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Repurposing Small Molecules to Target PPAR-γ as New Therapies for Peripheral Nerve Injuries. Biomolecules 2021; 11:biom11091301. [PMID: 34572514 PMCID: PMC8465622 DOI: 10.3390/biom11091301] [Citation(s) in RCA: 9] [Impact Index Per Article: 3.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/15/2021] [Revised: 08/08/2021] [Accepted: 08/14/2021] [Indexed: 12/21/2022] Open
Abstract
The slow rate of neuronal regeneration that follows peripheral nerve repair results in poor recovery, particularly where reinnervation of muscles is delayed, leading to atrophy and permanent loss of function. There is a clear clinical need to develop drug treatments that can accelerate nerve regeneration safely, restoring connections before the target tissues deteriorate irreversibly. The identification that the Rho/Rho-associated kinase (ROCK) pathway acts to limit neuronal growth rate is a promising advancement towards the development of drugs. Targeting Rho or ROCK directly can act to suppress the activity of this pathway; however, the pathway can also be modulated through the activation of upstream receptors; one of particular interest being peroxisome proliferator-activated receptor gamma (PPAR-γ). The connection between the PPAR-γ receptor and the Rho/ROCK pathway is the suppression of the conversion of inactive guanosine diphosphate (GDP)-Rho to active guanosine triphosphate GTP-Rho, resulting in the suppression of Rho/ROCK activity. PPAR-γ is known for its role in cellular metabolism that leads to cell growth and differentiation. However, more recently there has been a growing interest in targeting PPAR-γ in peripheral nerve injury (PNI). The localisation and expression of PPAR-γ in neural cells following a PNI has been reported and further in vitro and in vivo studies have shown that delivering PPAR-γ agonists following injury promotes nerve regeneration, leading to improvements in functional recovery. This review explores the potential of repurposing PPAR-γ agonists to treat PNI and their prospective translation to the clinic.
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Kim J, Joshi HP, Kim KT, Kim YY, Yeo K, Choi H, Kim YW, Choi UY, Kumar H, Sohn S, Shin DA, Han IB. Combined Treatment with Fasudil and Menthol Improves Functional Recovery in Rat Spinal Cord Injury Model. Biomedicines 2020; 8:E258. [PMID: 32751905 PMCID: PMC7460054 DOI: 10.3390/biomedicines8080258] [Citation(s) in RCA: 8] [Impact Index Per Article: 2.0] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Grants] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Received: 07/05/2020] [Revised: 07/23/2020] [Accepted: 07/29/2020] [Indexed: 12/31/2022] Open
Abstract
Neuroprotective measures by preventing secondary spinal cord injury (SCI) are one of the main strategies for repairing an injured spinal cord. Fasudil and menthol may be potent neuroprotective agents, which act by inhibiting a rho-associated protein kinase (ROCK) and suppressing the inflammatory response, respectively. We hypothesized that combined treatment of fasudil and menthol could improve functional recovery by decreasing inflammation, apoptosis, and glial scar formation. We tested our hypothesis by administering fasudil and menthol intraperitoneally (i.p.) to female Sprague Dawley rats after moderate static compression (35 g of impounder for 5 min) of T10 spinal cord. The rats were randomly divided into five experimental groups: (i) sham animals received laminectomy alone, (ii) injured (SCI) and untreated (saline 0.2 mL/day, i.p.) rats, (iii) injured (SCI) rats treated with fasudil (10 mg/kg/day, i.p.) for two weeks, (iv) injured (SCI) rats treated with menthol (10 mg/kg/day, i.p.) for twoweeks, (v) injured (SCI) rats treated with fasudil (5 mg/kg/day, i.p.) and menthol (10 mg/kg/day, i.p.) for two weeks. Compared to single treatment groups, combined treatment of fasudil and menthol demonstrated significant functional recovery and pain amelioration, which, thereby, significantly reduced inflammation, apoptosis, and glial/fibrotic scar formation. Therefore, combined treatment of fasudil and menthol may provide effective amelioration of spinal cord dysfunction by a synergistic effect of fasudil and menthol.
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Affiliation(s)
- JeongHoon Kim
- Department of Neurosurgery, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, Seongnam-si 13496, Korea
| | - Hari Prasad Joshi
- Department of Neurosurgery, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, Seongnam-si 13496, Korea
| | - Kyoung-Tae Kim
- Department of Neurosurgery, School of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Daegu 41944, Korea
- Department of Neurosurgery, Kyungpook National University Hospital, Daegu 41944, Korea
| | - Yi Young Kim
- Department of Neurosurgery, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, Seongnam-si 13496, Korea
| | - Keundong Yeo
- Department of Neurosurgery, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, Seongnam-si 13496, Korea
| | - Hyemin Choi
- Department of Neurosurgery, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, Seongnam-si 13496, Korea
| | - Ye Won Kim
- Department of Neurosurgery, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, Seongnam-si 13496, Korea
| | - Un-Yong Choi
- Department of Neurosurgery, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, Seongnam-si 13496, Korea
| | - Hemant Kumar
- Department of Pharmacology and Toxicology, National Institute of Pharmaceutical Education and Research (NIPER)-Ahmedabad, Gandhinagar, Gujarat 382355, India
| | - Seil Sohn
- Department of Neurosurgery, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, Seongnam-si 13496, Korea
| | - Dong Ah Shin
- Department of Neurosurgery, Yonsei University College of Medicine, 50 Yonsei-ro, Seodaemun-gu, Seoul 03722, Korea
| | - In-Bo Han
- Department of Neurosurgery, CHA University School of Medicine, CHA Bundang Medical Center, Seongnam-si 13496, Korea
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Hou XL, Chen Y, Yin H, Duan WG. Combination of fasudil and celecoxib promotes the recovery of injured spinal cord in rats better than celecoxib or fasudil alone. Neural Regen Res 2016; 10:1836-40. [PMID: 26807121 PMCID: PMC4705798 DOI: 10.4103/1673-5374.170314] [Citation(s) in RCA: 13] [Impact Index Per Article: 1.6] [Reference Citation Analysis] [Abstract] [Key Words] [Track Full Text] [Download PDF] [Figures] [Journal Information] [Subscribe] [Scholar Register] [Indexed: 11/18/2022] Open
Abstract
Resistance mechanisms of rho-associated kinase (ROCK) inhibitors are associated with the enhanced expression of cyclooxygenase-2 (COX-2). The therapeutic effects of ROCK on nervous system diseases might be enhanced by COX-2 inhibitors. This study investigated the synergistic effect of the combined use of the ROCK inhibitor fasudil and a COX-2 inhibitor celecoxib on spinal cord injury in a rat model established by transecting the right half of the spinal cord at T11. Rat models were orally administrated with celecoxib (20 mg/kg) and/or intramuscularly with fasudil (10 mg/kg) for 2 weeks. Results demonstrated that the combined use of celecoxib and fasudil significantly decreased COX-2 and Rho kinase II expression surrounding the lesion site in rats with spinal cord injury, improved the pathomorphology of the injured spinal cord, and promoted the recovery of motor function. Moreover, the effects of the drug combination were better than celecoxib or fasudil alone. This study demonstrated that the combined use of fasudil and celecoxib synergistically enhanced the functional recovery of injured spinal cord in rats.
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Affiliation(s)
- Xiao-Lin Hou
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Sinomedicine, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Enthnomedicine, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Yan Chen
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Sinomedicine, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Enthnomedicine, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Hua Yin
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Sinomedicine, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Enthnomedicine, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
| | - Wei-Gang Duan
- Key Laboratory of Molecular Biology for Sinomedicine, Yunnan Key Laboratory for Enthnomedicine, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China; Initiative Team of Microenvironment, Yunnan University of Traditional Chinese Medicine, Kunming, Yunnan Province, China
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