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Energy Expenditure Homeostasis Requires ErbB4, an Obesity Risk Gene, in the Paraventricular Nucleus.ENeuro Sep 2023Obesity affects more than a third adult population in the United States; the prevalence is even higher in patients with major depression disorders. GWAS studies identify...
Obesity affects more than a third adult population in the United States; the prevalence is even higher in patients with major depression disorders. GWAS studies identify the receptor tyrosine kinase ErbB4 as a risk gene for obesity and for major depression disorders. We found that ErbB4 was enriched in the paraventricular nucleus of the hypothalamus (PVH). To investigate its role in metabolism, we deleted ErbB4 by injecting a Cre-expressing virus into the PVH of ErbB4-floxed male mice and found that PVH ErbB4 deletion increased weight gain without altering food intake. ErbB4 PVH deletion also reduced nighttime activity and decreased intrascapular brown adipose tissue (iBAT) thermogenesis. Analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) revealed that ErbB4 PVH deletion reduced O consumption, CO production and heat generation in a manner independent of body weight. Immunostaining experiments show that ErbB4+ neurons in the PVH were positive for oxytocin (OXT); ErbB4 PVH deletion reduces serum levels of OXT. We characterized mice where ErbB4 was specifically mutated in OXT+ neurons and found reduction in energy expenditure, phenotypes similar to PVH ErbB4 deletion. Taken together, our data indicate that ErbB4 in the PVH regulates metabolism likely through regulation of OXT expressing neurons, reveal a novel function of ErbB4 and provide insight into pathophysiological mechanisms of depression-associated obesity.
Topics: Adult; Animals; Humans; Male; Mice; Body Weight; Energy Metabolism; Homeostasis; Obesity; Oxytocin; Paraventricular Hypothalamic Nucleus; Receptor, ErbB-4
PubMed: 37669858
DOI: 10.1523/ENEURO.0139-23.2023 -
Journal of Medicinal Chemistry Feb 2024Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in women, and its management highly depends on early disease diagnosis and monitoring. This remains challenging due to breast... (Review)
Review
Breast cancer is a leading cause of death in women, and its management highly depends on early disease diagnosis and monitoring. This remains challenging due to breast cancer's heterogeneity and a scarcity of specific biomarkers that could predict responses to therapy and enable personalized treatment. This Perspective describes the diagnostic landscape for breast cancer management, molecular strategies targeting receptors overexpressed in tumors, the theranostic potential of the oxytocin receptor (OTR) as an emerging breast cancer target, and the development of OTR-specific optical and nuclear tracers to study, visualize, and treat tumors. A special focus is on the chemistry and pharmacology underpinning OTR tracer development, preclinical and studies, challenges, and future directions. The use of peptide-based tracers targeting upregulated receptors in cancer is a highly promising strategy complementing current diagnostics and therapies and providing new opportunities to improve cancer management and patient survival.
Topics: Humans; Female; Receptors, Oxytocin; Breast Neoplasms; Peptides; Breast; Oxytocin
PubMed: 38235665
DOI: 10.1021/acs.jmedchem.3c01089 -
International Journal of Biological... 2023Prostaglandins are lipid mediators involved in physiological processes, such as constriction or dilation of blood vessels, but also pathophysiological processes, which... (Review)
Review
Prostaglandins are lipid mediators involved in physiological processes, such as constriction or dilation of blood vessels, but also pathophysiological processes, which include inflammation, pain and fever. They are produced by almost all cell types in the organism by activation of Prostaglandin endoperoxide synthases/Cyclooxygenases. The inducible Prostaglandin Endoperoxide Synthase 2/Cyclooxygenase 2 (PTGS2/COX2) plays an important role in pathologies associated with inflammatory signaling. The main product derived from expression and activation is Prostaglandin E (PGE), which promotes a wide variety of tissue-specific effects, pending environmental inputs. One of the major sources of PGE are infiltrating inflammatory cells - the production of this molecule increases drastically in damaged tissues. Immune infiltration is a hallmark of type 1 diabetes mellitus, a multifactorial disease that leads to autoimmune-mediated pancreatic beta cell destruction. Controversial effects for the -PGE signaling cascade in pancreatic islet cells subjected to diabetogenic conditions have been reported, allocating PGE as both, cause and consequence of inflammation. Herein, we review the main effects of this molecular pathway in a tissue-specific manner, with a special emphasis on beta cell mass protection/destruction and its potential role in the prevention or development of T1DM. We also discuss strategies to target this pathway for future therapies.
Topics: Humans; Dinoprostone; Cyclooxygenase 2; Diabetes Mellitus, Type 1; Signal Transduction; Inflammation
PubMed: 37705740
DOI: 10.7150/ijbs.86492 -
BMC Pregnancy and Childbirth Aug 2023This study compares the effectiveness of administering sublingual misoprostol combined with oxytocin to that of IV tranexamic acid combined with oxytocin to reduce intra... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE
This study compares the effectiveness of administering sublingual misoprostol combined with oxytocin to that of IV tranexamic acid combined with oxytocin to reduce intra and post-operative blood loss in high-risk women for postpartum haemorrhage (PPH) following cesarean section (CS).
METHODS
About 315 high-risk pregnant women undergoing CS participated in this trial. They were randomly assigned into three groups; tranexamic group, misoprostol group, and control group, according to the medication given in the operative theatre. All patients received oxytocin intraoperatively. They were assessed regarding intraoperative blood loss, the incidence of PPH, and the reduction in haemoglobin and hematocrit values.
RESULTS
Both tranexamic and misoprostol groups had similar results in reducing intra and post-operative blood loss. However, the reduction in haemoglobin and hematocrit were significantly lower in tranexamic and misoprostol groups compared to the control group (-0.78 ± 0.57 vs. -0.83 ± 0.52 vs. -1.32 ± 0.57 gm/dl, P < 0.001 and - 3.05 ± 1.28 vs. -3.06 ± 1.13 vs. -4.94 ± 1.82%, P < 0.001 respectively). In addition, the estimated blood loss was significantly lower in the tranexamic and misoprostol groups compared to the control group (641.6 ± 271.9 vs. 617.9 ± 207.4 vs. 1002.4 ± 340.7 ml, P < 0.001).
CONCLUSION
Both tranexamic acid and misoprostol are equally capable of reducing blood loss, but the results were significantly better compared to using oxytocin alone in high-risk patients.
CLINICAL TRIAL REGISTRATION
Registered at www.
CLINICALTRIALS
govon07/10/2019 with registration number NCT04117243.
Topics: Pregnancy; Female; Humans; Postpartum Hemorrhage; Oxytocin; Tranexamic Acid; Misoprostol; Cesarean Section; Blood Loss, Surgical; Postoperative Hemorrhage
PubMed: 37626292
DOI: 10.1186/s12884-023-05935-5 -
Biomolecules Sep 2023Psoriasis is a skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperplasia and an inappropriate activation of the adaptive immunity. A dysregulation of the skin's lipid...
Psoriasis is a skin disease characterized by epidermal hyperplasia and an inappropriate activation of the adaptive immunity. A dysregulation of the skin's lipid mediators is reported in the disease with a predominance of the inflammatory cascade derived from n-6 polyunsaturated fatty acids (n-6 PUFAs). Bioactive lipid mediators derived from arachidonic acid (AA) are involved in the inflammatory functions of T cells in psoriasis, whereas n-3 PUFAs' derivatives are anti-inflammatory metabolites. Here, we sought to evaluate the influence of a supplementation of the culture media with eicosapentaenoic acid (EPA) on the lipid profile of a psoriatic skin model produced with polarized T cells. Healthy and psoriatic skin substitutes were produced following the auto-assembly technique. Psoriatic skin substitutes produced with or without T cells presented increased epidermal and dermal linolenic acid (LA) and AA levels. N-6 PUFA lipid mediators were strongly measured in psoriatic substitutes, namely, 13-hydroxyoctadecadienoic acid (13-HODE), prostaglandin E (PGE) and 12-hydroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE). The added EPA elevated the amounts of EPA, n-3 docosapentaenoic acid (DPA) and docosahexaenoic acid (DHA) in the epidermal and dermal phospholipids. The EPA supplementation balanced the production of epidermal lipid mediators, with an increase in prostaglandin E (PGE), 12-hydroxyeicosapentaenoic acid (12-HEPE) and -eicosapentaenoyl-ethanolamine (EPEA) levels. These findings show that EPA modulates the lipid composition of psoriatic skin substitutes by encouraging the return to a cutaneous homeostatic state.
Topics: Humans; Eicosapentaenoic Acid; T-Lymphocytes; Fatty Acids, Omega-3; Fatty Acids, Omega-6; Eicosanoids; Arachidonic Acid; Skin Diseases; Psoriasis; Dinoprostone
PubMed: 37759812
DOI: 10.3390/biom13091413 -
Biomedicine & Pharmacotherapy =... Dec 2023Colistin (polymyxin E) is an antibiotic that is effective against multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. However, the high incidence of nephrotoxicity caused by...
Colistin (polymyxin E) is an antibiotic that is effective against multidrug-resistant gram-negative bacteria. However, the high incidence of nephrotoxicity caused by colistin limits its clinical use. To identify compounds that might ameliorate colistin-induced nephrotoxicity, we obtained 1707 compounds from the Korea Chemical Bank and used a high-content screening (HCS) imaging-based assay. In this way, we found that bimatoprost (one of prostaglandin F2α analogue) ameliorated colistin-induced nephrotoxicity. To further assess the effects of bimatoprost on colistin-induced nephrotoxicity, we used in vitro and in vivo models. In cultured human proximal tubular cells (HK-2), colistin induced dose-dependent cytotoxicity. The number of terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase dUTP nick-end labeling (TUNEL)-positive cells, indicative of apoptosis, was higher in colistin-treated cells, but this effect of colistin was ameliorated by cotreatment with bimatoprost. The generation of reactive oxygen species, assessed using 2,7-dichlorodihydrofluorescein diacetate, was less marked in cells treated with both colistin and bimatoprost than in those treated with colistin alone. Female C57BL/6 mice (n = 10 per group) that were intraperitoneally injected with colistin (10 mg/kg/12 hr) for 14 days showed high blood urea nitrogen and serum creatinine concentrations that were reduced by the coadministration of bimatoprost (0.5 mg/kg/12 hr). In addition, kidney injury molecule-1 (KIM1) and Neutrophil gelatinase-associated lipocalin (NGAL) expression also reduced by bimatoprost administration. Further investigation in tubuloid and kidney organoids also showed that bimatoprost attenuated the nephrotoxicity by colistin, showing dose-dependent reducing effect of KIM1 expression. In this study, we have identified bimatoprost, prostaglandin F2α analogue as a drug that ameliorates colistin-induced nephrotoxicity.
Topics: Mice; Animals; Female; Humans; Colistin; Bimatoprost; Dinoprost; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Anti-Bacterial Agents; Kidney; Prostaglandins
PubMed: 37918255
DOI: 10.1016/j.biopha.2023.115446 -
Neuropharmacology Jun 2024This study extended a classic self-referential learning paradigm by investigating the effects of intranasally-administered oxytocin in high and low socially anxious... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
OBJECTIVE
This study extended a classic self-referential learning paradigm by investigating the effects of intranasally-administered oxytocin in high and low socially anxious participants during social learning, as a function of social anxiety levels and sex.
METHODS
In a randomized double-blinded design, 160 participants were either given intranasal oxytocin (24 I.U.) or placebo. Subsequently, while lying in an MR scanner, participants were shown neutral faces that were paired with positively, neutrally, or negatively valenced self-referential sentences, during which we measured self-reported arousal and sympathy of the facial stimuli, pupil dilation, and changes in the brain-oxygen-level dependent signal. Four-factor mixed analyses of variance with the between-subjects factors group (high socially anxious vs. low socially anxious), substance (oxytocin vs. placebo), and sex (male vs. female) and the within-subjects factor sentence valence (positive vs. neutral vs. negative) were conducted for each measure, respectively.
RESULTS
Administration of intranasal oxytocin yielded an increase in sympathy ratings in high socially anxious compared to low socially anxious individuals and decreased arousal ratings for positively-conditioned faces in low socially anxious participants. As an objective physiological measure of arousal, pupil dilation mirrored the behavioral results. Oxytocin effects on neural activation in the insula interacted with anxiety levels and sex: low socially anxious individuals yielded lower activation under oxytocin than placebo; the converse was observed in high socially anxious individuals. This interaction also differed between sexes, as men yielded higher activation levels than women. These findings were more prominent for positively- and negatively-conditioned faces. Within the amygdala, high socially anxious men yielded higher activation than high socially anxious women in the left hemisphere, and low socially anxious men yielded higher activation than low socially anxious women from positively- and negatively-conditioned faces, though no influence of oxytocin was detected.
CONCLUSION
These results suggest oxytocin-induced behavioral, physiological, and neural changes as a function of social learning in socially low and high anxious individuals. These findings challenge the amygdalocentric view of the role of emotions in social learning, instead contributing to the growing body of findings implicating the insula therein, revealing an interaction between oxytocin, sex, and emotional valence. Such discoveries raise an interesting set of questions regarding the computational goals of regions such as the insula in emotional learning and how neural activity can play a diagnostic or prognostic role in social anxiety, potentially leading to new treatment opportunities that may combine oxytocin and neurofeedback differentially for men and women.
Topics: Humans; Male; Female; Oxytocin; Anxiety; Emotions; Brain; Social Learning; Administration, Intranasal; Magnetic Resonance Imaging; Double-Blind Method
PubMed: 38537867
DOI: 10.1016/j.neuropharm.2024.109930 -
The Journal of Maternal-fetal &... Dec 2023Oxytocin is routinely administered after delivery for prophylaxis and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage, but it is associated with considerable cardiovascular... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Oxytocin is routinely administered after delivery for prophylaxis and treatment of postpartum hemorrhage, but it is associated with considerable cardiovascular side-effects. Carbetocin, a synthetic oxytocin analogue, has a myometrial contraction effect of 60 min when given IV, compared with 16 min for oxytocin.
OBJECTIVE
To investigate whether there are differences in cardiovascular effects between oxytocin and carbetocin up to 1 h after treatment.
METHODS
Sixty-one healthy pregnant women undergoing elective cesarean section in spinal anesthesia were randomized to receive an IV bolus of either five units (8.3 µg) of oxytocin or 100 µg of carbetocin after delivery of the baby. Heart rate (HR), mean arterial blood pressure, ECG ST index, oxygen saturation (SaO), and photoplethysmographic digital pulse wave analysis variables were recorded before and at 1, 5, 20, and 60 min after drug administration. Vasopressor use, uterine tonus, total bleeding, and need for additional uterotonics were also assessed. Repeated measurement ANOVA was used for statistical analyses.
RESULTS
The drugs had equal vasodilatory and hypotensive effects. Oxytocin, but not carbetocin, caused a decrease in HR at 1 min and a sustained decrease in cardiac left ventricular ejection time. Aggregate vasopressor use was higher in the carbetocin group. Neither drug caused any change in ST index, SaO, or subjective cardiac symptoms. Uterine tonus, need for additional uterotonics, or total bleeding did not differ significantly between the groups.
CONCLUSION
Single doses of oxytocin and carbetocin had similar dilatory effects on vascular tonus, where the difference in aggregate vasopressor use can be attributed to a more persistent hypotensive effect of carbetocin. A transient negative chronotropic and sustained negative inotropic effect occurred after oxytocin. Neither drug showed any alarmingly adverse effects. Differences in drug effects may be attributed to differences in oxytocin and vasopressin receptor signaling pathways.
Topics: Female; Pregnancy; Humans; Oxytocin; Oxytocics; Cesarean Section; Prospective Studies; Postpartum Hemorrhage; Double-Blind Method; Hypotension; Pulse Wave Analysis
PubMed: 37150593
DOI: 10.1080/14767058.2023.2208252 -
Brain and Behavior Dec 2023To provide a new insight into the diagnosis and treatment of hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP) by investigating changes in serum pain mediators.
OBJECTIVE
To provide a new insight into the diagnosis and treatment of hemiplegic shoulder pain (HSP) by investigating changes in serum pain mediators.
DESIGN
Cross-sectional study.
SUBJECTS/PATIENTS
Shoulder pain group (n = 34) and control group (n = 21).
METHODS
Pain-free shoulder mobility, anxiety status, depression status, and shoulder pain were measured by passive range of motion (PROM), self-rating anxiety scale, self-rating depression scale (SDS), and visual analog scale, respectively. The enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay was used to test the serum pain mediators, including interleukin (IL)-1β, IL-2, IL-6, IL-10, nerve growth factor (NGF), tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α), substance P (SP), calcitonin gene-related peptide (CGRP), bradykinin (BK), 5-hydroxytryptamine (5-HT), prostaglandin E2 (PGE2), and lysophosphatidic acid (LPA).
RESULTS
Shoulder pain group pain-free PROM significantly lower than control (p < .01), and SDS index score of shoulder pain group was significantly higher than control (p < .05). The rate of spasticity in the flexor elbow muscles is higher in shoulder pain group (p < .01). CGRP, IL-10, and IL-2 were significantly upregulated in shoulder pain group compared with control (p < .01), whereas NGF, TNF-α, IL-6, 5-HT, PGE2, SP, LPA, BK, and IL-1β were significantly decreased (p < .01).
CONCLUSION
Patients with HSP have a higher risk of joint mobility disorders and depression; spasticity may be an important factor in the development of shoulder pain; CGRP is thought to be the major pain mediator in HSP, and HSP may not be inflammatory.
Topics: Humans; Shoulder Pain; Interleukin-10; Calcitonin Gene-Related Peptide; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Nerve Growth Factor; Dinoprostone; Hemiplegia; Cross-Sectional Studies; Interleukin-2; Interleukin-6; Serotonin; Stroke
PubMed: 37864374
DOI: 10.1002/brb3.3289 -
Psychoneuroendocrinology Jun 2024Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder (ED) with high mortality rates and limited response to existing treatments, prompting the need to identify effective agents... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
BACKGROUND
Anorexia nervosa (AN) is an eating disorder (ED) with high mortality rates and limited response to existing treatments, prompting the need to identify effective agents and adjuncts. There is evidence for an emerging role for the neuropeptide oxytocin (OT) in the pathophysiology of AN, with studies showing a perturbed oxytocinergic system in patients with AN. Preliminary evidence has demonstrated that intranasal OT (IN-OT) can produce anxiolytic effects in AN, as well as reducing concern about eating, and dysfunctional attentional biases related to the disorder. IN-OT is a non-invasive treatment option for AN that requires investigation as an adjunct to nutritional rehabilitation.
METHODS
This multi-site study (Trial Registration:ACTRN1261000897460) sought to replicate and extend a previous randomised placebo-controlled pilot trial of repeated dose IN-OT in patients with AN hospitalised for nutritional rehabilitation. Patients with AN (N=61) received daily IN-OT (18 IU twice per day) or placebo for four weeks, whilst undergoing inpatient hospital treatment. Outcome measures included ED psychopathology (primary) as measured by the Eating Disorder Examination (EDE) and Body Mass Index (BMI; secondary). Participants were assessed pre- and post-treatment, and at six months following the intervention. The effects of the first and last doses of IN-OT on responses (anxiety ratings and salivary cortisol) to a high-energy snack were also examined.
RESULTS
Sixty-one female inpatients (M=24.36,SD=7.87) with an average BMI of 16.24 (range: 11.43-18.55), were recruited into the study. No significant differences were found between placebo and OT groups at any of the time points on the outcomes of interest, but significant improvements in almost all psychological parameters in both groups were evident over time. IN-OT did not significantly reduce anxiety nor salivary cortisol in response to a high-calorie snack.
CONCLUSION
This is the largest randomised placebo-controlled trial of repeated dose intranasal OT in people with AN, during refeeding. The therapeutically promising findings of the pilot study were not replicated. Limitations and reasons for the non-replication included relatively large variance, baseline psychopathology scores being higher in this patient group, potential ceiling effects in BMI and ED psychopathology as well as differing comorbidities.
Topics: Female; Humans; Administration, Intranasal; Anorexia Nervosa; Feeding and Eating Disorders; Hydrocortisone; Oxytocin; Pilot Projects
PubMed: 38520886
DOI: 10.1016/j.psyneuen.2024.107032