scholarly journals Organ-Protective Effects and the Underlying Mechanism of Dexmedetomidine

2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Naren Bao ◽  
Bing Tang

Dexmedetomidine (DEX) is a highly selective α2 adrenergic receptor (α2AR) agonist currently used in clinical settings. Because DEX has dose-dependent advantages of sedation, analgesia, antianxiety, inhibition of sympathetic nervous system activity, cardiovascular stabilization, and significant reduction of postoperative delirium and agitation, but does not produce respiratory depression and agitation, it is widely used in clinical anesthesia and ICU departments. In recent years, much clinical study and basic research has confirmed that DEX has a protective effect on a variety of organs, including the nervous system, heart, lungs, kidneys, liver, and small intestine. It acts by reducing the inflammatory response in these organs, activating antiapoptotic signaling pathways which protect cells from damage. Therefore, based on wide clinical application and safety, DEX may become a promising clinical multiorgan protection drug in the future. In this article, we review the physiological effects related to organ protection in α2AR agonists along with the organ-protective effects and mechanisms of DEX to understand their combined application value.

2018 ◽  
Vol 2018 ◽  
pp. 1-11 ◽  
Author(s):  
Huijuan Jing ◽  
Qing Zhang ◽  
Min Liu ◽  
Jianjun Zhang ◽  
Chen Zhang ◽  
...  

This study aimed to investigate the antioxidant, antiaging, and organ protective effects of the water-extractable mycelium polysaccharides (MPS) and enzymic-extractable mycelium polysaccharides (En-MPS) by Agrocybe aegerita (Brig.) Sing in D-galactose-induced (D-gal-induced) aging mice. In in vitro assays, the En-MPS demonstrated stronger antioxidant activities in dose-dependent manners. The mice experiments revealed that both En-MPS and MPS had potential effects on antioxidation, antiaging, and organ protection mainly by improving the antioxidant enzyme activities, decreasing the lipid peroxidation, and remitting the lipid metabolism. Furthermore, chemical composition and monosaccharide composition of polysaccharides were also measured, and the results indicated that differences in biological activity of MPS and En-MPS samples showed a significant correlation to their purity. The findings demonstrated that the polysaccharides by A. aegerita (Brig.) Sing could be exploited as natural and functional foods for the prevention and alleviation of aging and its complications.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-9 ◽  
Author(s):  
Rui-rong Chen ◽  
Juan Liu ◽  
Zhe Chen ◽  
Wen-jun Cai ◽  
Xiu-fen Li ◽  
...  

In Southwestern China, the root of Morinda angustifolia Roxb. has been employed as a folk medicine for treating various types of hepatitis and jaundice. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the hepatoprotective effects of anthraquinones extract from M. angustifolia root (AEMA) in carbon tetrachloride- (CCl4-) induced liver injury in mice and identify the main bioactive components. Results indicated that AEMA pretreatment could significantly, in a dose-dependent manner, attenuate the increased levels of ALT and AST in mice serum induced by CCl4. At doses of 100 and 200 mg/kg, AEMA exhibited significant suppression of the elevated hepatic levels of malondialdehyde (MDA), as well as marked upregulatory effects on the activities of antioxidant enzymes including superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione peroxidase (GSH-Px) in mice exposed to CCl4. However, AEMA treatment had no effect on the antioxidant enzyme catalase (CAT) or the nonenzymatic antioxidant glutathione (GSH). Furthermore, two anthraquinone constituents were isolated from AEMA and identified as soranjidiol and rubiadin-3-methyl ether. Soranjidiol exhibited similar protective effects to those of AEMA on liver damage induced by CCl4. Overall, our research clearly demonstrated the hepatoprotective effects of the AEMA, and anthraquinones, particularly soranjidiol, should be considered as the main hepatoprotective principles of M. angustifolia. In addition, the underlying mechanism may be, at least in part, related to its antioxidant properties.


2020 ◽  
Vol 2020 ◽  
pp. 1-11
Author(s):  
Lili Jia ◽  
Wenli Yu ◽  
Hongli Yu ◽  
Yiqi Weng

Background. Liver transplantation induces self-injury and affects remote organs, such as the lung, kidney, and intestine. Postoperative intestinal dysfunction has been associated with prolonged hospitalization and affects a patient’s health and quality of life. Electroacupuncture (EA) has been proven effective in multiple organ protection. However, the potential mechanism underlying the protective effects of EA on intestinal injury after liver transplantation remains unclear. Methods. After establishing an autogenous orthotopic liver transplantation (AOLT) model, we studied the effects of EA pretreatment on intestinal injury after AOLT. We used the JAK2-specific inhibitor AG490 to explore the underlying mechanism. Histological analysis and apoptosis assays were used to evaluate intestinal injury. Oxidative stress index and inflammatory response were also measured after AOLT. Furthermore, we detected the phosphorylation levels of JAK2, STAT1, and STAT3 by Western blot. Results. We found that pretreatment with EA alleviated intestinal injury after AOLT, as shown by HE staining and TUNEL methods. EA pretreatment inhibited the expressions of p-JAK2, p-STAT1, and p-STAT3 in the intestines after AOLT. Upon treatment with JAK2-specific inhibitor AG490, intestinal injury was balanced. Conclusion. The data indicated EA pretreatment alleviated intestinal injury after AOLT by inhibiting the JAK/STAT signaling pathway. These results provide basic evidence to support the potential therapeutic efficacy of EA.


2021 ◽  
Vol 12 (6) ◽  
Author(s):  
Michittra Boonchan ◽  
Hideki Arimochi ◽  
Kunihiro Otsuka ◽  
Tomoko Kobayashi ◽  
Hisanori Uehara ◽  
...  

AbstractThe sensing of various extrinsic stimuli triggers the receptor-interacting protein kinase-3 (RIPK3)-mediated signaling pathway, which leads to mixed-lineage kinase-like (MLKL) phosphorylation followed by necroptosis. Although necroptosis is a form of cell death and is involved in inflammatory conditions, the roles of necroptosis in acute pancreatitis (AP) remain unclear. In the current study, we administered caerulein to Ripk3- or Mlkl-deficient mice (Ripk3−/− or Mlkl−/− mice, respectively) and assessed the roles of necroptosis in AP. We found that Ripk3−/− mice had significantly more severe pancreatic edema and inflammation associated with macrophage and neutrophil infiltration than control mice. Consistently, Mlkl−/− mice were more susceptible to caerulein-induced AP, which occurred in a time- and dose-dependent manner, than control mice. Mlkl−/− mice exhibit weight loss, edematous pancreatitis, necrotizing pancreatitis, and acinar cell dedifferentiation in response to tissue damage. Genetic deletion of Mlkl resulted in downregulation of the antiapoptotic genes Bclxl and Cflar in association with increases in the numbers of apoptotic cells, as detected by TUNEL assay. These findings suggest that RIPK3 and MLKL-mediated necroptosis exerts protective effects in AP and caution against the use of necroptosis inhibitors for AP treatment.


2021 ◽  
pp. 1-9
Author(s):  
Jingyuan Huang ◽  
Yan Xu ◽  
Fang Wang ◽  
Haili Wang ◽  
Lu Li ◽  
...  

<b><i>Objective:</i></b> This study aimed to investigate whether long noncoding RNA sprouty receptor tyrosine kinase signaling antagonist 4-intronic transcript 1 (SPRY4-IT1) is involved in the regulation of ketamine-induced neurotoxicity. <b><i>Methods:</i></b> Human embryonic stem cells (hESCs) were induced into neurons in vitro and treated with ketamine. Apoptosis and neurite degeneration assays were used to determine ketamine-induced neurotoxicity and qRT-PCR to determine SPRY4-IT1 expression. SPRY4-IT1 was downregulated in hESC-induced neurons to examine its regulation on ketamine-induced neurotoxicity. The correlation between enhancer of zeste homolog 2 (EZH2) and SPRY4-IT1 was also examined. EZH2 was upregulated in SPRY4-IT1-downregualted hESC-induced neurons to further examine its participation in SPRY4-IT1-mediated ketamine neurotoxicity. <b><i>Results:</i></b> Ketamine-induced dose-dependent apoptosis, neurite degeneration, and SPRY4-IT1 upregulation in hESC-induced neurons. Lentivirus-mediated SPRY4-IT1 downregulation protected ketamine neurotoxicity. EZH2 expression was positively correlated with SPRY4-IT1 in hESC-induced neurons. EZH2 overexpression markedly reversed the protective effects of SPRY4-IT1 knockdown on ketamine neurotoxicity. <b><i>Conclusions:</i></b> SPRY4-IT1 is involved in anesthesia-induced neurotoxicity, possibly through the regulation on EZH2 gene.


2021 ◽  
Vol 11 (1) ◽  
Author(s):  
Eui Jeong Han ◽  
Seo-Young Kim ◽  
Hee-Jin Han ◽  
Hyun-Soo Kim ◽  
Kil-Nam Kim ◽  
...  

AbstractThe present study aimed to evaluate the protective effect of a methanol extract of Sargassum horneri (SHM), which contains 6-hydroxy-4,4,7a-trimethyl-5,6,7,7a-tetrahydrobenzofuran-2(4H)-one (HTT) and apo-9′-fucoxanthinone, against ultraviolet B (UVB)-induced cellular damage in human keratinocytes and its underlying mechanism. SHM significantly improved cell viability of UVB-exposed human keratinocytes by reducing the generation of intracellular reactive oxygen species (ROS). Moreover, SHM inhibited UVB exposure-induced apoptosis by reducing the formation of apoptotic bodies and the populations of the sub-G1 hypodiploid cells and the early apoptotic cells by modulating the expression of the anti- and pro-apoptotic molecules, Bcl-2 and Bax, respectively. Furthermore, SHM inhibited NF-κB p65 activation by inducing the activation of Nrf2/HO-1 signaling. The cytoprotective and antiapoptotic activities of SHM are abolished by the inhibition of HO-1 signaling. In further study, SHM restored the skin dryness and skin barrier disruption in UVB-exposed human keratinocytes. Based to these results, our study suggests that SHM protects the cells against UVB-induced cellular damages through the Nrf2/HO-1/NF-κB p65 signaling pathway and may be potentially useful for the prevention of UVB-induced skin damage.


2021 ◽  
Vol 22 (12) ◽  
pp. 6403
Author(s):  
Md Saidur Rahman ◽  
Khandkar Shaharina Hossain ◽  
Sharnali Das ◽  
Sushmita Kundu ◽  
Elikanah Olusayo Adegoke ◽  
...  

Insulin is a polypeptide hormone mainly secreted by β cells in the islets of Langerhans of the pancreas. The hormone potentially coordinates with glucagon to modulate blood glucose levels; insulin acts via an anabolic pathway, while glucagon performs catabolic functions. Insulin regulates glucose levels in the bloodstream and induces glucose storage in the liver, muscles, and adipose tissue, resulting in overall weight gain. The modulation of a wide range of physiological processes by insulin makes its synthesis and levels critical in the onset and progression of several chronic diseases. Although clinical and basic research has made significant progress in understanding the role of insulin in several pathophysiological processes, many aspects of these functions have yet to be elucidated. This review provides an update on insulin secretion and regulation, and its physiological roles and functions in different organs and cells, and implications to overall health. We cast light on recent advances in insulin-signaling targeted therapies, the protective effects of insulin signaling activators against disease, and recommendations and directions for future research.


1992 ◽  
Vol 12 (2) ◽  
pp. 301-305 ◽  
Author(s):  
Fumito Kadoya ◽  
Akira Mitani ◽  
Tatsuru Arai ◽  
Kiyoshi Kataoka

The xanthine derivative propentofylline (HWA 285) has been reported to show protective effects against neuronal damage induced by cerebral ischemia. In the present study, microfluorometry was used to investigate the effect of propentofylline on the hypoxia–hypoglycemia-induced intracellular calcium accumulation in gerbil hippocampal slices. When slices were superfused with hypoxic–hypoglycemic medium that did not contain propentofylline, an acute increase in calcium accumulation was detected 75–200 s (mean latency of 123 s) after the beginning of hypoxia–hypoglycemia. When slices were superfused with hypoxic–hypoglycemic mediums that contained 10 μ M, 100 μ M, and 1 m M propentofylline, the latency of the acute increase in calcium accumulation was prolonged in all subregions of the hippocampus in a dose-dependent manner: mean latencies in field CA1 were 146, 168, and 197 s after hypoxia–hypoglycemia, respectively. This retardation in calcium accumulation may be involved in the mechanisms by which propentofylline diminishes ischemic injury.


2000 ◽  
Vol 41 (4) ◽  
pp. 405-411 ◽  
Author(s):  
LUSÂNIA M. GREGGI ANTUNES ◽  
JOANA D'ARC C. DARIN ◽  
MARIA DE LOURDES P. BIANCHI

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