Search Our Scientific Publications & Authors

Cell Physiol Biochem 2018 21;51(2):681-691. Epub 2018 Nov 21.

Department of Rehabilitation, the Second Hospital of Jilin University, Changchun, China.

Background/aims: We aimed to explore the protective role of curcumin (Cur) in a cell model of Parkinson's disease (PD) and its underlying mechanism.

Methods: In this study, genes concerned with PD-related keywords were screened within DiGSeE database. The association network between Cur and selected genes was downloaded from STITCH, with the interactions analyzed by STRING. Read More

Curr Mol Pharmacol 2018 Oct 10. Epub 2018 Oct 10.

IINFACTS - Institute of Research and Advanced Training in Health Sciences and Technologies, Department of Sciences, University Institute of Health Sciences (IUCS), CESPU, Rua Central de Gandra, 1317, 4585-116 Gandra PRD. Portugal.

Background: Mescaline (3,4,5-trimethoxyphenethylamine), mainly found in the Peyote cactus (Lophophora williamsii), is one of the oldest known hallucinogenic agents that influence human and animal behavior, but its psychoactive mechanisms remain poorly understood.

Objectives: This article aims to fully review pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics of mescaline, focusing on the in vivo and in vitro metabolic profile of the drug and its implications for the variability of response.

Methods: Mescaline pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic aspects were searched in books and in PubMed (U. Read More

J Photochem Photobiol B 2018 Nov 8;188:159-176. Epub 2018 Aug 8.

Chemistry Department, Faculty of Science, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia; Centre of Excellence for Advanced Materials Research, King Abdulaziz University, Jeddah 21589, Saudi Arabia.

Owing to the emerging applications of DNA-functionalized TiO nanocrystals towards DNA damage detection, it is inevitable to understand the better chemistry as well as in-depth molecular interaction phenomena. Fundamentally, energy difference underlies the layer-by-layer construction, resulted in the increase of the interaction energy and thus, altering the electrochemical behavior. Herein, Density functional theory (DFT) calculations were performed using DMol3 and DFTB+ codes successfully to elucidate the structural, electronics, and vibrational properties of the layer-by-layer components composing ss-DNA/dopamine/TiO/FTO. Read More

Toxicol Lett 2018 Dec 4;299:124-128. Epub 2018 Oct 4.

Department of Functional Biology and Health Sciences, Faculty of Biology, University of Vigo, Campus Lagoas Marcosende, 36310 Vigo, Spain.

Paraoxon (POX) is an extremely neurotoxic organophosphorous compound (OP) which main toxic mechanism is the irreversible inhibition of cholinesterase. Although the cholinergic system has always been linked as responsible for its acute effects, experimental studies have suggested that the dopaminergic system also may be a potential target for OPs. Based on this, in this study, the acute intrastriatal effects of POX on dopaminergic neurotransmission were characterized in vivo using brain microdialysis in freely moving rats. Read More

Toxicol Lett 2018 Dec 24;299:159-171. Epub 2018 Sep 24.

CUHK-SDU Joint Laboratory on Reproductive Genetics, School of Biomedical Sciences, The Chinese University of Hong Kong, Shatin, NT, Hong Kong, China. Electronic address:

Methamphetamine (Meth) is an addictive psychostimulant whose abuse is intimately linked to increased risks for HIV-1 infection. Converging lines of evidence indicate that Meth also aggravates the symptoms of HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders (HAND), though the underlying mechanisms remain poorly understood. By using the lipophilic antioxidant N-acetylcysteine amide (NACA) as an interventional agent, we examined the roles of oxidative stress in autophagy and apoptosis induced by HIV-Tat (the transactivator of transcription), Meth or their combined treatment in human SH-SY5Y neuroblastoma cells and in the rat striatum. Read More

J Neuroinflammation 2018 Aug 31;15(1):249. Epub 2018 Aug 31.

Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará (UFC), Rua Barbosa de Freitas, 130/1100, Fortaleza, CE, 60170-020, Brazil.

Background: The deficiency in 1α, 25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (VD3) seems to increase the risk for neurodegenerative pathologies, including Parkinson's disease (PD). The majority of its actions are mediated by the transcription factor, VD3 receptor (VD3R).

Methods: The neuroprotective effects of VD3 were investigated on a PD model. Read More

J Neuroinflammation 2018 Aug 31;15(1):246. Epub 2018 Aug 31.

Department of Physiology, School of Basic Medical Science, Xiangya School of Medicine, Central South University, Changsha, Hunan, 410007, People's Republic of China.

Background: Chronic persistent airway inflammation has been associated with the comorbidity of asthma and bipolar disorder (BD). However, the direct relevance between airway inflammation and BD-like psychiatric comorbidity is almost unknown. Integrin β4 (ITGB4) is downregulated on the airway epithelial of asthma patients, which might play a critical role in the parthenogenesis of airway inflammation. Read More

J Neuroinflammation 2018 Aug 29;15(1):243. Epub 2018 Aug 29.

Department of Pharmacology, School of Basic Medical Sciences, Shandong University, Wenhua West Road 44, Jinan, 250012, Shandong, People's Republic of China.

Background: In Parkinson's disease (PD), loss of striatal dopaminergic (DA) terminals and degeneration of DA neurons in the substantia nigra (SN) are associated with inflammation. Nucleotide-binding oligomerization domain-containing protein (NOD)2, one of the first discovered NOD-like receptors, plays an important role in inflammation. However, the role of NOD2 has not been elucidated in PD. Read More

Oxid Med Cell Longev 2018 22;2018:4982453. Epub 2018 Jul 22.

Human Anatomy, Department of Translational Research and New Technologies in Medicine and Surgery, University of Pisa, Via Roma 55, Pisa, Italy.

Methamphetamine is a widely abused drug, which possesses neurotoxic activity and powerful addictive effects. Understanding methamphetamine toxicity is key beyond the field of drug abuse since it allows getting an insight into the molecular mechanisms which operate in a variety of neuropsychiatric disorders. In fact, key alterations produced by methamphetamine involve dopamine neurotransmission in a way, which is reminiscent of spontaneous neurodegeneration and psychiatric schizophrenia. Read More

Neurotox Res 2018 Oct 20;34(3):706-716. Epub 2018 Aug 20.

Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, Smętna 12, 31-343, Kraków, Poland.

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a neurodegenerative disorder of the central nervous system (CNS) caused by a progressive loss of nigrostriatal dopaminergic neurons. Dysfunction of the ubiquitin-proteasome system (UPS) plays an important role in the pathogenesis of PD. Intranigral administration of the UPS inhibitor lactacystin is used to obtain a valuable animal model for investigating putative neuroprotective treatments for PD. Read More

Pharmacol Rep 2018 Oct 25;70(5):988-992. Epub 2018 Apr 25.

Department of Experimental and Clinical Pharmacology, Medical University of Warsaw, Centre for Preclinical Research and Technology (CePT), Warszawa, Poland; Department of Neurochemistry, Institute of Psychiatry and Neurology, Warszawa, Poland.

Background: Parkinson's disease (PD) is a progressive neurodegenerative process leading to the loss of dopaminergic neurons and their projections. 1-methyl-4-phenol-1,2,5,6-tetrahydropyridine (MPTP) toxicity is a well-recognized animal model of PD. It is suggested that the impairment of mitochondrial function in the substantia nigra plays an important role in both the onset and the progression of PD. Read More

Mol Biol Rep 2018 Oct 13;45(5):1357-1365. Epub 2018 Aug 13.

R. C. Patel Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Dist-Dhule, Shirpur, Maharashtra, 425405, India.

The present study was designed to investigate the protective effect of ferulic acid (FA) against isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiac toxicity in rats. Isoproterenol challenged in a dose of 85 mg/kg body weight (b.w. Read More

Handb Exp Pharmacol 2018 Aug 14. Epub 2018 Aug 14.

Department of Forensic Genetics and Forensic Toxicology, National Board of Forensic Medicine, Linköping, Sweden.

This chapter describes how new psychoactive substances (NPS) have been involved in fatal intoxications from 2010 and onwards. It summarizes the circumstances, antemortem symptoms, and adverse effects that have led to death after ingestion of one or more NPS and tabulates concentrations, and postmortem findings from these intoxications.Consumption of NPS exerts health problems and unknown risks for the users. Read More

J Biochem Mol Toxicol 2018 Oct 8;32(10):e22200. Epub 2018 Aug 8.

Department of Pharmacology and Therapeutics, College of Medicine and Health Sciences, UAE University, Al Ain, Abu Dhabi, UAE.

The effect of α-bisabolol on hemodyanimcs, lipid peroxidation, and nonenzymatic antioxidants was evaluated in isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction in rats. They were pre- and cotreated with α-bisabolol (25 mg/kg body weight) daily for 10 days along with the subcutaneous injection of isoproterenol (85 mg/kg body weight) at an interval of 24 hours for 2 days (9th and 10th days). Increased activities of serum creatine kinase and creatine kinase-MB along with altered levels/concentrations of lipid peroxidation products and nonenzymatic status were observed in the plasma and heart tissues of rats. Read More

J Toxicol Sci 2018 ;43(8):493-506

Research Division, Chugai Pharmaceutical Co., Ltd.

We used motion field imaging to characterize the conduction and contraction of a sheet of cardiomyocytes derived from human induced pluripotent stem cells (hiPS-CMs). A hiPS-CMs sheet of 2.8 mm × 2. Read More

Life Sci 2018 Sep 29;209:357-369. Epub 2018 Jul 29.

Department of Drug Discovery and Development, Harrison School of Pharmacy, Auburn University, Auburn, AL, USA. Electronic address:

Designer drugs are synthetically formulated to mimic the psychostimulatory effects of an original controlled/illegal drug of abuse. Designer drugs have similar chemical structure or functional analog as compared to existing controlled psychostimulatory drugs. There is a substantial rise in the production and use of designer drugs globally. Read More

Comp Biochem Physiol C Toxicol Pharmacol 2018 Nov 17;213:1-6. Epub 2018 Jul 17.

Department of Biology, Medgar Evers College, 1638 Bedford Ave, Brooklyn, NY 11225, USA. Electronic address:

Manganese is a neurotoxin causing manganism, a Parkinson-like clinical disorder. Manganese has been shown to interfere with dopaminergic neurotransmission, but the neurotoxic mechanism involved is not fully resolved. In the bivalve mollusc Crassostrea virginica also known as the eastern oyster, beating rates of lateral cilia of the gill are controlled by dopaminergic-serotonergic innervation originating from their cerebral and visceral ganglia. Read More

Br J Clin Pharmacol 2018 Nov 7;84(11):2477-2482. Epub 2018 Aug 7.

Hunter Medical Research Institute, Newcastle, New South Wales, Australia.

There is increasing interest in the use of cannabinoids for disease and symptom management, but limited information available regarding their pharmacokinetics and pharmacodynamics to guide prescribers. Cannabis medicines contain a wide variety of chemical compounds, including the cannabinoids delta-9-tetrahydrocannabinol (THC), which is psychoactive, and the nonpsychoactive cannabidiol (CBD). Cannabis use is associated with both pathological and behavioural toxicity and, accordingly, is contraindicated in the context of significant psychiatric, cardiovascular, renal or hepatic illness. Read More

Eur J Pharmacol 2018 Aug 5;833:441-450. Epub 2018 Jul 5.

Institute of Medicinal Plant Development (IMPLAD), Chinese Academy of Medical Sciences & Peking Union Medical College, Beijing 100193, PR China. Electronic address:

Notoginsenoside R1, a unique constituent from the root of Panax notoginseng, exerts anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidative and anti-apoptotic properties. The purpose of this study was to assess the contribution of the anti-inflammatory effects of R1 to the amelioration of isoproterenol (ISO)-induced hypertrophied hearts of atherosclerosis-prone mice. As a model of in vivo atherosclerosis, ApoE C57BL/6 J mice were fed a high-cholesterol diet for 12 weeks. Read More

Physiol Int 2018 Jun;105(2):127-144

4 Internal Medicine Department, Delta University for Science and Technology , Gamasa, Egypt.

This study examined the effects of aliskiren (Ali) (direct renin inhibitor) on serum cardiac enzymes (LDH and CK-MB), electrocardiography (ECG) changes, myocardial oxidative stress markers (MDA, CAT, and GSH) and the expression of Bcl2, HO-1, and Nrf2 genes in isoproterenol (ISO)-induced myocardial infarction (MI). A total of 40 male albino rats were allocated into four groups, (1) normal control (NC) group, (2) Ali group (rats received Ali at 10 mg/kg/day p.o. Read More

Cell Prolif 2018 Oct 28;51(5):e12476. Epub 2018 Jun 28.

Department of Clinical Pharmacology, School of Pharmacy, China Medical University, Shenyang, China.

Objectives: Methamphetamine (MA) abuse evokes pulmonary toxicity. The aim of our study is to investigate if autophagy is induced by MA and if autophagy-initiated apoptosis in alveolar epithelial cells is involved in MA-induced chronic pulmonary toxicity.

Materials And Methods: The rats in Control group and MA group were tested by Doppler and HE staining. Read More

Mar Drugs 2018 Jun 20;16(6). Epub 2018 Jun 20.

Biological Sciences Department, College of Science, King Faisal University, Al-Ahsa 31982, Saudi Arabia.

To the best of our knowledge, cyanobacterial strains from the Arabian Gulf have never been investigated with respect to their potential for nanoparticle production. was isolated from the AlOqair area, Al-Ahsa Government, Eastern Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia. The cyanobacterium was initially incubated with 1500 mg/mL of HAuCl₄ for two days. Read More

Drug Metab Dispos 2018 09 18;46(9):1277-1284. Epub 2018 Jun 18.

Departments of Pharmaceutics (D.J.W., L.M.S., D.D.S., J.W.) and Pharmacy (S.A.), University of Washington, Seattle, Washington

Methamphetamine is one of the most widely abused illicit drugs. Although human intoxication and multiple tissue toxicities frequently occur in abusers, little is known about the distribution of methamphetamine or its primary metabolites, amphetamine and -hydroxymethamphetamine (-OHMA), to their sites of toxicity. This study determined the pharmacokinetics, tissue exposure, and partition ratios of methamphetamine and major metabolites in various mouse tissues and investigated the impact of organic cation transporter 3 (Oct3) following i. Read More

Food Chem Toxicol 2018 Aug 18;118:726-732. Epub 2018 Jun 18.

Yeditepe University, Faculty of Pharmacy, Department of Toxicology, 34755, Ataşehir, İstanbul, Turkey.

Epinephrine and norepinephrine have been used in the management of anaphylactic reactions and cardiac resuscitation, along with treatment of asthma and glaucoma extensively, but their toxicological profiles are not yet completed. Based on this circumstance, various toxicological endpoints of epinephrine and norepinephrine were explored. Since there is a paucity of some endpoints' data, readacross was applied to fill the data gaps using analog approach. Read More

Eur J Pharmacol 2018 Aug 18;833:545-554. Epub 2018 Jun 18.

Peking University Institute of Cardiovascular Sciences, Peking University Health Science Center, Peking University, Beijing 100191, China; Key Laboratory of Molecular Cardiovascular Sciences, Ministry of Education, Beijing 100191, China; Beijing Key Laboratory of Molecular Pharmaceutics and New Drug Delivery Systems, Beijing 100191, China. Electronic address:

Cardiac fibrosis is a common feature of many cardiac pathophysiologic conditions. Recently, it has been shown that the activation of NLRP3 inflammasome plays an important role in the pathophysiology of cardiac fibrosis. Here, the inhibitory effects and possible mechanism of astragaloside IV (AST) and its active sapogenin cycloastragenol (CAG) on isoproterenol (ISO)-induced cardiac fibrosis were investigated. Read More

Int J Pharm 2018 Sep 7;548(1):1-14. Epub 2018 Jun 7.

Department of Morphology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59072-970, RN, Brazil; Post-Graduation Programme in Structural and Functional Biology, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59072-970, RN, Brazil; Post-Graduation Programme in Health Science, Federal University of Rio Grande do Norte, Natal 59072-970, RN, Brazil. Electronic address:

This study aimed to elucidate the anti-inflammatory, anti-oxidant and antifibrotic effects of gold nanoparticles (GNPs) in rats subjected to liver injury with ethanol and Methamphetamine (METH). The liver injury was induced by gavage administrations of 30% alcoholic solution (7 g/kg) once a day during 28 days, followed by METH (10 mg/kg) on the 20th and 28th days of treatment. GNPs treatment (724. Read More

Toxicol Lett 2018 Sep 12;294:156-165. Epub 2018 May 12.

Key Lab of Modern Toxicology (NJMU), Ministry of Education, Department of Toxicology, School of Public Health, Nanjing Medical University, 818 Tian Yuan East Road, Nanjing, Jiangsu, 211166, China. Electronic address:

Methamphetamine (METH) is a commonly abused psychostimulant that can induce severe neurotoxicity. Cardiovascular injury caused by METH has recently gained increasing attention; however, the underlying mechanisms remain unclear. As autophagy has been shown to be associated with cell injury, the association between autophagy and METH-mediated cell apoptosis was investigated in the present study. Read More

Anal Chim Acta 2018 Sep 29;1023:96-104. Epub 2018 Mar 29.

Department of Materials Science and Engineering, National Chiao Tung University, Hsinchu, 300, Taiwan. Electronic address:

New glutamic acid (Glu) and polyethylenimine (PE) functionalized ultra-stable gold nanoparticles (PE-Glu-AuNPs) were developed via a simple NaBH reduction method. The low toxicity and biocompatibility of PE-Glu-AuNPs were confirmed via an MTT assay in Raw 264.7 cells. Read More

Cardiovasc Pathol 2018 Jul - Aug;35:29-36. Epub 2018 Apr 11.

Department of Cardiology, The Affiliated Hospital of Qingdao University, Qingdao 266003, China. Electronic address:

Background: Non-coding RNAs, including long non-coding RNAs (lncRNAs) and microRNAs (miRNAs), have been demonstrated as central mediators in cardiac hypertrophy responses. LncRNA cardiac hypertrophy related factor (CHRF) has been reported to be implicated in cardiac hypertrophy. However, the underlying mechanisms of CHRF have not been thoroughly elucidated. Read More

Behav Brain Res 2018 09 5;349:80-90. Epub 2018 May 5.

Department of pharmacology, Shenyang Pharmaceutical University, 103 Wenhua Road, Shenyang, Liaoning, 110016, PR China. Electronic address:

Currently, an increasing proportion of adolescent ketamine users simultaneously consume alcohol. However, the potential behavioural and neurological alterations induced by such a drug combination and the underlying mechanisms have not been systematically examined. Therefore, in the present study, the behavioural and morphological changes and the underlying mechanisms were studied in adolescent rats after repeated alcohol and/or ketamine treatment. Read More

Neurol Res 2018 Jul 4;40(7):523-531. Epub 2018 May 4.

b Student Research Committee , Qazvin University of Medical Sciences , Qazvin , Iran.

Introduction: Studies have shown that hydrogen sulfide (HS), a gaseous neurotransmitter, has neuroprotective effect. Here, we evaluated the neuroprotective activity of HS in acute 6-hydroxydopamine (6-OHDA) animal model of Parkinson's disease (PD).

Methods: 6-OHDA was injected through stereotaxic surgery into medial forebrain bundle (MFB) of the right hemisphere to induce severe and fast degeneration in dopaminergic neurons of substantia nigra (SN). Read More

PLoS One 2018 3;13(5):e0196569. Epub 2018 May 3.

Graduate Institute of Basic Medical Science, China Medical University, Taichung, Taiwan.

Earlier studies have shown that estrogen possess protective function against the development of pathological cardiac hypertrophy. However, the molecular mechanisms of estrogens (E2) protective effect are poorly understood. Additionally, abnormal activation of β-adrenergic signaling have been implicated in the development of pathological cardiac remodeling. Read More

Rejuvenation Res 2018 Oct 21;21(5):464-476. Epub 2018 Jun 21.

1 Department of Pharmaceutics, School of Pharmaceutical Education and Research, Jamia Hamdard (Hamdard University) , New Delhi, India .

Objective of this study was to determine whether the prepared nanoemulsion would be able to deliver selegiline to the brain by intranasal route, improving its bioavailability. Antioxidant activity, pharmacokinetic parameters, and dopamine concentration were determined. Oxidative stress models, which had Parkinson's disease-like symptoms, were used to evaluate the antioxidant activity of nanoemulsion loaded with selegiline in vivo. Read More

Neurotox Res 2018 Oct 30;34(3):525-537. Epub 2018 Apr 30.

Department of Pharmacology, Institute of Pharmacology, Polish Academy of Sciences, 12 Smętna, 31-343, Kraków, Poland.

According to the European Drug Report (2016), the use of synthetic cathinones, such as mephedrone, among young people has rapidly increased in the last years. Studies in humans indicate that psychostimulant drug use in adolescence increases risk of drug abuse in adulthood. Mephedrone by its interaction with transporters for dopamine (DAT) and serotonin (SERT) stimulates their release to the synaptic cleft. Read More

Biomed Pharmacother 2018 Mar 20;99:704-714. Epub 2018 Feb 20.

Laboratory of Cardiovascular Physiology and Reactive Oxygen Species, Institute of Basic Health Science, Universidade Federal do Rio Grande do Sul, Rio Grande do Sul, Brazil. Electronic address:

The aim of this study was to investigate the role of the ß-adrenergic blocker bucindolol on endothelial dysfunction and pulmonary vascular remodeling in rats with pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH). Male Wistar rats were divided into four groups: control, monocrotaline (MCT), control?+?bucindolol and monocrotaline?+?bucindolol (MCT?+?BCD). PAH was induced by an injection of monocrotaline (60?mg/kg i. Read More

Behav Brain Res 2018 09 27;349:73-79. Epub 2018 Apr 27.

Department of Psychiatry, School of Medicine, University of California San Diego, La Jolla, CA, USA.

Mild neurocognitive impairments are common in people with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) infection. HIV-encoded proteins, such as trans-activator of transcription (TAT), contribute to neuropathology and cognitive function in medicated subjects. The combination of TAT and comorbid methamphetamine use may further impair neurocognitive function in HIV-positive individuals by affecting dopaminergic systems in the brain. Read More

Toxicol Lett 2018 Aug 26;292:97-107. Epub 2018 Apr 26.

School of Forensic Medicine, Southern Medical University, Guangzhou 510515, China. Electronic address:

Overexposure to methamphetamine (METH) causes apoptosis in a number of cell types, particularly neuronal cells. However, the underlying mechanisms of METH-induced neuronal apoptosis remain to be elucidated. Accumulation of microtubule-associated protein Tau can lead to activation of multiple neurotoxic pathways, which is closely correlated with neuronal apoptosis. Read More

Curr Pharm Biotechnol 2018 ;19(2):163-174

Drug Testing Consultants, #801 265 Russell Hill Road, Toronto, ON, M4V2T3, Canada.

Background: Methamphetamine misuse represents an increasing global public health problem. Its consumption during pregnancy becomes a relevant issue, since it has clinical consequences for the child's health and the pregnant woman. Despite this, there are only few data in the literature that include analytical results in the matrices used to detect prenatal exposure. Read More

Am J Chin Med 2018 ;46(3):551-566

† School of Forensic Medicine, Kunming Medical University, Kunming, Yunnan, P. R. China.

Although antiretroviral therapy has helped to improve the lives of individuals infected with human immunodeficiency virus 1 (HIV-1), these patients are often still afflicted with HIV-1-associated neurocognitive disorders, which can lead to neurocognitive impairment and even dementia, and continue to hamper their quality of life. Methamphetamine abuse in HIV-1 patients poses a potential risk for HIV-associated neurocognitive disorders, because methamphetamine and HIV-1 proteins such as transactivator of transcription can synergistically damage the blood-brain barrier (BBB). In this study, we aimed to examine the effects of methamphetamine and HIV-1 Tat protein on the blood-brain barrier function and to determine whether ginsenoside Rb1 (GsRb1) plays a role in protecting the BBB. Read More

Neurochem Res 2018 May 23;43(5):1118-1135. Epub 2018 Apr 23.

Neuropsychopharmacology and Toxicology Program, College of Pharmacy, Kangwon National University, Chuncheon, 24341, Republic of Korea.

Evidence indicates that stress conditions might lead to drug dependence. Recently, we have demonstrated that exposure to far infrared ray (FIR) attenuates acute restraint stress via induction of glutathione peroxidase-1 (GPx-1) gene. We investigated whether FIR affects methamphetamine (MA)-induced behavioral sensitization and whether FIR-mediated pharmacological activity requires interaction between dopamine receptor and GPx-1 gene. Read More

Cell Physiol Biochem 2018 13;46(3):986-998. Epub 2018 Apr 13.

Department of Physiology, Medical College of Nanchang University, Nanchang, China.

Background/aims: Chronic diabetic hyperglycemia can damage various of organ systems and cause serious complications. Although diabetic cardiac autonomic neuropathy (DCAN) is the primary cause of death in diabetic patients, its pathogenesis remains to be fully elucidated. Baicalin is a flavonoid extracted from Scutellaria baicalensis root and has antibacterial, diuretic, anti-inflammatory, anti- metamorphotic, and antispasmodic effects. Read More

Environ Toxicol Pharmacol 2018 Jun 10;60:58-65. Epub 2018 Apr 10.

Departamento de Fisiología, Biofísica y Neurociencias, Centro de Investigación y de Estudios Avanzados (Cinvestav) del IPN, Av. IPN 2508, Zacatenco, 07360 Ciudad de México, México. Electronic address:

Male Sprague-Dawley rats (8-9 weeks-old) were exposed for three days (acute exposure) or eight weeks (subchronic exposure) to purified air or concentrated ambient fine particles, PM (≤2.5 μm; 15 to 18-fold of ambient air; 370-445 μg/m). In membranes from rat prefrontal cortex (PFC) or striatum, the density and function of dopamine D-like receptors (DRs) were assessed by [H]-spiperone binding and dopamine-stimulated [S]-GTPγS binding, respectively. Read More

Chem Biol Interact 2018 May 12;287:49-56. Epub 2018 Apr 12.

Neuropsychopharmacology Laboratory, Drug Research and Development Center, Faculty of Medicine, Federal University of Ceará, Fortaleza, Brazil. Electronic address:

Riparin II (RipII) has an anti-inflammatory activity potentially due its ability to decrease TNF-α and IL-1β production and its histamine antagonism. The objective of this study was to evaluate the role of RipII in the pain process and the possible antinociceptive mechanisms involved, using classic models of nociception. Male Swiss mice were used in the assays. Read More

Handb Exp Pharmacol 2018 Apr 10. Epub 2018 Apr 10.

Division of Clinical Pharmacology and Toxicology, University Hospital Basel, Basel, Switzerland.

New psychoactive substances (NPS) with amphetamine-, aminoindan-, and benzofuran basic chemical structures have recently emerged for recreational drug use. Detailed information about their psychotropic effects and health risks is often limited. At the same time, it emerged that the pharmacological profiles of these NPS resemble those of amphetamine or 3,4-methylenedioxymethamphetamine (MDMA). Read More

Gene 2018 Jul 6;662:54-65. Epub 2018 Apr 6.

Department of Cellular Biotechnology, Cell Science Research Center, Royan Institute for Biotechnology, ACECR, Isfahan, Iran. Electronic address:

Parkinson's disease (PD) is a debilitating neurodegenerative condition characterized by the loss of dopaminergic neurons in substantia nigra. MPP+ as a dopaminergic neurotoxin induces many parkinsonian-like symptoms in cell culture. MicroRNAs are noncoding RNAs which their deregulation participates in neurodegeneration by affecting most of the mechanisms responsible for neurodegenerative diseases. Read More

Biochem Biophys Res Commun 2018 05 10;499(4):992-997. Epub 2018 Apr 10.

Department of Pharmacy and Pharmacology, University of Bath, UK.

Background: Advanced glycation endproducts (AGEs) play a major role in the development of many vascular complications that are mediated by endothelial dysfunction. The present work aimed to investigate the mechanism by which AGEs impair vasodilation.

Methods: The effect of AGEs on vasodilation induced by acetylcholine or D NONOate was examined by incubating isolated rat aortae with different AGEs concentrations. Read More

Drug Alcohol Depend 2018 05 27;186:219-225. Epub 2018 Mar 27.

Department of Physiology, School of Medicine, Babol University of Medical Sciences, Babol, Iran.

Background: Methamphetamine (Meth), a neurotoxin, induces inflammation, oxidative stress, and triggers endothelial dysfunction and cardiovascular disease which is the second cause of death among individuals with Meth-use disorder. Oxidative stress and inflammation trigger the microparticle (MP) release. These are extracellular vesicles extracted from cell surface and identified in biological fluids. Read More

Neurotox Res 2018 08 27;34(2):263-272. Epub 2018 Mar 27.

Age-related Inflammation and Degeneration Research Unit, Department of Clinical Chemistry, Faculty of Allied Health Sciences, Chulalongkorn University, Bangkok, 10230, Thailand.

Alzheimer's disease is a neurodegenerative disease that affects 44 million people worldwide, costing the world $605 billion to care for those affected not taking into account the physical and psychological costs for those who care for Alzheimer's patients. Dipentylammonium is a simple amine, which is structurally similar to a number of other identified sigma-1 receptor ligands with high affinities such as (2R-trans)-2butyl-5-heptylpyrrolidine, stearylamine and dodecylamine. This study investigates whether dipentylammonium is able to provide neuroprotective effects similar to those of sigma-1 receptor agonists such as PRE-084. Read More

Int J Dev Neurosci 2018 Jun 20;67:37-45. Epub 2018 Mar 20.

Department of Pharmacology, Faculty of Medicine, Masaryk University, Brno, Czech Republic.

Modafinil is a psychostimulant drug prescribed for treatment of narcolepsy. However, it is used as a "smart drug" especially by young adults to increase wakefulness, concentration and mental performance. Therefore, it can also be used by women with childbearing potential and its developmental effects can become a concern. Read More

Int J Mol Med 2018 Jun 15;41(6):3509-3516. Epub 2018 Mar 15.

Department of Anesthesiology, Zhongshan Hospital, Fudan University, Shanghai 200032, P.R. China.

Rosuvastatin, a member of 3-hydroxy-3-methylglutaryl coenzyme A reductase inhibitors, exerts various pharmacological activities. This study evaluated the cardioprotective effect of rosuvastatin on isoproterenol-induced myocardial infarction injury in rats. A rat model of myocardial infarction injury was induced by isoproterenol (ISO) for 2 consecutive days, rosuvastatin was administered for 8 weeks. Read More