatment methods for individuals with MS.

Background: Padsevonil (PSL) is a rationally designed anti-seizure medication (ASM) which has overlapping mechanisms of action with the two most common ASMs used for neonatal seizures, phenobarbital (PB) and levetiracetam (LEV). Here we evaluated the anti-seizure properties of PSL across the neonatal and adolescent period in rats in the pentlyenetetrazole (PTZ) induced seizures model.

Methods: Postnatal day (P)7, P14 and P21 Sprague-Dawley rat pups were pre-treated with PSL (1-30 mg/kg), and assessed for seizure latency and severity 30 min later following injection of PTZ. A separate cohort of P7 pups were treated with neonatal ASMs and euthanized 24 h later (on P8) to assess induction of cell death, a feature common to many ASMs when given to P7 rodents. This effect has been extensively reported with PB, but not with LEV. Cell death was assessed by PathoGreen staining.

Results: PSL suppressed PTZ-evoked seizures across multiple age groups, particularly at higher doses, without producing increased cell death compared to vehicle. The effects of PSL were particularly notable at suppressing tonic-clonic seizure manifestations (82% of P7 and 100% of P14 and P21 animals were protected from tonic-clonic seizures with the 30 mg/kg dose).

Conclusions: PSL displayed dose-dependent anti-seizure effects in immature rodents in the PTZ model of seizures in immature rats. While many ASMs, including PB, induce cell death in neonatal rats, PSL does not. This suggests that PSL may offer therapeutic benefit and a favorable safety profile for the treatment of neonatal seizures.

Background: - Alcohol-induced pro-inflammatory activation might influence cellular and synaptic pathology, thus contributing to the behavioral phenotypes associated with alcohol use disorders. In the present study, the possible anti-inflammatory properties of N-[(4-trifluoromethyl)-benzyl]4-methoxybutyramide (GET73), a promising therapeutic agent for alcohol use disorder treatment, were evaluated in primary cultures of rat cortical microglia.

Methods: - Primary cultures of cerebral cortex microglial cells were treated with 100 ng/ml lipopolysaccharide (LPS; 8 h, 37 °C) or 75 mM ethanol (EtOH; 4 days, 37 °C) alone or in the presence of GET73 (1-30 µM). At the end of the incubation period, multiparametric quantification of cytokines/chemokines was performed by using the xMAP technology and Luminex platform. Furthermore, cultured microglial cell viability following the treatment with EtOH and GET73, alone or in combination, has been measured by a colorimetric assay (i.e. MTT assay).

Results: - GET73 (10 and 30 µM) partially or fully prevented the LPS-induced increase of IL-6, IL-1β, RANTES/CCL5 protein and MCP-1/CCL2 levels. On the contrary, GET73 failed to attenuate the TNF-α level increase induced by LPS. Furthermore, GET73 treatment (10-30 µM) significantly attenuated or prevented the EtOH-induced increase of TNF-α, IL-6, IL-1β and MCP-1/CCL2 levels. Finally, at all the concentrations tested (1-30 µM), the GET73 treatment did not alter the EtOH-induced reduction of microglial cell viability.

Conclusions: - The current results provide the first in vitro evidence of GET73 protective properties against EtOH-induced neuroinflammation. These data add more information on the complex and multifactorial profile of action of the compound, further supporting the significance of developing GET73 as a therapeutic tool for the treatment of individuals with alcohol use disorders.