Butanediol Conversion to Gamma-Hydroxybutyrate Markedly Reduced by the Alcohol Dehydrogenase Blocker Fomepizole

Real-time visualization the pH fluctuations of living cells with a ratiometric near-infrared fluorescent probe

In situ real-time quantitative monitoring pH fluctuation in complex living systems is vitally significant. In the current work, a ratiometric near-infrared (NIR) probe (MCyOH) was developed to confront this challenge. MCyOH exhibited good sensitivity, photostability, reversibility, and an ideal pKa (pKa = 6.65). Ratiometric character of MCyOH is beneficial to accuracy detect the pH fluctuations in living cells under different stimulation. The observations showed that intracellular pH was decreased when HepG2 cells under oxidative stress or starvation conditions. In particular, HepG2 cells was acidulated after addition of ethanol, however, the acidification phenomenon was attenuated or disappeared when HepG2 cells preincubated with disulfiram or fomepizole. Finally, MCyOH was successfully applied to observe the increasement of intracellular pH when HepG2 cells treated with fomepizole individually. Overall, MCyOH would be a practical candidate to explore pH-associated physiological and pathological varieties.

γ-Hydroxybutyric Acid: Pharmacokinetics, Pharmacodynamics, and Toxicology

Gamma-hydroxybutyrate (GHB) is a short-chain fatty acid present endogenously in the brain and used therapeutically for the treatment of narcolepsy, as sodium oxybate, and for alcohol abuse/withdrawal. GHB is better known however as a drug of abuse and is commonly referred to as the "date-rape drug"; current use in popular culture includes recreational "chemsex," due to its properties of euphoria, loss of inhibition, amnesia, and drowsiness. Due to the steep concentration-effect curve for GHB, overdoses occur commonly and symptoms include sedation, respiratory depression, coma, and death. GHB binds to both GHB and GABAB receptors in the brain, with pharmacological/toxicological effects mainly due to GABAB agonist effects. The pharmacokinetics of GHB are complex and include nonlinear absorption, metabolism, tissue uptake, and renal elimination processes. GHB is a substrate for monocarboxylate transporters, including both sodium-dependent transporters (SMCT1, 2; SLC5A8; SLC5A12) and proton-dependent transporters (MCT1-4; SLC16A1, 7, 8, and 3), which represent significant determinants of absorption, renal reabsorption, and brain and tissue uptake. This review will provide current information of the pharmacology, therapeutic effects, and pharmacokinetics/pharmacodynamics of GHB, as well as therapeutic strategies for the treatment of overdoses. Graphical abstract.

[Knockout Drugs: Diagnostics in the Emergency Unit and Clinical Practice]

Knockout Drugs: Diagnostics in the Emergency Unit and Clinical Practice Abstract. Every now and then, physicians are challenged with date rape drugs. If there is a suspicion of substance administration, the question of involving forensic medicine is commonly raised. In obscure situations or questionable offences, however, patients may wish for an initial diagnosis in the emergency department or the private practice. The physicians are often greatly challenged by the variety of substances, the limited analytical methods and difficulties with the interpretion of results. The major goal of this article is to present diagnostic options including their limitations. An overview of frequently involved substances is provided. Particular focus will be placed on practical aspects, including questions regarding pre-analytics and health insurance coverage.