Inhibitory Effect of a Glutamine Antagonist on Proliferation and Migration of VSMCs via Simultaneous Attenuation of Glycolysis and Oxidative Phosphorylation

Excessive proliferation and migration of vascular smooth muscle cells (VSMCs) contribute to the development of atherosclerosis and restenosis. Glycolysis and glutaminolysis are increased in rapidly proliferating VSMCs to support their increased energy requirements and biomass production. Thus, it is essential to develop new pharmacological tools that regulate metabolic reprogramming in VSMCs for treatment of atherosclerosis. The effects of 6-diazo-5-oxo-L-norleucine (DON), a glutamine antagonist, have been broadly investigated in highly proliferative cells; however, it is unclear whether DON inhibits proliferation of VSMCs and neointima formation. Here, we investigated the effects of DON on neointima formation in vivo as well as proliferation and migration of VSMCs in vitro. DON simultaneously inhibited FBS- or PDGF-stimulated glycolysis and glutaminolysis as well as mammalian target of rapamycin complex I activity in growth factor-stimulated VSMCs, and thereby suppressed their proliferation and migration. Furthermore, a DON-derived prodrug, named JHU-083, significantly attenuated carotid artery ligation-induced neointima formation in mice. Our results suggest that treatment with a glutamine antagonist is a promising approach to prevent progression of atherosclerosis and restenosis.     

Towards a Treatment for Neuroinflammation in Epilepsy: Interleukin-1 Receptor Antagonist,Anakinra, as a Potential Treatment in Intractable Epilepsy

Febrile Infection-Related Epilepsy Syndrome (FIRES) is a unique catastrophic epilepsy syndrome, and the development of drug-resistant epilepsy (DRE) is inevitable. Recently, anakinra, an interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1RA), has been increasingly used to treat DRE due to its potent anticonvulsant activity. We here summarized its effects in 38 patients (32 patients with FIRES and six with DRE). Of the 22 patients with FIRES, 16 (73%) had at least short-term seizure control 1 week after starting anakinra, while the remaining six suspected anakinra-refractory cases were male and had poor prognoses. Due to the small sample size, an explanation for anakinra refractoriness was not evident. In all DRE patients, seizures disappeared or improved, and cognitive function improved in five of the six patients following treatment. Patients showed no serious side effects, although drug reactions with eosinophilia and systemic symptoms, cytopenia, and infections were observed. Thus, anakinra has led to a marked improvement in some cases, and functional deficiency of IL-1RA was indicated, supporting a direct mechanism for its therapeutic effect. This review first discusses the effectiveness of anakinra for intractable epileptic syndromes. Anakinra could become a new tool for intractable epilepsy treatment. However, it does not currently have a solid evidence base.     

咖啡酸、阿魏酸:新的非肽类内皮素拮抗剂1

目的 评价桂皮酸类化合物咖啡酸和阿魏酸对内皮素(ET-1)生物效应的拮抗作用并初步探讨其拮抗ET-1 的作用机理。方法 用咖啡酸与阿魏酸腹腔注射及静脉注射给药后观察其对ET-1 致小鼠急性死亡以及对大鼠升压效应、对离体主动脉条的收缩效应的拮抗作用;口服给药后考察其对醋酸去氧皮质酮(DOCA)-盐高血压大鼠ET-1 的作用, 并对DOCA-盐高血压动物模型ET-1 血浆浓度、血压和动物体重变化及心血管组织增生的影响;对ET-1、c-fos、热休克蛋白(HSP70)mRNA 基因表达的影响。结果 咖啡酸和阿魏酸腹腔注射给药后能显著延长ET-1 致小鼠急性死亡时间, 与对照组相比该作用具剂量依赖性;静脉注射给药后能拮抗ET-1 引起的正常大鼠升压效应;在离体器官上可观察到咖啡酸与阿魏酸能拮抗ET-1 的缩血管效应;咖啡酸和阿魏酸长期口服给药能降低DOCA-盐高血压模型大鼠的血压、对心脏和血管的组织增生有明显的抑制作用;可降低血浆中ET-1 的浓度并可减少ET-1 引起的c-fos、HSP70 mRNA 基因表达的增加;放射性受体-配体结合实验表明, 咖啡酸和阿魏酸可竞争性地抑制ET-1 与其受体结合。结论 咖啡酸和阿魏酸为新的非肽类ET-1 拮抗剂。     

CRH? receptor antagonists for the treatment of depression and anxiety.

From basic and clinical studies, ample evidence has emerged that abnormalities of stress hormone regulation observed in depression and anxiety are caused by elevated secretion of hypothalamic corticotropin-releasing hormone (CRH). This neuropeptide acts through CRH? receptors to produce a number of anxiety- and depression-like symptoms, which has resulted in extensive validation of CRH? receptors as a potential drug target. A number of orally available nonpeptidergic small molecules that are able to pass the blood-brain barrier have been discovered. Some of these compounds have entered clinical development. The authors summarize results from clinical studies of 2 CRH? antagonists. One study designed as a safety and tolerability study also monitored amelioration of depression under 2 dose-escalation regimens. The compound studied, NBI-30775/R121919, was found to have a clinical profile comparable to that of paroxetine. In a second study the effect of another CRH? antagonist, NBI-34041, on stress hormone secretion in response to a psychosocial stressor was investigated. Administration of this compound to healthy controls was found to reduce the stress-elicited secretion of stress hormones. However, neither compound impaired the CRH-induced release of adrenocorticotropic hormone and cortisol, rejecting the possibility that the stress hormone system is impaired by CRH? antagonists. From these studies the authors conclude that both CRH? antagonists have psychotropic effects unrelated to their neuroendocrine action, in line with behavioral data obtained from transgenic mice with CRH? gene deletions. The psychotropic effects observed in the clinical studies underscore that CRH? antagonists constitute a novel treatment of depression and anxiety but may also serve to prevent negative sequelae of severe stressors. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

Dopamine D? receptor activation modulates perceived odor intensity.

Dopaminergic modulation affects odor detection thresholds and olfactory discrimination capabilities in rats. The authors show that dopamine D? receptor modulation affects odor discrimination capabilities in a manner similar to the modulation of stimulus intensity. Performance in a simultaneous odor discrimination task was systematically altered by manipulations of both odorant concentration and D? receptor activation (agonist quinpirole, 0.025-0.5 mg/kg; antagonist spiperone, 0.5 mg/kg). Rats' discrimination performance systematically improved at higher odor concentrations. Blockade of D? receptors improved performance equivalent to increasing odor concentration by 2 log units, whereas activation of D? receptors reduced odor discrimination performance in a dose-dependent manner. Bulbar dopamine release may serve a gain control function in the olfactory system, optimizing its sensitivity to changes in the chemosensory environment. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2010 APA, all rights reserved)     

醋柳黄酮对血管平滑肌细胞胞内游离钙浓度的影响

目的:探讨醋柳总黄酮(TFH) 对血管平滑肌细胞胞内游离钙浓度([Ca²⁺]_i) 的影响。方法:采用新一代钙荧光探针Fluo-3/AM 检测在高钾、去甲肾上腺素(NE)、血管紧张素II(Ang Ⅱ) 刺激下单层兔主动脉平滑肌细胞内游离钙水平的改变, 并与传统的钙拮抗剂Verapamil (Ver) 进行对照研究。结果:TFH(100 mg·L^-1) 对静息状态的血管平滑肌细胞[Ca²⁺]_i 无明显影响;TFH(60 ～ 100 mg·L^-1) 呈剂量依赖性抑制高K⁺ 去极化引起的[Ca²⁺]_i 升高, 与Ver 作用相似, 但弱于Ver;TFH(80、100 mg·L^-1) 对NE、Ang Ⅱ通过受体介导引起[Ca²⁺]_i 升高均具有明显的抑制作用;在无细胞外Ca²⁺存在下, TFH(80、100 mg·L^-1) 对NE 引起的[Ca²⁺]_i 升高也具有一定程度的抑制效应。结论:醋柳总黄酮通过对电压依赖性钙通道和受体操纵型钙通道双重抑制降低血管平滑肌细胞内游离钙水平, 这可能是醋柳黄酮产生舒血管降压作用机制之一。     

厄贝沙坦长期治疗对原发性高血压患者左室肥厚及心功能的影响

目的:探讨血管紧张素II 受体拮抗剂(厄贝沙坦) 对原发性高血压患者左室肥厚及心功能的影响。方法:原发性高血压患者经超声心动图检查证实左室肥厚120 例, 随机分为2 组, 每组60 例。厄贝沙坦组口服150～300 mg°d^-1厄贝沙坦, 阿替洛尔组口服25～50 mg°d^-1 阿替洛尔, 疗程为8 个月。治疗前后各检查一次超声心动图及放射性核素心室显像, 分析治疗前后左室重量指数及左心功能参数变化, 并分析2 组间差异。结果:两组治疗后收缩压与舒张压明显下降(P<0.01) 。厄贝沙坦组治疗后,左室后壁与室间隔厚度显著下降(P<0.05), 左室重量及左室重量指数下降更显著(P<0.01);阿替洛尔组治疗后左室后壁与室间隔厚度无明显的变化, 而左室重量及左室重量指数下降显著(P<0.05) 。厄贝沙坦组治疗后左室高峰充盈率明显增加(P<0.05), 阿替洛尔组无明显变化, 厄贝沙坦组比阿替洛尔组左室高峰充盈率明显增高(P<0.05) 。结论:原发性高血压患者在厄贝沙坦治疗8个月后可使左室肥厚显著逆转及左心室舒张功能显著改善, 对左心室舒张功能的作用优于阿替洛尔。     

Characterization of antagonistic yeasts for biocontrol applications on apples or in soil by quantitative analyses of synthetic yeast communities

Antagonistic yeasts suppress plant pathogenic fungi by various mechanisms, but their biocontrol efficacy also depends on the ability to compete and persist in the environment. The goal of the work presented here was to quantify the composition of synthetic yeast communities in order to determine the competitiveness of different species and identify promising candidates for plant protection. For this purpose, colony counting of distinct species and matrix‐assisted laser desorption ionization time‐of‐flight mass spectrometry (MALDI‐TOF MS; MALDI biotyping) were used to distinguish different yeast species and to quantify the composition of a synthetic community of six yeasts (Aureobasidium pullulans, Candida subhashii, Cyberlindnera sargentensis, Hanseniaspora sp., Metschnikowia pulcherrima and Pichia kluyveri) over time, on apples and in soil, and in different growth media. These studies revealed important characteristics that predispose the different species for particular applications. For example, the competitiveness and antagonistic activity of C. subhashii was strongly increased in the presence of N‐acetylglucosamin as the sole carbon source, M. pulcherrima and A. pullulans were the strongest competitors on apple, and C. sargentensis competed the best in soil microcosms. Based on these laboratory studies, M. pulcherrima and A. pullulans are promising candidates for biocontrol applications against fungal phyllosphere diseases, while C. sargentensis may hold potential for use against soilborne fungal pathogens. These results document the potential of MALDI‐TOF MS for the quantitative analysis of synthetic yeast communities and highlight the value of studying microorganisms with relevant functions in moderately complex, synthetic communities and natural substrates rather than as individual isolates.     

Studies of New Fused Benzazepine as Selective Dopamine D3 Receptor Antagonists Using 3D-QSAR, Molecular Docking and Molecular Dynamics

In recent years, great interest has been paid to the development of compounds with high selectivity for central dopamine (DA) D3 receptors, an interesting therapeutic target in the treatment of different neurological disorders. In the present work, based on a dataset of 110 collected benzazepine (BAZ) DA D3 antagonists with diverse kinds of structures, a variety of in silico modeling approaches, including comparative molecular field analysis (CoMFA), comparative similarity indices analysis (CoMSIA), homology modeling, molecular docking and molecular dynamics (MD) were carried out to reveal the requisite 3D structural features for activity. Our results show that both the receptor-based (Q(2) = 0.603, R(2) (ncv) = 0.829, R(2) (pre) = 0.690, SEE = 0.316, SEP = 0.406) and ligand-based 3D-QSAR models (Q(2) = 0.506, R(2) (ncv) =0.838, R(2) (pre) = 0.794, SEE = 0.316, SEP = 0.296) are reliable with proper predictive capacity. In addition, a combined analysis between the CoMFA, CoMSIA contour maps and MD results with a homology DA receptor model shows that: (1) ring-A, position-2 and R(3) substituent in ring-D are crucial in the design of antagonists with higher activity; (2) more bulky R(1) substituents (at position-2 of ring-A) of antagonists may well fit in the binding pocket; (3) hydrophobicity represented by MlogP is important for building satisfactory QSAR models; (4) key amino acids of the binding pocket are CYS101, ILE105, LEU106, VAL151, PHE175, PHE184, PRO254 and ALA251. To our best knowledge, this work is the first report on 3D-QSAR modeling of the new fused BAZs as DA D3 antagonists. These results might provide information for a better understanding of the mechanism of antagonism and thus be helpful in designing new potent DA D3 antagonists.     

Investigation on Quantitative Structure Activity Relationships and Pharmacophore Modeling of a Series of mGluR2 Antagonists

MGluR2 is G protein-coupled receptor that is targeted for diseases like anxiety, depression, Parkinson's disease and schizophrenia. Herein, we report the three-dimensional quantitative structure-activity relationship (3D-QSAR) studies of a series of 1,3-dihydrobenzo[ b][1,4]diazepin-2-one derivatives as mGluR2 antagonists. Two series of models using two different activities of the antagonists against rat mGluR2, which has been shown to be very similar to the human mGluR2, (activity I: inhibition of [(3)H]-LY354740; activity II: mGluR2 (1S,3R)-ACPD inhibition of forskolin stimulated cAMP.) were derived from datasets composed of 137 and 69 molecules respectively. For activity I study, the best predictive model obtained from CoMFA analysis yielded a Q(2) of 0.513, R(2) (ncv) of 0.868, R(2) (pred) = 0.876, while the CoMSIA model yielded a Q(2) of 0.450, R(2) (ncv) = 0.899, R(2) (pred) = 0.735. For activity II study, CoMFA model yielded statistics of Q(2) = 0.5, R(2) (ncv) = 0.715, R(2) (pred) = 0.723. These results prove the high predictability of the models. Furthermore, a combined analysis between the CoMFA, CoMSIA contour maps shows that: (1) Bulky substituents in R(7), R(3) and position A benefit activity I of the antagonists, but decrease it when projected in R(8) and position B; (2) Hydrophilic groups at position A and B increase both antagonistic activity I and II; (3) Electrostatic field plays an essential rule in the variance of activity II. In search for more potent mGluR2 antagonists, two pharmacophore models were developed separately for the two activities. The first model reveals six pharmacophoric features, namely an aromatic center, two hydrophobic centers, an H-donor atom, an H-acceptor atom and an H-donor site. The second model shares all features of the first one and has an additional acceptor site, a positive N and an aromatic center. These models can be used as guidance for the development of new mGluR2 antagonists of high activity and selectivity. This work is the first report on 3D-QSAR modeling of these mGluR2 antagonists. All the conclusions may lead to a better understanding of the mechanism of antagonism and be helpful in the design of new potent mGluR2 antagonists.