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Pharmaceuticals (Basel, Switzerland) Oct 2023Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and is characterized by severe and fatal arrhythmias induced by cardiac...
Acute myocardial infarction (AMI) is the main cause of morbidity and mortality worldwide and is characterized by severe and fatal arrhythmias induced by cardiac ischemia/reperfusion (CIR). However, the molecular mechanisms involved in these arrhythmias are still little understood. To investigate the cardioprotective role of the cardiac Ca/cAMP/adenosine signaling pathway in AMI, L-type Ca channels (LTCC) were blocked with either nifedipine (NIF) or verapamil (VER), with or without A-adenosine (ADO), receptors (AR), antagonist (DPCPX), or cAMP efflux blocker probenecid (PROB), and the incidence of ventricular arrhythmias (VA), atrioventricular block (AVB), and lethality (LET) induced by CIR in rats was evaluated. VA, AVB and LET incidences were evaluated by ECG analysis and compared between control (CIR group) and intravenously treated 5 min before CIR with NIF 1, 10, and 30 mg/kg and VER 1 mg/kg in the presence or absence of PROB 100 mg/kg or DPCPX 100 µg/kg. The serum levels of cardiac injury biomarkers total creatine kinase (CK) and CK-MB were quantified. Both NIF and VER treatment were able to attenuate cardiac arrhythmias caused by CIR; however, these antiarrhythmic effects were abolished by pretreatment with PROB and DPCPX. The total serum CK and CK-MB were similar in all groups. These results indicate that the pharmacological modulation of Ca/cAMP/ADO in cardiac cells by means of attenuation of Ca influx via LTCC and the activation of AR by endogenous ADO could be a promising therapeutic strategy to reduce the incidence of severe and fatal arrhythmias caused by AMI in humans.
PubMed: 37895945
DOI: 10.3390/ph16101473 -
The Tohoku Journal of Experimental... Feb 2024Recent studies have reported a correlation between ubiquitination or deubiquitination and cancer development. But mechanisms underlying the roles of genes associated...
Recent studies have reported a correlation between ubiquitination or deubiquitination and cancer development. But mechanisms underlying the roles of genes associated with E3 ubiquitin ligases and deubiquitinating enzymes (DUB) in liver cancer remain to be explored. We analyzed and screened differentially expressed genes related to E3 ubiquitin ligases and DUB in liver cancer on the basis of public databases. Cluster analysis was utilized to classify liver cancer samples into different subtypes. Survival analysis, immune analysis, and pathway enrichment analysis were performed on the subtypes. We constructed a protein-protein interaction network using STRING to screen hub genes. Finally, we used the Connectivity Map (CMap) database to predict targeted small molecules. The results show that a total of 139 differentially expressed E3/DUB genes in liver cancer were screened. Then, liver cancer was classified into two subtypes, cluster 1 and cluster 2, based on E3-related and DUB-related genes. Patients in cluster 1 had higher survival rates and immune levels than those in cluster 2. Four hub genes (RPSA, RPS5, RPL30, and RPL8) significantly affecting the survival of the two subtypes of liver cancer patients were identified based on cluster 1 and cluster 2. Finally, the CMap database predicted that small-molecule drugs including probenecid, dexamethasone, and etomidate may improve the prognosis of liver cancer patients. These findings may offer a reference for risk stratification studies and drug development in liver cancer.
Topics: Humans; Ubiquitin-Protein Ligases; Ubiquitination; Liver Neoplasms; Deubiquitinating Enzymes; Ubiquitins
PubMed: 37880130
DOI: 10.1620/tjem.2023.J089 -
Clinical Kidney Journal Oct 2023Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) presents with variable disease severity and progression. Advanced imaging biomarkers may provide insights into...
BACKGROUND
Autosomal dominant polycystic kidney disease (ADPKD) presents with variable disease severity and progression. Advanced imaging biomarkers may provide insights into cystic and non-cystic processes leading to kidney failure in different age groups.
METHODS
This pilot study included 39 ADPKD patients with kidney failure, stratified into three age groups (<46, 46-56, >56 years old). Advanced imaging biomarkers were assessed using an automated instance cyst segmentation tool. The biomarkers were compared with an age- and sex-matched ADPKD cohort in early chronic kidney disease (CKD).
RESULTS
Ht-total parenchymal volume correlated negatively with age at kidney failure. The median Ht-total parenchymal volume was significantly lower in patients older than 56 years. Cystic burden was significantly higher at time of kidney failure, especially in patients who reached it before age 46 years. The cyst index at kidney failure was comparable across age groups and Mayo Imaging Classes. Advanced imaging biomarkers showed higher correlation with Ht-total kidney volume in early CKD than at kidney failure. Cyst index and parenchymal index were relatively stable over 5 years prior to kidney failure, whereas Ht-total cyst volume and cyst parenchymal surface area increased significantly.
CONCLUSION
Age-related differences in advanced imaging biomarkers suggest variable pathophysiological mechanisms in ADPKD patients with kidney failure. Further studies are needed to validate the utility of these biomarkers in predicting disease progression and guiding treatment strategies.
PubMed: 37779848
DOI: 10.1093/ckj/sfad114 -
Antibiotics (Basel, Switzerland) Sep 2023Cephalexin is a first-generation β-lactam antibiotic used in adults and pediatrics to treat various streptococcal and staphylococcal infections. This review aims to... (Review)
Review
Cephalexin is a first-generation β-lactam antibiotic used in adults and pediatrics to treat various streptococcal and staphylococcal infections. This review aims to summarize and evaluate all the pharmacokinetic (PK) data on cephalexin by screening out all pertinent studies in human beings following the per oral (PO) route. By employing different online search engines such as Google Scholar, PubMed, Cochrane Central, and Science Direct, 23 studies were retrieved, among which nine were in healthy subjects, five in diseased ones, and the remaining were drug-drug, drug-food, and bioequivalence-related. These studies were included only based on the presence of plasma concentration-time profiles or PK parameters, i.e., maximum plasma concentration (C), half-life (t) area under the curve from time 0-infinity (AUC and clearance (CL/F). A dose-proportional increase in AUC and C can be portrayed in different studies conducted in the healthy population. In comparison to cefaclor, C was recorded to be 0.5 folds higher for cephalexin in the case of renal impairment. An increase in AUC was seen in cephalexin on administration with probenecid, i.e., 117 µg.h/mL vs. 68.1 µg.h/mL. Moreover, drug-drug interactions with omeprazole, ranitidine, zinc sulfate, and drug-food interactions for cephalexin and other cephalosporins have also been depicted in different studies with significant changes in all PK parameters. This current review has reported all accessible studies containing PK variables in healthy and diseased populations (renal, dental, and osteoarticular infections, continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis) that may be favorable for health practitioners in optimizing doses among the latter.
PubMed: 37760698
DOI: 10.3390/antibiotics12091402 -
Nan Fang Yi Ke Da Xue Xue Bao = Journal... Aug 2023To investigate the effect of 8-week dihydromyricetin (DHM) treatment on motor ability of mice with MPTP/probenecid-induced Parkinson's disease (PD) and explore the...
OBJECTIVE
To investigate the effect of 8-week dihydromyricetin (DHM) treatment on motor ability of mice with MPTP/probenecid-induced Parkinson's disease (PD) and explore the molecular mechanism.
METHODS
Sixty C57BL/6 mice were randomized into the control group, PD model group, PD+DHM group and PD+NEC-1 group (=15). In the latter 3 groups, the mice were treated with 25 mg·kg·d MPTP and 250 mg·kg·d probenecid twice a week for 5 weeks to establish PD models; DHM (100 mg·kg·d) was administered 5 times a week via gavage for 8 weeks and NEC-1 (6.25 mg·kg·d, twice a week) via intraperitoneal injection for 5 weeks. The changes in motor function of the mice were assessed, and the expressions of TH, GFAP and Iba-1 in the substantia nigra were detected with immunofluorescence assay; serum levels of IL-1β and LDH were detected using ELISA. The mRNA expressions of TNF-α and IL-6 were determined with RT-PCR, and the expressions of TH and proteins associated with pyroptosis, neuroinflammation, necroptosis and autophagy in the striatum were detected using Western blotting. MPP +-activated Bv-2 cells were treated with different concentrations of DHM or 3-MA, and the expressions of proteins associated with autophagy and NLRP3 were detected using Western blotting; PI staining was used to detect cell necroptosis.
RESULTS
The PD mouse models showed significantly reduced TH-positive cells and TH protein expression ( < 0.001). DHM obviously ameliorated motor deficits and TH loss in PD mice, increased TH expression (=0.0023), decreased α-syn levels ( < 0.001), lowered the protein expressions of GFAP (=0.045) and Iba-1 ( < 0.001) and the mRNA and protein levels of TNF-α (=0.0015) and IL-6 ( < 0.001), and increased IL-4 level ( < 0.001). The 8-week DHM treatment significantly suppressed pyroptosis and necroptosis and activated autophagy in the striatum of the PD mice. In MPP +-induced Bv-2 cells, DHM treatment effectively reversed autophagy impairment and inhibited NLRP3 and TNF-α, IL-6 and IL-1β release, and the anti--inflammatory effects of DHM was obviously blunted by 3-MA.
CONCLUSION
DHM can improve motor function of PD mice probably by activating autophagy to inhibit pyroptosis and necroptosis and reduce neuroinflammation.
Topics: Animals; Mice; Mice, Inbred C57BL; Interleukin-6; NLR Family, Pyrin Domain-Containing 3 Protein; Necroptosis; Neuroinflammatory Diseases; Parkinson Disease; Probenecid; Pyroptosis; Tumor Necrosis Factor-alpha; Autophagy
PubMed: 37712262
DOI: 10.12122/j.issn.1673-4254.2023.08.02 -
Frontiers in Neuroscience 2023The subventricular zone (SVZ) is a brain region that contains neural stem cells and progenitor cells (NSCs/NPCs) from which new neurons and glial cells are formed during...
INTRODUCTION
The subventricular zone (SVZ) is a brain region that contains neural stem cells and progenitor cells (NSCs/NPCs) from which new neurons and glial cells are formed during adulthood in mammals. Recent data indicate that SVZ NSCs are the cell type that acquires the initial tumorigenic mutation in glioblastoma (GBM), the most aggressive form of malignant glioma. NSCs/NPCs of the SVZ present hemichannel activity whose function has not yet been fully elucidated. In this work, we aimed to analyze whether hemichannel-mediated communication affects proliferation of SVZ NPCs and GBM cells.
METHODS AND RESULTS
For that purpose, we used boldine, an alkaloid derived from the boldo tree (), that inhibits connexin and pannexin hemichannels, but without affecting gap junctional communication. Boldine treatment (50 μM) of rat SVZ NPCs grown as neurospheres effectively inhibited dye uptake through hemichannels and induced a significant reduction in neurosphere diameter and in bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) incorporation. However, the differentiation pattern was not modified by the treatment. Experiments with specific blockers for hemichannels formed by connexin subunits (D4) or pannexin 1 (probenecid) revealed that probenecid, but not D4, produced a decrease in BrdU incorporation similar to that obtained with boldine. These results suggest that inhibition of pannexin 1 hemichannels could be partially responsible for the antiproliferative effect of boldine on SVZ NPCs. Analysis of the effect of boldine (25-600 μM) on different types of primary human GBM cells (GBM59, GBM96, and U87-MG) showed a concentration-dependent decrease in GBM cell growth. Boldine treatment also induced a significant inhibition of hemichannel activity in GBM cells.
DISCUSSION
Altogether, we provide evidence of an antimitotic action of boldine in SVZ NPCs and in GBM cells which may be due, at least in part, to its hemichannel blocking function. These results could be of relevance for future possible strategies in GBM aimed to suppress the proliferation of mutated NSCs or glioma stem cells that might remain in the brain after tumor resection.
PubMed: 37655012
DOI: 10.3389/fnins.2023.1211467 -
Neurotherapeutics : the Journal of the... Oct 2023N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) has shown promise as a putative neurotherapeutic for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Yet, many such promising compounds have limited ability to... (Review)
Review
N-Acetylcysteine (NAC) has shown promise as a putative neurotherapeutic for traumatic brain injury (TBI). Yet, many such promising compounds have limited ability to cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB), achieve therapeutic concentrations in brain, demonstrate target engagement, among other things, that have hampered successful translation. A pharmacologic strategy for overcoming poor BBB permeability and/or efflux out of the brain of organic acid-based, small molecule therapeutics such as NAC is co-administration with a targeted or nonselective membrane transporter inhibitor. Probenecid is a classic ATP-binding cassette and solute carrier inhibitor that blocks transport of organic acids, including NAC. Accordingly, combination therapy using probenecid as an adjuvant with NAC represents a logical neurotherapeutic strategy for treatment of TBI (and other CNS diseases). We have completed a proof-of-concept pilot study using this drug combination in children with severe TBI-the Pro-NAC Trial (ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01322009). In this review, we will discuss the background and rationale for combination therapy with probenecid and NAC in TBI, providing justification for further clinical investigation.
Topics: Child; Humans; Probenecid; Acetylcysteine; Pilot Projects; Brain Injuries, Traumatic; Brain; Blood-Brain Barrier
PubMed: 37596428
DOI: 10.1007/s13311-023-01422-z -
Therapeutic Advances in Infectious... 2023Standard therapy for early syphilis involves intramuscular injections of penicillin G, which frequently faces shortages in several countries. Fourteen-day amoxicillin...
BACKGROUND
Standard therapy for early syphilis involves intramuscular injections of penicillin G, which frequently faces shortages in several countries. Fourteen-day amoxicillin therapy has been suggested as an alternative to benzathine penicillin G, but the optimal duration of amoxicillin therapy remains unclear and could theoretically be shortened to less than 14 days. The aim of this study was to explore the effectiveness of short-term amoxicillin therapy for early syphilis.
METHODS
We retrospectively explored the effectiveness of short-term amoxicillin therapy for early syphilis. The treatment data of patients who had received amoxicillin therapy for less than 14 days for unintended reasons were reviewed. Diagnosis was confirmed based on either the physician's description or clinical presentation. Successful treatment was defined as a fourfold or greater decline in the rapid plasma reagin titer or sero-reversion to negative within 12 months.
RESULTS
Of 295 patients, 8 received short-term amoxicillin treatment. All were men who had sex with men and people living with human immunodeficiency virus. Their median age, CD4 count, and treatment duration were 34 years (range, 26-40), 258/mL (range, 112-930), and 9.5 days (range, 5-11), respectively. One patient had primary syphilis, six had secondary syphilis, and one had early latent syphilis. All patients, except one who showed reinfection, demonstrated a serological response within 4 months. The median time for serological response was 112 days.
CONCLUSION
The results indicate that early syphilis could potentially be treated with 5-11 days of amoxicillin therapy combined with probenecid. This suggests that short-term amoxicillin therapy might be a sufficient treatment for early syphilis instead of the standard 14-day course.
PubMed: 37581104
DOI: 10.1177/20499361231192777 -
Bone Reports Dec 2023We describe the clinical evolution of a patient with tumoral calcinosis due to a pathogenic variant in the gene presented with a large mass overlying her left hip...
We describe the clinical evolution of a patient with tumoral calcinosis due to a pathogenic variant in the gene presented with a large mass overlying her left hip associated complicated by inflammatory flares. Therapy (sevelamer, acetazolamide, and probenecid) was unsuccessful in preventing tumour surgeries, therefore, interleukin-1β monoclonal antibody therapy was added; this was successful in the prevention of tumour re-growth. This case highlights the importance of assessing and treating the inflammatory aspect of calcinotic tumour.
PubMed: 37520934
DOI: 10.1016/j.bonr.2023.101695 -
Viruses Jul 2023Probenecid is an orally bioavailable, uricosuric agent that was first approved in 1951 for the treatment of gout, but was later found to have potent, broad-spectrum... (Randomized Controlled Trial)
Randomized Controlled Trial
Probenecid is an orally bioavailable, uricosuric agent that was first approved in 1951 for the treatment of gout, but was later found to have potent, broad-spectrum antiviral activity against several respiratory viruses including SARS-CoV-2. We conducted a phase 2 randomized, placebo-controlled, single-blind, dose-range finding study in non-hospitalized patients with symptomatic, mild-to-moderate COVID-19. Patients were randomly assigned in a 1:1:1 ratio to receive either 500 mg of probenecid, 1000 mg of probenecid, or a matching placebo every 12 h for five days. The patients' COVID-19 viral load hospitalization, or death from any cause through day 28, as well as safety, were evaluated. COVID-19-related symptoms were assessed at baseline, and on days 3, 5, 10, 15, and 28. The primary endpoints of the study were time to first negative SARS-CoV-2 viral test (or viral clearance) and the proportion of patients that were symptom-free at day 5. A total of 75 patients were randomized, with 25 patients in each group. All of the patients completed the study as planned with no hospitalizations or deaths being reported. The median time to viral clearance was significantly shorter for the probenecid 1000 mg group than for placebo (7 days vs. 11 days, respectively; < 0.0001), and for the probenecid 500 mg group versus placebo (9 days vs. 11 days, respectively; < 0.0001). In addition, the median time to viral clearance was significantly shorter for the probenecid 1000 mg group than for the probenecid 500 mg group (7 days vs. 9 days, respectively; < 0.0001). All patients reported at least one COVID-19-related symptom on days 3 and 5; however, on day 10, a significantly greater proportion of patients receiving probenecid 1000 mg reported the complete resolution of symptoms versus placebo (68% vs. 20%, respectively; = 0.0006), as well as for those receiving probenecid 500 mg versus placebo (56% vs. 20%, respectively, = 0.0087). The incidence of adverse events during treatment was similar across all groups for any adverse event, and was 12%. All events were mild with no serious adverse events reported and no discontinuations due to an adverse event. The treatment of patients with symptomatic, mild-to-moderate COVID-19 with probenecid resulted in a significant, dose-dependent decrease in the time to viral clearance and a significantly higher proportion of patients reporting complete symptom resolution by day 10. (Supported by TrippBio; ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT05442983 and Clinical Trials Registry India number CTRI/2022/07/043726).
Topics: Humans; Adult; COVID-19; SARS-CoV-2; Probenecid; Single-Blind Method; Antiviral Agents
PubMed: 37515194
DOI: 10.3390/v15071508