BACKGROUND:Studies have demonstrated that the mechanisms underlying cellular apoptosis signal transduction focus on two pathways:intracellular mitochondria and extracellular death receptor.The current evidence support...BACKGROUND:Studies have demonstrated that the mechanisms underlying cellular apoptosis signal transduction focus on two pathways:intracellular mitochondria and extracellular death receptor.The current evidence supports that signal transduction of cellular apoptosis also includes endoplasmic reticulum stress signal transduction. OBJECTIVE:To observe Caspase-12 expression and cellular apoptosis following ischemia in rats with progressive spinal cord compression,and to verify the influence of endoplasmic reticulum stress on the apoptosis induced by spinal cord injury. DESIGN,TIME AND SETTING:A randomized,controlled,animal trial was performed at the Institute of Neuroscience in Chongqing Medical University between January and October in 2006. MATERIALS:Immunohistochemical kit,diaminobenzidine,and TUNEL kit were purchased from Beijing Zhongshan Biotechnology,China;rabbit anti-rat Caspase-12 monoclonal antibody was provided by Santa Cruz,USA. METHODS:Sixty Wistar rats,aged 3-4 months,were randomly assigned to a model group(n=50), which underwent spinal cord compression in the L_1 segment following L_1 laminectomy and articular process excision to establish a model of progressive spinal cord compression,and a sham-surgery group(n=10),which underwent only laminectomy.Starting with the first day after surgery,the rats were locally anesthetized,the skin was opened,and the screw was rotated by 1/4 of a cycle,twice weekly. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:At 3,7,14,21,and 28 days after surgery,rats from each group were anesthetized,and the spinal cords were resected.Pathological changes following spinal cord compression were determined using hematoxylin-eosin staining,Nissl dye,and transmission electron microscopy.The TUNEL method was used to observe neuronal apoptosis in the compressed spinal cord segments.Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were utilized to detect Caspase-12 expression in the compressed segments. RESULTS:Cellular swelling,neural degeneration,and altered endoplasmic reticulum structures were observed at 3 days following compression.Symptoms became gradually aggravated with increasing compression time.Compared with the sham-surgery group,the number of apoptotic neurons was remarkably increased in compressed segments of the model group(P<0.05),and Caspase-12 expression was also shown to increase(P<0.05). CONCLUSION:Neuronal apoptosis was a predominant pathological factor resulting in secondary spinal cord injury during progressive spinal cord compression,and Caspase-12 was shown to be possibly involved in neuronal apoptosis induced by progressive spinal cord compression.展开更多
Urea transporters(UT)play a vital role in the mechanism of urine concentration and are recognized as novel targets for the development of salt-sparing diuretics.Thus,UT inhibitors are promising for development as nove...Urea transporters(UT)play a vital role in the mechanism of urine concentration and are recognized as novel targets for the development of salt-sparing diuretics.Thus,UT inhibitors are promising for development as novel diuretics.In the present study,a novel UT inhibitor with a diarylamide scaffold was discovered by high-throughput screening.Optimization of the inhibitor led to the identifi-cation of a promising preclinical candidate,N-[4-(acetylamino)phenyl]-5-nitrofuran-2-carboxamide(1 H),with excellent in vitro UT inhibitory activity at the submicromolar level.The half maximal inhibitory concentrations of 1 H against UT-B in mouse,rat,and human erythrocyte were 1.60,0.64,and0.13 mmol/L,respectively.Further investigation suggested that 8 mmol/L 1 H more powerfully inhibited UT-A1 at a rate of 86.8%than UT-B at a rate of 73.9%in MDCK cell models.Most interestingly,we found for the first time that oral administration of 1 H at a dose of 100 mg/kg showed superior diuretic effect in vivo without causing electrolyte imbalance in rats.Additionally,1 H did not exhibit apparent toxicity in vivo and in vitro,and possessed favorable pharmacokinetic characteristics.1 H shows promise as a novel diuretic to treat hyponatremia accompanied with volume expansion and may cause few side effects.展开更多
基金the National Natural Science Foundation of China,No.30270437Chunhui Program of the Ministry of Education in 2003, No.200407
文摘BACKGROUND:Studies have demonstrated that the mechanisms underlying cellular apoptosis signal transduction focus on two pathways:intracellular mitochondria and extracellular death receptor.The current evidence supports that signal transduction of cellular apoptosis also includes endoplasmic reticulum stress signal transduction. OBJECTIVE:To observe Caspase-12 expression and cellular apoptosis following ischemia in rats with progressive spinal cord compression,and to verify the influence of endoplasmic reticulum stress on the apoptosis induced by spinal cord injury. DESIGN,TIME AND SETTING:A randomized,controlled,animal trial was performed at the Institute of Neuroscience in Chongqing Medical University between January and October in 2006. MATERIALS:Immunohistochemical kit,diaminobenzidine,and TUNEL kit were purchased from Beijing Zhongshan Biotechnology,China;rabbit anti-rat Caspase-12 monoclonal antibody was provided by Santa Cruz,USA. METHODS:Sixty Wistar rats,aged 3-4 months,were randomly assigned to a model group(n=50), which underwent spinal cord compression in the L_1 segment following L_1 laminectomy and articular process excision to establish a model of progressive spinal cord compression,and a sham-surgery group(n=10),which underwent only laminectomy.Starting with the first day after surgery,the rats were locally anesthetized,the skin was opened,and the screw was rotated by 1/4 of a cycle,twice weekly. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES:At 3,7,14,21,and 28 days after surgery,rats from each group were anesthetized,and the spinal cords were resected.Pathological changes following spinal cord compression were determined using hematoxylin-eosin staining,Nissl dye,and transmission electron microscopy.The TUNEL method was used to observe neuronal apoptosis in the compressed spinal cord segments.Immunohistochemistry and Western blot were utilized to detect Caspase-12 expression in the compressed segments. RESULTS:Cellular swelling,neural degeneration,and altered endoplasmic reticulum structures were observed at 3 days following compression.Symptoms became gradually aggravated with increasing compression time.Compared with the sham-surgery group,the number of apoptotic neurons was remarkably increased in compressed segments of the model group(P<0.05),and Caspase-12 expression was also shown to increase(P<0.05). CONCLUSION:Neuronal apoptosis was a predominant pathological factor resulting in secondary spinal cord injury during progressive spinal cord compression,and Caspase-12 was shown to be possibly involved in neuronal apoptosis induced by progressive spinal cord compression.
基金supported by National Natural Science Foundation of China(Grant Nos.81620108029,81974083,and 81330074)Beijing Natural Science Foundation grant 7172113(China)
文摘Urea transporters(UT)play a vital role in the mechanism of urine concentration and are recognized as novel targets for the development of salt-sparing diuretics.Thus,UT inhibitors are promising for development as novel diuretics.In the present study,a novel UT inhibitor with a diarylamide scaffold was discovered by high-throughput screening.Optimization of the inhibitor led to the identifi-cation of a promising preclinical candidate,N-[4-(acetylamino)phenyl]-5-nitrofuran-2-carboxamide(1 H),with excellent in vitro UT inhibitory activity at the submicromolar level.The half maximal inhibitory concentrations of 1 H against UT-B in mouse,rat,and human erythrocyte were 1.60,0.64,and0.13 mmol/L,respectively.Further investigation suggested that 8 mmol/L 1 H more powerfully inhibited UT-A1 at a rate of 86.8%than UT-B at a rate of 73.9%in MDCK cell models.Most interestingly,we found for the first time that oral administration of 1 H at a dose of 100 mg/kg showed superior diuretic effect in vivo without causing electrolyte imbalance in rats.Additionally,1 H did not exhibit apparent toxicity in vivo and in vitro,and possessed favorable pharmacokinetic characteristics.1 H shows promise as a novel diuretic to treat hyponatremia accompanied with volume expansion and may cause few side effects.
