Pharmacology Research & Perspectives最新文献

Heart failure (HF) is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality, often driven by prolonged exposure to pathological stimuli such as pressure and volume overload. These factors contribute to excessive oxidative stress, adverse cardiac remodeling, and dysregulation of the nitric oxide-soluble guanylate cyclase-cyclic guanosine monophosphate (NO-sGC-cGMP) signaling pathway. Given the urgent need for effective treatments, this study investigated the potential of sGC stimulators to mitigate HF progression. We utilized male hypertensive Ren-2 transgenic (TGR) rats and a volume-overload HF model induced by an aortocaval fistula (ACF). Rats received the sGC stimulator BAY 41-8543 (3 mg/kg/day) for 30 weeks, while normotensive Hannover Sprague-Dawley rats served as controls. At the study endpoint (40 weeks of age), left ventricular tissue was analyzed using mass spectrometry, Western blotting, and histological assessment. TGR rats treated with sGC stimulators exhibited a significant increase in key antioxidant proteins (SOD1, CH10, ACSF2, NDUS1, DHE3, GSTM2, and PCCA), suggesting enhanced resistance to oxidative stress. However, sGC stimulator treatment also upregulated extracellular matrix remodeling markers (MMP-2, TGF-β, and SMAD2/3), which are typically associated with fibrosis. Despite this, Masson's trichrome staining revealed reduced collagen deposition in both TGR and TGR-ACF rats receiving sGC stimulators. Notably, all untreated TGR-ACF rats succumbed before the study endpoint, preventing direct assessment of sGC stimulator effects in advanced HF. These findings highlight the therapeutic potential of sGC stimulators in HF, particularly through their antioxidant effects. However, their concurrent influence on fibrosis warrants further investigation to optimize treatment strategies.

Concern over the side effects of anti-obesity medications, particularly if severe, has grown as their use has increased. Thus, the objective was to use trends in the reporting of suspected adverse events associated with anti-obesity medications that have been approved for sale in the European Union to attempt to uncover discrepancies in the safety of these medications. The study was designed as secondary research, based on data about the number of adverse drug reactions (both serious and non-serious) reported to the EudraVigilance database. Trends of the annual reporting rates for the six anti-obesity drugs were analyzed by the Joinpoint Trend Analysis Software that divides the trendline into an optimum number of segments connected by "joinpoints" and tests the significance of the trend within each segment. The trends of serious adverse drug events showed clear differences among the anti-obesity drugs: while all drugs had significant increasing trends during a few initial years after their appearance on the market, only the annual number of reports for semaglutide continued to grow ever since (annual change + 67.1%, p = 0.000). On the contrary, a continuous increase in the reporting rate of non-serious adverse drug events was observed only for liraglutide (annual change + 33.8%, p = 0.000) while for the other anti-obesity drugs, including semaglutide, the trends after the initial period were either negative or did not increase significantly. In conclusion, among the anti-obesity drugs currently approved, only semaglutide shows a continuously increasing trend in the annual reporting of serious adverse events, suggesting a need for further investigation of safety signals.

The combination of Elexacaftor/Tezacaftor/Ivacaftor (ETI) has resulted in a significant improvement in lung function and global clinical parameters, which have not been previously achieved with other CFTR modulators. However, there is a paucity of evidence in the literature on the long-term use of ETI in adolescents and patients with severe pulmonary impairment. Furthermore, the response to ETI may differ between homozygotes and heterozygotes, as well as between naïve patients and those previously treated with other CFTR modulators. A retrospective study was conducted to examine changes in percent predicted forced expiratory volume in 1 s (ppFEV₁), body-mass index (BMI), and sweat chloride concentration (SwCl) at baseline and at 6, 12 and 24 months after the initiation of ETI. Secondary outcomes included the number of pulmonary exacerbations, Cystic Fibrosis Questionnaire-Revised (CFQ-R) score, adverse events, mortality and transplantation rates. 139 subjects were included and followed up for up to 2 years after starting ETI. The results demonstrated a significant improvement in ppFEV₁ and BMI after 12 months of therapy (respectively, 16%, p < 0.001; +1.5 kg/m², p = 0.005), with a slight decline in the values after 24 months. This effect was independent of genotype and showed a different degree of response in naïve subjects compared to patients previously treated with other CFTR modulators. SwCl decreased from 84 to 37 mmol/L over 24 months (p < 0.001). 58.3% reduction of PEx rate was observed compared to the number of exacerbations prior to ETI. Overall, lung function, SwCl, PEx rate, CFQ-R scores and BMI improved after 24 months of ETI treatment. ETI was well tolerated, and none of the patients interrupted the treatment due to toxicity.

Metformin is a classical oral hypoglycemic drug, often recommended as the first-line therapy for type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2DM). Previous research has shown that the efficacy of metformin is associated with the genetic polymorphisms of patients. Considering the role of G6PC in gluconeogenesis and glycogenolysis, this study aims to investigate the association of G6PC rs161620 and rs2229611 with metformin efficacy in T2DM patients who take metformin only. According to the decrease of HbA1c, 116 T2DM patients receiving metformin monotherapy were divided into two groups: response group (the decrease of HbA1c by at least 1.5% after 3 months) and non-response group (the decrease of HbA1c < 1.5%). SNPscan technology was used to genotype. There were significant differences in rs161620 and rs2229611 presented in genotype frequency (p = 0.027 both) between the response group and the non-response group. According to the results of logistic analysis, the genetic polymorphisms of G6PC rs161620 or rs2229611 could influence the hypoglycemic effect of metformin in T2DM patients. We found that the decreasing values of PBG and HbA1c in G6PC rs161620 (C > A) or rs2229611 (T > C) mutants were significantly more than those in wild-type individuals, which means the more effective genotypes of metformin are CA/AA of rs161620 and TC/CC of rs2229611. This study suggested that the G6PC rs161620 and rs2229611 genetic polymorphisms were significantly associated with metformin efficacy in Chinese T2DM patients.

Multiple sclerosis (MS) is a chronic inflammatory disease characterized by immune-mediated demyelination of the central nervous system, resulting in extensive neurological deficit and remyelination impairment. We have previously found that interleukin-four induced one (IL4I1) protein modulates CNS inflammation and enhances remyelination in mouse models of experimental demyelination. However, it remained unclear if IL4I1 regulates lymphocyte activity in MS. To assess the therapeutic potential of IL4I1 in MS, we investigated the impact of IL4I1 treatment on human lymphocytes from peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMCs) obtained from healthy individuals and MS patients. We found that IL4I1 increased the relative densities of Th2 and regulatory T-cells, while reducing Th17 cell density in healthy control (HC) samples. Furthermore, IL4I1-treated lymphocytes promoted CNS remyelination when grafted into demyelinated spinal cord lesions in mice. We found that baseline endogenous IL4I1 expression was reduced in people with MS. However, unlike HCs, IL4I1 treatment had no significant effect on IL17 or TOB1 expression in lymphocytes derived from MS patients. These results suggest that IL4I1 skews CD4⁺ T-cells to a regulatory state in healthy human lymphocytes, which may be essential for promoting remyelination. However, IL4I1 appears unable to exert its influence on lymphocytes in MS, indicating that impaired IL4I1-mediated activity may underlie MS pathology.

Epilepsy, a chronic neurological disorder affecting around 65 million people globally, is characterized by recurrent, unprovoked epileptic seizures. Psilocin, the active metabolite of psilocybin, a well-known psychedelic compound, has recently gained attention for its potential antidepressant and anxiolytic properties. This study aims to investigate the anticonvulsant effects of psilocin. The study utilizes behavioral seizure models and electrophysiological recordings in mice to assess the anticonvulsant efficacy of psilocin. The pentylenetetrazole (PTZ) test for clonic seizures and the maximal electroshock (MES) test for generalized tonic-clonic seizures are employed. Cortical electrical activity is monitored to provide insights into the compound's effects on neuronal activity. The involvement of kynurenine pathway, opioidergic and nitrergic systems, as well as cannabinoid receptors using agonist/antagonist paradigms. Western blotting was employed to evaluate the expression levels of key receptors and enzymes implicated in psilocin's anticonvulsant effects. The findings indicate a possible modulation of seizure activity by psilocin, with modest doses (3 mg/kg, i.p.) demonstrating potential anticonvulsant effects. Remarkably, the administration of 1-MT, L-NAME, naltrexone, sildenafil, and AM-251 led to a diminishment of the anticonvulsant effects of psilocin, underscoring the involvement of the kynurenine pathway, nitrergic and opioidergic systems, cGMP, and the CB1 receptor in mediating the anticonvulsant effects of psilocin, respectively. Based on western blotting analysis, the upregulation of 5-HT1A but not 5-HT2A and the downregulation of IDO and CB1 expression following psilocin administration were observed. Acute administration of psilocin exerts anticonvulsant effects that might be mediated at least in part through the kynurenine pathway, opioidergic, serotonergic, and nitrergic systems.

Dry eye disease (DED) is a chronically inflammatory ocular surface disorder of unknown pathogenesis. Anti-inflammatory medications, artificial tears, autologous serum, and LipiFlow have been shown to be highly beneficial in alleviating symptoms. Nevertheless, these interventions often provide only short-term results and do not address the underlying problems of the disease. There is growing evidence that the risk of DED is associated with a vicious cycle of inflammation. This vicious cycle of inflammation is produced by the interaction of several factors, including tear film hyperosmolarity, tear film instability, inflammation, and apoptosis. Chinese medicine monomers, distinguished by their multicomponent and multitarget advantages, have been shown to help treat DED by modulating tear film status, and inhibiting inflammatory responses, and apoptosis, providing a new way of thinking of the management of DED in Chinese medicine.

Sitafloxacin is one of the oral respiratory quinolones for the treatment of community-acquired pneumonia. The pharmacokinetic (PK) changes of sitafloxacin in critical illness have been previously reported. However, sitafloxacin exposure and target attainment have never been confirmed in this population. To develop a population pharmacokinetic (PK) model of sitafloxacin, plasma and epithelial lining fluid (ELF) concentrations were obtained after sitafloxacin administration as a 200-mg single dose under fasting condition in 12 subjects. A population pharmacokinetic analysis was performed using a nonlinear mixed-effects modeling approach. The probability of target attainment (PTA) and cumulative fraction of response (CFR) against the MIC distribution of S. pneumoniae isolated from Thai patients was estimated by Monte Carlo simulations. The pharmacokinetics of sitafloxacin in plasma was best described by a one-compartment model linking to the ELF compartment. The partition coefficient which relates drug exposure in ELF to drug exposure in plasma was estimated to be 0.77. Age was a significant covariate that impacted the relative bioavailability. Results from Monte Carlo simulations showed that the maximum approved dose of sitafloxacin 100 mg q 12 h provided > 90% PTA and CFR in both plasma and ELF. The current maximal dosing of sitafloxacin provided adequate exposure in plasma and ELF for the treatment of critically ill Thai patients with pneumonia.

Experiential learning (EL) is a high-impact teaching practice. Despite this, it can be challenging to embed EL into educational curricula at scale due to resource constraints, such as the number of faculty members available to supervise research projects. Here we report on two distinct elective courses in a Pharmacology curriculum, both of which incorporate EL in different ways. The first course, Pharmacology and Toxicology in Society, involves community partnerships and a focus on harm reduction and drug misuse. The second course, Biomedical Incubator Capstone Project, includes student teams working as a simulated biotechnology startup. Our research questions were: (1) To what extent did students perceive gains in their skills in four domains: teamwork, career preparedness, critical thinking and problem solving, and application of theory to practice ? (2) Did student responses differ between the two EL courses? We surveyed students in both courses over three iterations to assess their perceived gains in skills across these four domains. Surveys contained both quantitative (Likert) elements and qualitative open-ended questions. We conducted mixed methods analyses of student responses. Overall student responses were positive to Likert prompts (87%-96% either agreed or strongly agreed) exploring these domains. Thematic analysis of responses to open-ended questions highlighted the transformative nature of EL experiences in both courses. Our work highlights the finding that strikingly different EL experiences can result in similar student perceptions of gains in teamwork, career preparedness, critical thinking and problem solving, and application of theory to practice. The work demonstrates the effectiveness of expanded opportunities for quality EL in Pharmacology programs and beyond.

Variability in low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C) has emerged as a potential independent cardiovascular risk factor, but the impact of short-term discontinuation of statins on LDL-C remains to be defined. Furthermore, the relationship between individual statin metabolites and changes in LDL-C has not yet been examined. The present study aimed to investigate changes in LDL-C concentrations during a four-day discontinuation of atorvastatin therapy and to examine correlations between the half-lives of atorvastatin metabolites and LDL-C concentrations. This pharmacokinetic intervention study included 60 adults with confirmed adherence to atorvastatin, using doses of 20 mg (N = 20), 40 mg (N = 20), or 80 mg (N = 20) at study start. Atorvastatin was then discontinued, and blood samples were collected from day zero to day four. We assessed daily concentrations of LDL-C and of atorvastatin with its metabolites by liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry. The mean (SD) LDL-C at baseline was 1.84 (0.6) mmol/L. LDL-C increased on average by 0.50 mmol/L (27%) from day zero to day four. The increase in LDL-C was significant already 48 h after the last statin intake and was affected by individual variation in baseline concentrations and the slope of the daily increase. A moderate correlation was found between differences in LDL-C concentrations and the half-lives of hydroxylated atorvastatin metabolites. In conclusion, 4 days without atorvastatin resulted in an almost 30% increase in LDL-C concentrations, and the increase was significant already after the first omitted dose. The half-lives of hydroxylated atorvastatin metabolites showed a moderate correlation with the increase in LDL-C concentrations.