Carbenoxolone decreases monocrotaline‑induced pulmonary inflammation and pulmonary arteriolar remodeling in rats by decreasing the expression of connexins in T lymphocytes

Assessing the role of primary healthy microglia and gap junction blocker in hindering Alzheimer's disease neuroinflammatory type: Early approaches for therapeutic intervention

Alzheimer's disease (AD) is a predominantly heterogeneous disease with a highly complex pathobiology. The presence of amyloid-beta (Aβ) depositions and the accumulation of hyperphosphorylated tau protein remain the characteristic hallmarks of AD. These hallmarks can be detected throughout the brain and other regions, including cerebrospinal fluid (CSF) and the spinal cord. Microglia cells, the brain-resident macrophage type of the brain, are implicated in maintaining healthy brain homeostasis. The localized administration of primary healthy microglia (PHM) is suggested to play a role in mitigating AD hallmark depositions and associated cognitive dysfunction. Carbenoxolone (CBX) is the most common gap junction blocker. It cannot effectively cross the blood-brain barrier (BBB) under systemic administration. Therefore, localized administration of CBX may be a recommended intervention against AD by acting as an antioxidant and anti-inflammatory agent. This study aims to determine whether the localized intracerebroventricular (ICV) administration of PHM and CBX may act as an effective therapeutic intervention for AD neuroinflammatory type. In addition, this study also aims to reveal whether detecting AD hallmarks in the spinal cord and CSF can be considered functional and effective during AD early diagnosis. Male albino rats were divided into four groups: control (group 1), lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-induced AD neuroinflammatory type (group 2), ICV injection of LPS + isolated PHM (group 3), and ICV injection of LPS + CBX (group 4). Morris water maze (MWM) was conducted to evaluate spatial working memory. The brain and spinal cord were isolated from each rat with the collection of CSF. Our findings demonstrate that the localized administration of PHM and CBX can act as promising therapeutic approaches against AD. Additionally, Aβ and tau toxic aggregates were detected in the spinal cord and the CSF of the induced AD model concomitant with the brain tissues. Overall, it is suggested that the ICV administration of PHM and CBX can restore normal brain functions and alleviate AD hallmark depositions. Detecting these depositions in the spinal cord and CSF may be considered in AD early diagnosis. As such, conducting clinical research is recommended to reveal the benefits of related therapeutic approaches compared with preclinical findings.

A Systematic Study of the Mechanism of Acacetin Against Sepsis Based on Network Pharmacology and Experimental Validation

Sepsis is a dysregulated systemic response to infection, and no effective treatment options are available. Acacetin is a natural flavonoid found in various plants, including Sparganii rhizoma, Sargentodoxa cuneata and Patrinia scabiosifolia. Studies have revealed that acacetin potentially exerts anti-inflammatory and antioxidative effects on sepsis. In this study, we investigated the potential protective effect of acacetin on sepsis and revealed the underlying mechanisms using a network pharmacology approach coupled with experimental validation and molecular docking. First, we found that acacetin significantly suppressed pathological damage and pro-inflammatory cytokine expression in mice with LPS-induced fulminant hepatic failure and acute lung injury, and in vitro experiments further confirmed that acacetin attenuated LPS-induced M1 polarization. Then, network pharmacology screening revealed EGFR, PTGS2, SRC and ESR1 as the top four overlapping targets in a PPI network, and GO and KEGG analyses revealed the top 20 enriched biological processes and signalling pathways associated with the therapeutic effects of acacetin on sepsis. Further network pharmacological analysis indicated that gap junctions may be highly involved in the protective effects of acacetin on sepsis. Finally, molecular docking verified that acacetin bound to the active sites of the four targets predicted by network pharmacology, and in vitro experiments further confirmed that acacetin significantly inhibited the upregulation of p-src induced by LPS and attenuated LPS-induced M1 polarization through gap junctions. Taken together, our results indicate that acacetin may protect against sepsis via a mechanism involving multiple targets and pathways and that gap junctions may be highly involved in this process.

Importance of Cx43 for Right Ventricular Function

In the heart, connexins form gap junctions, hemichannels, and are also present within mitochondria, with connexin 43 (Cx43) being the most prominent connexin in the ventricles. Whereas the role of Cx43 is well established for the healthy and diseased left ventricle, less is known about the importance of Cx43 for the development of right ventricular (RV) dysfunction. The present article focusses on the importance of Cx43 for the developing heart. Furthermore, we discuss the expression and localization of Cx43 in the diseased RV, i.e., in the tetralogy of Fallot and in pulmonary hypertension, in which the RV is affected, and RV hypertrophy and failure occur. We will also introduce other Cx molecules that are expressed in RV and surrounding tissues and have been reported to be involved in RV pathophysiology. Finally, we highlight therapeutic strategies aiming to improve RV function in pulmonary hypertension that are associated with alterations of Cx43 expression and function.

A Working Hypothesis Regarding Identical Pathomechanisms between Clinical Efficacy and Adverse Reaction of Clozapine via the Activation of Connexin43

Clozapine (CLZ) is an approved antipsychotic agent for the medication of treatment-resistant schizophrenia but is also well known as one of the most toxic antipsychotics. Recently, the World Health Organization’s (WHO) global database (VigiBase) reported the relative lethality of severe adverse reactions of CLZ. Agranulocytosis is the most famous adverse CLZ reaction but is of lesser lethality compared with the other adverse drug reactions of CLZ. Unexpectedly, VigiBase indicated that the prevalence and relative lethality of pneumonia, cardiotoxicity, and seizures associated with CLZ were more serious than that of agranulocytosis. Therefore, haematological monitoring in CLZ patients monitoring system provided success in the prevention of lethal adverse events from CLZ-induced agranulocytosis. Hereafter, psychiatrists must amend the CLZ patients monitoring system to protect patients with treatment-resistant schizophrenia from severe adverse CLZ reactions, such as pneumonia, cardiotoxicity, and seizures, according to the clinical evidence and pathophysiology. In this review, we discuss the mechanisms of clinical efficacy and the adverse reactions of CLZ based on the accumulating pharmacodynamic findings of CLZ, including tripartite synaptic transmission, and we propose suggestions for amending the monitoring and medication of adverse CLZ reactions associated with pneumonia, cardiotoxicity, and seizures.